Martin Nowell, scam

[Silvia-Anna0]

Good morning, did anyone receive a proposal from Martin Nowell? Is asking me to partecipate in a scam. He would like to book my apartment, stay at his friend's home and share the rental fee with me. He sent his phone number in letters to me + 12562739824.

This is clearly a scam and I wander if it is common or not to receive this type of "affairs".

Thank you

[Lisa723]

@Silvia-Anna0 I see, thanks, but why would any host do this, when they can rent to someone else without a kick-back? Or is the idea to inflate the price to such an amount that the host makes more than full price? Or that the host will rent the place to someone else on another platform?

[Silvia-Anna0]

My apartment for example was available for the dates, he asked more than a month and that could be interesting, such a long period and no request for that period. 

My apartment is near the exibithion center in Milan and I am busy during the events, while in the other weeks it is very calm…. before understanding what was going on I was very happy to receive such a request!

[Silvia-Anna0]

and no discount request! 😉 

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723  It is rather hard to understand, but then, most of us don't have criminal minds. It would be interesting if a host who received one of these responded to the scammer with "I'm sorry, I don't understand, how exactly would this work?"  If the scammer then explained it, there would be a clear record of the scam he is trying to pull, without the host having indicated in any way that they are interested in participating.

[Silvia-Anna0]

Dear Sarah, it was exactly explained, no need to ask him to better describe the trick…. he said: "there is something I would like to discuss with you in person and it is very simple: I could stay at a friend's home, I wouldn't check in at all and we could share the fare. call me at twwo twwo thrree………"

So, he explained very clearly and also gave me the number!!!! Written in letters with more letters in, because the system is able to recognize numbers written in correct letters….. 

[Sarah977]

@Silvia-Anna0  No, that's not clear to me or the other hosts who've responded here, at all. Where would this money he is proposing to split with you come from? He would pay for the reservation, stay at a frined's home instead, then split the money he paid with you? Then he'd be out half his money. And you would have the dates blocked on your calendar so you couldn't rent it to anyone else.

Makes no sense to me, at all.

[Lisa723]

@Sarah977 it's explained above, an attempt to rip off the guest's employer.

[Silvia-Anna0]

read my answer to another member of that thread

It is very simple: the person works for a company. The company pays the host and the host share the amount with the guest (while he doesn't show). 

Is that clear now?

[Sarah977]

@Lisa723 @Silvia-Anna0  Yes, I get it now.  I'll bet the company this guy works for would love to know how he is scamming to rip them off.

[Silvia-Anna0]

exactly!! there are no limits to creativity in crimes!!

[Marco2572]

Hello,

I received teh same request, too.

It could be a fake guest or a "bot" (or a scam).

No review, No foto, airbnb guest from february.. etc.

[Susan17]

There is no "company". There is no "employee". There is no "Martin Nowell"

It's a rampant money laundering scam, with cybercriminals washing their dirty money (usually from stolen credit cards, but also from proceeds of crime - drugs, heists, weapons etc) through fake reservations. 

In the earlier days the cybercriminals used to advertise on the Dark Net to find hosts willing to collude in their schemes, but they soon found that they could pretty easily get away with plying their trade on the actual Airbnb website itself, so that's their preferred MO these days. 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-airbnbs-russian-money-laundering-problem