Since apartment rentals offer more privacy space at low costs (comparatively less than hotels), they are well in fashion and demand today. With their increasing popularity, however, the chances of scams have also increased!
As a customer, you should be careful while searching for an apartment rental over the Internet, for you may be a scam victim otherwise! 
When searching an apartment rental online:
Verify the Location
Use your computer to find a list of prospective apartment rentals along with their addresses over the internet. After finding a street address, verify if the location really exists. The best idea would be to visit reputed real estate websites for authentic areas.
Prefer New Apartments
You should check for recently built apartment rentals, constructed within the last four or five years, and you can also go for those renovated within the last couple of years. Since you will be paying for your stay, have a keen look at the pictures posted on a website.
You should ask the owner to provide you with some more pictures if you find the property interesting. Take a final call only when you are sure your apartment rental has high-quality rooms and is on a good location.
Go through Online Reviews 
It is not enough to see a few photos to make a decision, for they might be false and posted to misguide you. You always have the option of going through the reviews provided online by real, satisfied customers.
Most reputed and genuine websites have a review section at the bottom of their homepage, making it easier for you to find comments left by customers. Try to find an online website that deals only in apartment rentals and has been into the business for quite long.
Use Credit card for Reservation
An advantage to reserving your apartment rental can be the option of disputing the charge, in any case if the apartment is a fake address. Most owners that accept credit cards are often genuine, for no businessman or rental apartment owner will want to get into a dispute and spoil their credit history. So, you should always use credit card when reserving an apartment rental for you.
Things to Keep in Mind:

• You can always trust a homeowner providing his/her own home for renting to vacationers.
• The best idea to avoid an Internet apartment rental scam would be to choose an apartment rental with help of recommendations from your known people, preferably close friends.
• Be careful when someone is trying to persuade you to make advance cash payments.

If all goes well, holiday apartments can turn out as a much better option to intimately know the city, learn more about its people, and so on. Maybe your landlord will invite you for a feast, join them and see how we can enjoy life.