BEWARE OF SCAM

[Rebeka135]

Hi everyone! 

I am posting this hoping that this will stop some innocent people from getting scammed. A few days ago my partner and I have found a studio flat advertised on Facebook Marketplace, in Central London. I emailed the advertiser straight away, and was told that this property is listed on Airbnb, and that I would have to reserve and pay through the Airbnb website. I asked to view the flat before paying, but apparently could only go and see it once I have paid. 

The host then told me to contact them via WhatsApp, where I was sent a link to the “reservation” website. 

This was a fake website, that looked ALMOST identical to the real airbnb.co.uk website. There were a few differences though, for example, I did NOT have to login to my account to make a reservation. 

When I clicked on the airbnb icon at the top, it wouldn’t take me to the home page of airbnb, but would stay on the same website. 

When I told the host about the concerns these sketchy things made me feel, they started getting aggressive and using bad language. 

This is the fake link I received: ***https://www.airbnb.uk.information-booking-itinerary-home-878689099.space/rooms/PD046106?source_impre...

please please please people be aware of these scams, always check if for the genuinity of any website or link you receive, compare it with the airbnb.co.uk website, be aware if a property is suspiciously cheap, and DO NOT make any reservations without logging in! 

I hope this will help others. 

[Anonymous]

@Rebeka135 This is, sadly, a scam that is well-known to regular readers here, and it's also gotten some coverage in the press. It seems like Facebook and Craigslist are among the venues targeted most by scammers, to the extent that I would not recommend them as an entry point for accommodation or housing search.

In addition to schemes like the ones you've experienced, some of these copycat Airbnb listings (as well as copycats of many other well-known websites) are actually phishing operations that trick you into entering your login details. So it's also important to be sure you're at the valid and secured site before typing in your password.