Worried about a listing being fake.

[Miguel1742]

I have used Airbnb in various occasions, and it has been nothing but pleasant. however this last time I booked an apartment for 6 nights to Honolulu, HI USA. for about $1,800 usd. Everything seemed to be perfect at first. my reservation is not up until October 2022. one day after booking it the host requested a $5000.00 security deposit in 48hrs or else my booking will be cancelled and I will be refunded only 50% of what I paid for. I got shocked and contacted host and Airbnb support,  and told them that I was not aware of this $5,000USD deposit. but since this was on his listing the only thing they could do is talk to the Host and make them understand that $5,000 for a deposit in a 7 months away reservation was just insane. I booked this on Feb 12.  and up until now I still havent gotten an answer from Airbnb yet. today  I decided to find out where exactly this listing was, and after googling the address I cant find this address anywhere, I dont know if this address even exist. can you guys give me an advise on what to do here. here is the link for the listing, which up to today is now listed for over 1,000 a night. to me this feels like a scam I am really freaked out.

thanks in advance.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/554081257708357410?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=70f57c98-d76c...

[Emiel1]

@Miguel1742 

The amount of terms and rules mentioned in the houserules is overwhelming.

Among it says:

"This property requires a $5000 refundable security deposit. This security deposit will be handled through the platform and paid through the resolution center prior to check-in. Failure to pay this security deposit will result in a cancellation of booking. As such, the listed cancellation policy for this booking will apply."

1. "paid through the resolution center prior to check-in.". So not to be paid 7 months in advance within 48 hours.

2. If the host cancels the booking, you will always receive full refund (by Airbnb terms !).

[Emiel1]

Added:

The host owns 9 listings:

https://www.airbnb.com/users/442063797/listings

There is a licence number on the listing.

Host has ID verified.

Seems not to be a fake listing, but the additional rules and terms are ridiculous.

About the address issue: ask the host or Airbnb for explanantion

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Miguel1742 either cancel within the 48hr free period or accept you will have to pay the deposit nearer check in.

[Sarah977]

@Miguel1742  I'm sorry you find yourself in this situation, but it is imperative for guests to read thoroughly through the listing description and house rules, and ask any questions they have before booking something. 

Unless the current listing info did not have all those rules and charges when you booked, the required deposit should not have come as a surprise, although I would never book a place with all those caveats.

As to your concerns about not being able to find the address anywhere, that is a legitimate concern, and you should question the host about this. 

The one review this place has is brief but positive, doesn't sound like a fake review (fake reviews tend to be over-the-top gushingly fantastic), and the reviewer is a legitimate guest with 8 real reviews on her profile. So that seems hopeful.

[Debra300]

@Sarah977,

Hosts may opt that their address isn't shared with a confirmed reservation until 24 hours before the check-in time starts.

[Sarah977]

@Debra300  Yes, I know, but it isn't okay to give a fake address. That seems to be what the OP received, according to his first post.

[Debra300]

@Sarah977,

I missed that.  I saw where the OP said he couldn't find the address anywhere.

[Miguel1742]

@Sarah977 @Emiel1 @Mike-And-Jane0 Thank you all for your replies, they were very helpful. I also did a little more of research and also found that somebody with a different in a different platform is also renting out the same place with a different address than the one provided by host. I have already forwarded this info to Airbnb support. I still have not gotten an answer from them other than the address not matching their internal profile.

here is what I have found:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/1-700sq-ft-penthouse-waikiki-top-floor-3-bedroom-2-bath-2-parking-s...

[Colleen253]

The host who has the listing you linked to on the other platform was the subject of a similar post on this forum not long ago,  @Miguel1742. I wish I could recall it. I recognize the profile photo. The poster had a similar issue.

I agree that you should have read the rules carefully, and you are a bit stuck there, but the address issue is sketchy. Work on clarification on that. 

 

[Colleen253]

@Miguel1742 I found the thread. See below.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Superhost-Just-Cancelled-A-Booking-And-Relisted-At-Escalate...

The OP linked to the listing, and if you click the link you’ll see that it no longer exists. This is sketchy. Read the whole thread. Definitely seek to have this booking cancelled for you by Airbnb.

[Sarah977]

@Colleen253  Excellent sleuthing, girl. Disgusting that this host is allowed to continue fleecing guests.

[Colleen253]

@Sarah977 This host has some kind of game going on. I wish we could figure it out. They need to be shut down, whatever it is. 

[Sarah977]

@Miguel1742  Something is fishy, then. Have you messaged the host to ask them about this? There are definitely  scammers out there who clone listings. So either the Airbnb listing is a scam, or the one on the other platform is, or both.

[Miguel1742]

@Emiel1  @Mike-And-Jane0  @Sarah977 @Colleen253  I forwarded the link to host as advised and he cancelled right away. this is definitely a learning experience for me. As far as Airbnb support goes it ridiculous that they continue to keep the hosts listings still up and running. I am now A little more concerned about getting a vacation home since Airbnb support does little to nothing to prevent these situations. I do have to say that this could have been avoidable (about the 5k deposit). Thank God I did not deposit that money. Up until now I have not heard a word from Airbnb support. However, I got a full refund. there is definitely something going on with this host and how is it that he is getting away with this. I'm glad this forum exists! I feel nothing but gratitude towards you guys that took your time to help me find a solution to this problem. hopefully this get bumped to prevent this happening in the future to other guests. I wish somebody from Airbnb looks at this and try to do a little more on checking who really is listing and who is really leaving reviews. this might be bigger than just one person.