A New York man advertised two Finger Lakes vacation homes he could not rent, and promised an escrow that did not exist
Henry T. Dean III, 58, of Beaver Dams, New York, advertised vacation homes in the Finger Lakes region on FingerLakesGuesthouses.com, Homeaway.com and VacationRentalsByOwner.com between September 2014 and October 2016. One advertised house was under significant construction and not available to rent; the other was owned by a person who never gave Dean permission to rent or advertise it. Dean told customers their deposits would be held in an escrow account that did not exist, later cancelled many reservations and refused refunds, including to customers who spotted the problem in advance and tried to cancel. Losses to more than 20 victims totaled approximately $137,272.46. Convicted of wire fraud, he was sentenced on December 4, 2018 to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution. The FBI investigated.
- Year
- 2018
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Sentenced
- Reported loss
- $137,272
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- Vacation rental scams
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-04
The facts, as recorded
- Between September 2014 and October 2016, Henry T. Dean III of Beaver Dams, New York, advertised vacation homes in the Finger Lakes region on FingerLakesGuesthouses.com, Homeaway.com and VacationRentalsByOwner.com.
- He advertised at least two homes as large vacation homes with various amenities, available on receipt of a fully refundable deposit paid by wire transfer or online credit card payment.
- The property advertised as the Finger Lakes Guesthouse was under significant construction and was not available to rent.
- The property advertised as the Watkins Glen Guesthouse was owned by another person who never gave Dean permission to rent it or advertise it.
- Dean promised to keep customers' deposits in an escrow account, which did not exist.
- He later cancelled reservations for many customers and refused to refund their payments, and refused refunds to customers who learned in advance that the properties were not accurately described and tried to cancel.
- Losses to the more than 20 victims totaled approximately $137,272.46.
- Convicted of wire fraud, Dean was sentenced on December 4, 2018 to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford, with restitution of $120,000.
- The FBI investigated the case.
Why this case matters
This is the oldest and plainest form of the scheme on this page: no spoofed website and no hacked account, just an ordinary-looking listing on a mainstream vacation rental site for a house the lister had no right to rent. The deposits were taken by wire transfer or online card payment, and the customers were reassured by a promise of an escrow account that was never opened. The FTC’s travel guidance advises searching online for a rental’s address and the owner’s name, and checking that the property is listed on the owner’s own site; here, the true owner of one house had never agreed to the listing.
What the sentencing release describes
Dean accepted deposits for two houses. One was a construction site; the other belonged to someone who had no idea it was being advertised. He cancelled many reservations and kept the money, and when other customers worked out in advance that the listings were inaccurate and asked to cancel, he refused their refunds too. The Justice Department put the losses of more than 20 victims at approximately $137,272.46, with $120,000 ordered as restitution.
The caveat
Henry T. Dean III was convicted of wire fraud and sentenced by a federal judge, so the account above is a proven legal outcome rather than an allegation. This page relies on a single Justice Department release for the case; it does not report how much of the restitution has been paid.
Sources
- Rochester Man Sentenced For Defrauding Would-Be Vacation Home Renters Out Of Thousands Of Dollars. U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York. Accessed 2026-10-04. Supports: Everything in the case: Dean's age and town, the September 2014 to October 2016 period, the three listing websites, the two properties and why neither could be rented, the non-existent escrow account, the refused refunds, the 20-plus victims and $137,272.46 loss, the 36-month sentence, Judge Wolford, the $120,000 restitution, and the FBI investigation.
- Avoid Scams When You Travel. Federal Trade Commission. Accessed 2026-10-04. Supports: The FTC's advice to search a rental's address and the owner's name before paying.