You said it perfectly. You need to have trust in the DVC person you rent from. When renting points the DVC member has total control. If a DVC member transfers points, it must be to another DVC member. You can get a contract. You can check the Orange County Comptroller office to see if they ever bought a contract at
http://officialrecords.occompt.com/wb_or1/or_sch_1.asp . I have also seen on some boards you can put the money into an escrow account. Most renters have paid me by paypal or check and I have never had a problem. Go with your gut. Talk to them by phone if possible and see if they are knowledge. I know you can call the resort 1 or 2 days prior to confirm the reservation, but when renting from a DVC member you cannot change the reservation only they can. Good Luck