This is a scam warning to hosts!

[Robin4]

I don't know how widespread this might be. I haven't seen anything here on the CC yet so I am posting this as a new thread to get as much attention from fellow hosts as possible.

This morning I opened my emails and I immediately focused on this one ..........

I was intrigued by the title 'Bank Transfer Reversal'! It struck me as odd because Airbnb are up to date with their payouts and I wasn't expecting anything for a few more days....... but the message looked genuine. So I hovered my mouse over the various links and it appeared that they would work, they would lead me to something if I were to click on one of them!

I next studied the server address and at that point I smelled a rat. I had a notification exactly the same as this one in October 2017 when Australian hosts had that Airbnb payout saga, so I went back through my screenshots and sure enough the server address was different, in the genuine mail it was simply, (automated@airbnb.com) so I then accessed all the current Airbnb Server addresses, here is a list of them.......

• @Airbnb.com
• @airbnbaction.com
• @airbnbmail.com
• @Airbnb.zendesk.com
• @e.airbnb.com
• @express.medallia.com
• @ext.airbnb.com
• @guest.airbnb.com
• @host.airbnb.com
• @noreply@qemailserver.com
• @outreach.airbnb.com
• @research.airbnb.com

If it's not sent from one of these addresses, it’s not from Airbnb.

@airbnbinc.com is not a genuine Airbnb server address. I still don't know quite how the information in the payout method would help them! It strikes me they would need passwords and pins to actually access the account for withdrawal purposes, but I don't know enough about current technology to speculate on that. They have obviously gone to this effort for a reason!

If any hosts receive an email like this, please study the server address and if it is not one of the 12 I have listed here, don't open any of the links, just discard it to your junk mail and report it to CX. 

These scam artists are definitely getting smarter, I would have thought an email like this would go straight into my junk folder but there must have been enough information in it for my spam filter to think it was genuine! 

Please be alert guys!

Cheers......Rob

[Jaime-and-Martha0]

Thanks a Lot Rob,

Fortunately we didn't fall in this Scam, Even if we are not native English speakers we could notice some faults, specially calling my place an apartment when it is actually a  ( not showing off) huge place, and NOBODY come here for business 😉  

Best Regards

[Jaime-and-Martha0]

Thanks a Lot Rob!

It seems Airbnb intercepted this profile before it reached my messages Inbox.  Good Job!

[Robin4]

@Jaime-and-Martha0 

Good on you guys.....if you want to know how this scam works, check out this latest thread by Rich & Yan.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Beware-the-quot-Let-s-split-the-payment-quot-scam/td-p/1...

With things as tough as they are just now in the hosting community, the last thing we need is to scammed for something we don't even get. Should be enough evidence to involve police action in this one!

You didn't get caught, that's the main thing!

Cheers.....Rob

[Jaime-and-Martha0]

Thanks for warning! I received this message By Email and SMS from express@airbnb.com    BUT NOT IN THE AIRBNB WEBSITE¿ is it legitimate os Scam? 

Hello! I am Nika. Soon I'm having a business trip to Mexico and I was thinking to book your apartment that you have listed on Airbnb. But there is one moment that I would like to share with you. The thing is that I am actually not planning to stay in your household, but to stay at my friend's house instead. Here's my suggestion. Book your apartment, never move into it and just share the rental fee my employer is going to pay as a part of my business trip expenses. Does it sound like a plan to you? If you are interested to earn some easy money and help me to achieve that as well, please get back to me soon. You can contact me in wathsap. This is my numbra plus 7 9 sseven seven 9 4 1 zeroo and 6 one and zerro

[Robin4]

@Jaime-and-Martha0 

Jaime, or Martha, this is a common recognised scam and we have seen this exact email here on the CC quite a few times over the past couple of months.

Do not respond to it but report the profile to Airbnb!

If it seems too good to be true....you can be sure it is, you will get duded!

Cheers......Rob 

[Robin4]

@Ann72  @Susan1404  @Lehel1 @Pat271  

I now understand why spammers are doing this and @Annemieke10  has provided the answer. I know I am a bit thick and I should have seen it before!

