London Airbnb Scam

[Michelle2393]

Hi Guys 

Just wanted to share a scammer who's advertising a studio in London and scamming people out of money, his site is very good and looks legit - he also advertises on Facebook via a **

//alrbnb-com.rooms-239848823.com/1/itinerary/125/itinerary-vkrlxn7j/JgxCY7lQCA

Hi name is **

**

**[Personal information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Anonymous]

@Michelle2393   You can't post people's personal details on here, and it boggles the mind that anyone would put a screenshot of a person's passport on the internet. I don't know how you're in possession of this person's ID, but if you have evidence that he is committing fraud, you should report this to the police - not to strangers in a web forum.

But it's immediately apparent that the link you posted is a scam, because that is not even a genuine Airbnb URL. If anyone is easily taken in by something that obvious, I have a bridge to sell them.

[Michelle2393]

thanks @Anonymous - I've removed the ID picture - I just wanted to flag it as although the URL is obvious it was embedded in emails and not blatantly sent as I have in the post and the site looked really legitmate. 

[Anonymous]

@Michelle2393  The URL is fine, but I believe the email address is also not allowed by the forum's rules.

What you describe fits a pattern of similar scams with many different culprits, so outing one particular scammer might obscure the big picture. Many long-term housing seekers - particularly in London and other large UK cities - have reported being asked in an email to transfer a "deposit" through a fake Airbnb listing in order to receive keys to view a property, or something similar. But what I haven't yet heard is by what chain of events they came to be receiving these emails. Would you mind starting from the beginning and telling us how the scammer made contact with you in the first place?

It would be most useful for people to know how these scammers are finding their targets, since in this case it's not via the actual Airbnb site. I'm sure there's also an interesting story behind how you came to be in possession of this man's passport...

[Sarah977]

@Michelle2393  It's always good to warn others of scams, but I really don't think that these are individuals who are doing this, I think it is an international ring of scammers, because they all send out almost exactly the same emails, no matter where in the world the person who is being targeted is. And even their names don't mean anything, because they simply change names when they get found out. And they are either fake or stolen documents.

@Anonymous  Every one of these scam reports, of which there are hundreds on this forum, was a result of the "scammie" answering an ad they found on Facebook, Zillow, Craigslist, or one of countless other websites. The scammie is the one who makes the first contact by responding to the ad.

I'd be willing to bet that's what Michelle did.

I know there are legitimate hosts that may also advertise on these other sites for more exposure, but in that case, they simply redirect the inquirer to their personal direct booking website, or their Airbnb, VRBO, etc. listing. They don't exchange long convoluted emails with the other party, send them copies of their passport, ask the person for their personal information, or anything like that.