Tag Archives: fraudulent airbnb payments

Airbnb Scammers – ALWAYS Check the URL!

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I’ve been looking to rent an apartment in Barcelona and two people have already tried to scam me using Airbnb’s name. The initial contact is by email, and the format is always the same:

*The Bait*

“Bought the apartment but moved, it’s a great deal/very low price, can’t be bothered to show the place beforehand, will use Airbnb for safety/trust.”

*The Final Touches*

You pay directly to an “Airbnb Agent”. Then he will show you the place. If you don’t like it, you can get your money back in two days OR they send you a fake link (like this one) that looks exactly like the real deal.

*Bonus Points for the Scammers*

They also steal your personal information: when you request a booking you can, conveniently, sign in using Facebook, Google or your real Airbnb account. I used 123@gmail.com and 1234567 and it “worked” to get into the payments area…

*The Result*

You lose a ton of cash and have no one to whom to go as you never dealt with the real Airbnb.

*The Lesson*

ALWAYS CHECK THE URLs and, if you plan to deal outside Airbnb for any reason, make a deal with the owner where the first week/nights of your stay are booked through the real site, and then arrange an alternative means of payment for the rest of your planned stay.

Fraudulent Listings on Airbnb

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I was interested in two listings in London. Both were fraudulent. They posted email addresses in the photo section with Airbnb in the script. When I messaged them through official channels they asked me to email them directly to check on the dates. I then got official looking booking emails that connected you to what looked exactly like the Airbnb payment portal. Payment was then asked for by wire. The apartments are probably from real estate listings (too good to be true). I paid but because it didn’t feel right I cancelled the wire an hour later. That’s a whole other issue that I’m dealing with my bank about. They said they didn’t get the money. I am not sure if they did yet. They sent me a second bank to which to wire money. The first bank was in Norway, and the second was in England. Based on the sophistication of the software I am sure that this scam is not limited to London, but has infected their entire listing database. I informed Airbnb.com of this scam and their response was to send me scripted safety tips. I sent them copies of all the mirrored web pages and email addresses and banking info. I did not request they refund my money I just asked for the assistance and I have never heard from them.

Fraudulent Airbnb Payments!

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We have just found out our payments have been paid to a fraudulently set up bank account in Spain.
We are based in UK and have 13 apts listed with them but without warning they started paying an IBAN account in Spain IN Euros. So far we have calculated more than £50,000 has gone to this UNKNOWN account. No response from Airbnb fir 3 days Uk fraud police are investigating. All multi property hosts please check who’s account your money is going into.