They are doing this to re-direct where future host payouts are to go. They are using this as a starting point to redirect legitimate payouts to another account.

Please everyone be aware, and if a payout doesn't come when it should, don't wait, get onto support straight away and let them know! 

This could also be the reason other posts here are complaining they are not receiving their payouts!

Cheers.....Rob

[Susan1404]

@Robin4- thanks for posting the warning.  Hopefully it will never be an issue for me, but at least I wont be blindsided!

[Jody79]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention @Robin4 ! It's scary how these phishing and scamming emails have gotten more and more sophisticated! It's a real problem everywhere, at work and personal emails as well. I'd like to think that I wouldn't fall for one of them, however they are getting more and more difficult to detect...increasing the odds that I will at some point. 😞

[Annemieke10]

OMG, I discovered that I have received some mails from "noreply@airbnb.com" and that I have opened  the link..

The I discovered that someone had changed my payment method and changed the bank account so the payments for december customers have been transferred to an account number which does not belong to me !!

I'm still trying to get Airbnb to give me the full accountnumber as they have transferred the money and I was not aware that (apparently) some hacker have changed my payment method!!

Have someone experienced this as well?

Annemieke

[Mari92]

Hi Annemikeke,

Did Airbnb CS fixed this problem?

I just had the same problem and I can see the hacker added "xxxx@airbnb.cam"  (cam, not com) paypal account as DEFAULT payment on my payment method. 

I had to call three times to Airbnb CS and finally I could speak to *payment method specialist*, but she didn't do anything, she just said "Ok, I just open the ticked for your issue, and will someone email you, have a good day".   This is very typical way the CS handle issues.  

It's my account, but there is no "delete" or  "change" or "edit" links for this fake account and showing "default" payment.  😞

Thank you,

Mari

[Robin4]

@Annemieke10 

noreply@airbnb.com  is a legitimate Airbnb mail address Anne. The part that picks it is what comes after the @. There can be all sorts of things before the @ but what comes after that determines if it is genuine.

Go back to my original post here and you will see the 12 current genuine server addresses and........ @airbnb.com  is at the head of that list of acceptable correct addresses.

What has happened in your instance Airbnb have picked up that someone other than you has attempted to alter your account details and Airbnb have alerted you to this fact and that email was to get you to contact Trust and Safety..

I am sorry that this has happened to you but, what has happened is not because you responded to that mail. The hacker got into your account before that, and that mail was to warn you that interference with your account was happening!

Cheers......Rob

[Ann72]

I was with @Pat271 on the red flags @Robin4 until you showed that screenshot.  Eerie!  Another thing to note about such emails is never to click on the links within them.  If you (and by "you" I mean anyone, not you specifically Robin :)) want to look further into it, just go straight to your online account and deal with any issues there.

Such a relief to hear you've had some rain!

[Susan1404]

@Robin4Thanks for the warning on this.  As we say in the southern U.S., an ounce for warning is worth a pound of cure!

[Stephanie]

Thank you for sharing this @Robin4  - excellent information that can be used by all who use Airbnb whether host or guest.

Thanks and stay safe! I'm knitting some animal shaped items for those rescued from the fires.

[Robin4]

@Stephanie 

Specifically what sort of 'animal shaped item' Steph! Would they fit a 6 ft male human! My wardrobe is in need of replenishing!

It rained on Kangaroo Island today and over the next 48 hours the situation there should be contained, much to everyones relief. Almost half the Island has been lost to these bushfires and our fear is that some of those animals that you are knitting shapes for Steph, no longer exist!

Kangaroo Island was unique in that major predatory animals like foxes, dingos were never introduced there, neither were rabbits and a plethora of other English fauna they brought with them on colonization!. So the island built up a population of gentle creatures, Koalas, Wombats, short nosed Echidnas......slow moving and accepting of humans because they never had to confront fear, they were never threatened. This was the attraction of the Island for tourists....you could just walk up to any animal and pat it.

Those days are gone now.....they sure know fear now, those that are left, and I am afraid KI will never be the same again. A fire does the soil the world of good, it brings nature back to life with renewed vigor! The trees will regrow but much of what makes the Island so great will never return.

