Couple mistakenly books fraudulent pool ad; Glendale police arrive with guns drawn

GLENDALE, Arizona. – A Phoenix couple got a surprise when the pool they booked on an app turned out to be a fraudulent list.

The couple found out when Glendale police arrived with their guns drawn and said they were trespassing on their property.

The couple was trying to beat the heat with their eight-month-old puppy, but everything changed when the owners saw a video of strangers in their backyard.

“This would have been our seventh rental through Swim calmlyAs we always do, we went on the app to see which pools were available. We booked a rental from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” Vanessa Lighty said.

Between fifteen and twenty minutes after your stay, Glendale The police showed up and handcuffed Lighty and his wife.

“They came with flashlights, obviously it was 8pm, it was dark outside. So they came in with their flashlights up and their guns in their hands and told us to put our hands up,” he said.

Vanessa’s wife recorded the moment when they tried to explain to the police that they had booked the pool on an app called Swimply.

“They actually went through my phone and looked up the reservation and confirmed that this is the address and that you paid. The owners claim, I assume they had spoken to them, that they had not made the announcement,” Lightly said.

What was supposed to be a fun and relaxing evening enjoying the pool quickly turned terrifying.

“I felt very hopeless. I didn’t think they would listen to us,” she said.

Glendale police said the homeowners were alerted that someone was in their backyard. The couple paid to use the pool through the app, but the listing was fraudulent.

“It was really quite scary, to be honest, and I’m very traumatized by it. I really wish Swimply would stand up and do something about it.”

Swimply told FOX 10 that when a fraudulent listing is detected, action is taken immediately. Actions may include providing assistance to affected guests, including refunds.

“Upon further contacting Swimply, we have not received any assistance whatsoever. They are not willing to refund our money, let alone talk to us about what account verification they perform to ensure these posts are real,” Lightly said.

On August 5, Swimply provided an update saying: “Swimply has contacted the renters in the fraudulent listing and has issued a full refund.”

The owner, who was away at the time, said no charges would be filed.

“People paid to use the pool through an app, but it was fraudulent as it was not authorized by the actual owners of the home. People who used the pool were able to leave without facing any charges,” Glendale police said.