Scam alert! How can I make sure a listing is real?

[Kim207]

This will be my first time using Airbnb so I'm a bit weary about listings being fake.

What can I do to make sure a listing is real and not a scam?

What should I be looking out for?

Thanks

[Sarah977]

@Francisco1321   What makes you doubt that it is a legitimate listing?

If you read through this thread, you will see that it is about scams that people get taken in by because they answered an ad for a long term rental that they found on some other online marketplace.  The scammers send them long emails, saying they will use Airbnb for the first month, or the whole rental and outlining how it will work, which isn't how Airbnb works at all. They ask guests to send personal information and passport copies and send tbem to a fake website designed to look like Airbnb, but not with an Airbnb URL. They ask guests to send them money.

The link you posted is a listing on the Airbnb site. There's nothing at all about it that indicates it is fake. There really isn't any point in posting links here to official Airbnb listings and asking if they are real or fake.

[Ervin55]

Can anyone help confirm this bnb is real ? 
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/47838291?source_impression_id=p3_1620398440_%2FYKOgg8tC3YfaKG0&guests=1...

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ervin55 The only risk you take is that, without reviews, the property is an unknown. Other than that, paying through Airbnb, your money should be safe.

Why are you suspicious?

[Ervin55]

The host wasn’t being responsive for a couple days , I was weary of the no reviews but it seems to be getting booked up. And she just joined this year everything was just seeming a little off.

[Ute42]

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@Ervin55    

In case You don't know that:

If You book a place on airbnb, You will immediately be charged for it. Your host though gets the payout from airbnb only 2 or 3 days after You have checked in. So if You arrive at Your hosts place and realize the listing is a complete dump or doesn't even exist, You can call customer service to stop the payout. This is a real advantage for guests to book a place on the platform.

[Ervin55]

Yes I’m not afraid of the money it’s just going to another country and then not having anywhere to stay lol.

[Ute42]

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@Ervin55 

If You travel with the airbnb-app on Your smartphone You can always instant-book another place with same day checkin in the area. Just make sure there's enough room on Your credit card.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ervin55 You are unlikely to end up with no accommodation as a scam like that would be of no benefit whatsoever to the listing host. Unless someone has set up a listing just to leave travellers with no where to live the risk is minimal

[Sarah977]

@Ervin55  We should all have a Plan B when travelling- things can always go sideways when we aren't on our familiar home turf. In this case, it would be getting a hotel for the night, or another Airbnb.

But it's doubtful you have anything to worry about as long as you are getting messages answered by the host. They may not answer immediately (sometimes there's a time zone difference, it may be a reasonable hour for you when you send a message, but it's 3AM where the host is), but as long as they aren't impossible to reach, all should be well.

[Carly153]

https://abnb.me/LQkFAf0Vegb

can anyone tell me if this listing is legit? there are no reviews and it is beautiful and the price is a great deal but there are no reviews. I messaged the host to ask her why there were no reviews and she said that it was because she just recently listed it and has not rented it to anybody yet. 

[Sarah977]

@Carly153  If it's a new listing, of course it doesn't have any reviews yet. And you have no reviews as a guest, either. Does that mean you aren't legit? 🙂

This is a listing on the official Airbnb site. There is no reason to think there's anything shady about it. If the host responds to you in a timely fashion and communicates well, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. 

It's places that people find on other sites, like Zillow or Craigslist , or whatever,  and then the so-called host sends them some lengthy email, directs them to a fake Airbnb look-alike posting, asking for all their ID and then telling them to transfer money where people get scammed. 

If you do everything through Airbnb, you'll be fine. Occasionally there's some scammers on the real site, but it's not at all common, and when you pay through Airbnb, they hold your payment until 24 hours after check-in before releasing it to the host, so you're safe in that regard.

P.S. You should add a brief write-up about yourself on your profile. Hosts like to see that and some hosts will decline bookings from a new guest with no reviews who hasn't bothered to fill that part out. Just as guests might be wary about a new listing with no reviews, hosts are wary of new guests with no reviews, so writing something about your work, studies, and interests, can put hosts at ease. 

[Priti11]

Hi! Would love to get thoughts on this listing if this is legit. It seems too good to be true in the neighborhood it is for the monthly price. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/49756846?source_impression_id=p3_1621291645_Of9l%2Bc5LupB0CjT9&guests=1&...

[Sarah977]

@Priti11  It's a new listing with no reviews yet, so it's hard to know, but it is a listing on the real Airbnb site, not some scam site, and they have listed their rental license number, so it should be legit.  

If this is a brand new host, he may not have realized that Airbnb puts a 20% discount on new listings by default- that the host has to toggle that off if they don't want to offer it, and that discounts are culmulative, not exclusive, so if he also has a monthly discount, that could easily account for a ridiculously low price. And he may be shocked at that when he gets his first booking.

In any case, the best way to set your mind at ease about a listing is to send the host an Inquiry message (the Contact Host button under the listing description), and see if he answers promptly and nicely. Communication is the best way to get a feel for the listing and the host.

[Priti11]

@Sarah977  thank you so much for your inputs! This is super helpful. Definitely didn't know about the 20% default discount. Agree on communication being the true judge. Haven't heard back from the host yet. Though received the invite to book, maybe that happens automatically as well. 

[Cait12]

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/49325403?source_impression_id=p3_1622834896_aP0dbYMZGtvi9M9q

Is this one real? It's a new listing with no reviews.