Steph, if ever you get to Kangaroo Island there is one experience you absolutely have to discover.....Lavender Ice-cream. It is easily the best ice-cream I have ever tasted. It comes from the Lavender farm just outside of Kingscote.....hopefully it is still there!  You think of lavender as a rather strong, almost 'moth ball' smell....but it isn't! There is a food grade of lavender and I defy anyone to stop at one tub of Lavender ice-cream. The farm is huge but their entire production goes to keeping up with demand on the island. They do not export it off to the mainland because they simply can't produce enough of it!

Put it on your bucket list....you won't be disappointed! 

Cheers.......Rob

[Stephanie]

Dunno Rob, how do you think these would suite you? 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/07/australia-wildfires-animals-shelters-knitting

You still have Woolworths in AU don't you? Get yourself a Ladybird collection make over HA!

It sounds like an incredible place and tragic loss - I imagine some subspecies of creature and vegetation are on the brink if not lost already. Thank goodness for the rain, I will I could send all of Blighty's over for you!

Australia is number 1 on my "next trip outside the UK" list. Just scraping together those pennies @Robin4 !

Thanks

[Robin4]

@Stephanie 

I am a Woolworths regular Steph, In fact I have a very good relationship with Julie (the manageress off our local 'Woolies') and when cheeses get within a week of their best before date, I get them for 30c per cheese. That is why every guest gets a $25 cheese plate!

But Steph a Ladybird collection is not something I have come across in store! 

Woolworths Mt Ronnie

Steph, I don't make a habit of sending first time guests a special offer!

I would however definitely make an exception in your case!

And I wouldn't do that for Brian Chesky, you know!

Cheers.......Rob

[Lehel1]

Thank you for warning us!

[Pat271]

A couple of red flags in the email above:

1) “We tried to send you money” is not professional terminology when describing a bank transaction.

2) Superfluous “()” after the word “details”

Of course, I’m sure that some scammers may be perfectly capable of writing professional emails, and some Airbnb divisions may be perfectly capable of writing unprofessional emails!  However,  I have found that a lot of scam emails have giveaways like the above.

I suspect that this is a phishing scam, with the intent gathering as much information about you as possible.  

It’s amazing the hoodwinking that can happen if enough information is provided, even over the phone.  A few years ago, scammers set up 2 utility accounts in my name in a state in which I had never been.  Of course, the accounts were never paid and ended up in collections, which torched my credit report.  All the scammers had was my name, birthday, and SS number.  I had to file police reports, work with a detective, fill out a 20-page affidavit, etc. to get the accounts removed from my record.  It took 4 months before my credit rating was restored.

Many of these types of crimes are low-tech, not high-tech.  

[Robin4]

@Pat271 

Hi Pat, hope you have a great up coming year.

Hey, it's not quite as simple as you state. The body of that email text was identical the the genuine I received from Airbnb back in 2018. If I see something I feel I may have to consult at some future date, I screenshot it for easy reference.

Here is the genuine mail which came through back in November 2018.....

It is the same in every detail! The only difference is, the server address and I am making a big deal of this because, I am not saying I am a super sleuth but, I am sure many hosts may not pick this up, and act on it with unwanted consequences.

I do agree with you Pat in that those two points you mentioned as 'red flags' do look 'sus' but, they are the same as the genuine mail, and someone who has had one of these notices before would not think to question it!

On a happier note we had a few hours of rain here in the Adelaide Hills the night before last and that has enabled the firefighters to get on top of our local fires! Unfortunately it did not get as far as Kangaroo Island and the situation there is still grim. 

Last night the main fire zones in New South Wales also got a bit of rain and even if it was only 1/4 of an inch it will make a big difference.

What makes fighting these fires so hard is that embers and cinder from the main front are blown by the wind anything up to half a mile ahead of the front where they start a new blaze in the tinder dry conditions. 10mm of rain will wet the dry litter to the point where a cinder won't ignite it, so it gives the firies a chance to concentrate on the main blaze.

Rain is our saviour!

All the best Pat.

Cheers......Rob