Rental scam using Airbnb? How should I go forward, if at all?

[Elizabeth103]

I have been trying to find an apartment and found a listing on a popular rental website (not Airbnb). We started e-mailing, and the owner told me that he lives in Spain and will be using Airbnb's services for payment. It didn't seem strange until this last email. What bothers me about this is that it doesn't seem to follow any of Airbnb's practices. It also threw up other rental scam red flags, such as the fact that he wants me to pay before seeing the property, he's asking for my personal information outside the Airbnb platform, and the place doesn't come up on the Airbnb search list. Here is the portion of the most recent e-mail that I find odd, copy/pasted, edited for clarity:

"If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number along with your full name and address where you can be contacted for the keys and the rental contract. Then I will start the process through Airbnb here in Spain, providing them your information. Next you will receive a notification message from them, containing a receipt with all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete the process and receive the keys and the rental contract.
Regarding the payment, you will get all the necessarily [sic] instructions on the invoice, so you can deposit the money for the first month along with the warranty, into an escrow bank account from AIRBNB. They will hold and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent it or not.
As soon as you will complete the deposit of $1,100 + $1,100 = $2,200 into their bank account, an agent from Airbnb will meet and show you the property. You will be given one day inspection period to take a decision and [in case you are not satisfied with the apartment], next day the total amount will be refunded to you by Airbnb. If you'll like the flat then you can keep the keys, sign the contract, and we will fix a date for the monthly payment, that it has to be done by you directly to my personal bank account."

There's a lot about the whole exchance that seems quite.... off. The more I think about it, the stranger it sounds. There is nothing on Airbnb about "escrow accounts," etc. It just smells terribly fishy, and I want to make certain that my eagerness and need for a place to go doesn't get me ensnared into some scammer's net. 

So, what are your thoughts on this? 

[Mckinley4]

I sent my drivers license so now I’m not sure what to do!! Any suggestions? 

[Cynthia846]

Hello, I was looking for an apartment through Facebook marketplace and I saw this unit I was interested in and I confirmed my interest and the person sent me a “Turbo Tenant” questionnaire (how many people would be living there and how many pets) she then emailed me directly showing me the unit and saying she lives in Montana and wouldn’t be able to personally show me the unit. she then asked me for my name and phone number and sent me a reservation request through the Airbnb and at the end is asks for a deposit. She did not ask me to send her money directly so I am conflicted and getting mixed signals. 

[Sarah977]

@Cynthia846  This is a SCAM. Hosts do not send guests reservation requests on Airbnb, it isn't possible. That isn't how Airbnb works at all. And she will ask you to send money at some point, which you will never see again and will not be able to get back.

There is nothing to feel conflicted about- you are dealing with a criminal who you should stop communicating with.

[Carolina1276]

I had something similar happen this week/weekend. Super great deal ($3100/month) for a beautiful house in Ventura. Guy called himself "Albert Pelletier" and told me he was a petroleum engineer at Equinor Energy working out on sea at an oil rig. He wanted me to pay for first and last month, as well as the security deposit through Airbnb in order to reserve the house for the entire year starting in July. That didn't seem too suspicious to me, but then he mentioned having to limit the communication to email because he only had his work computer and no phone connection out on sea. I suggested talking through Zoom/Skype since he obvs had an internet connection to be emailing me, but he completely disregarded my comment and went straight to how the process would work on Airbnb. I contacted the assessor's office in Ventura and confirmed the owner's name did not match the name I was given; my roommate was able to get ahold of the broker who had previously sold the property and s/he confirmed that the house was not being rented out at this moment. I didn't reply to his last email, but made sure to report the ad on the real estate website I found the house on. Scammers are definitely getting smarter and more elaborate with their lies. Please follow your gut instinct and be suspicious if it's telling you the deal is too good to be true. Do your research/homework before sending any money out. I'm sure he would've send me some phony Airbnb link on his next email to try to steal my money. 

[Julie3464]

@Carolina1276 I am SO GLAD I saw your post! We just had an interaction with this same person, but he called himself "Albert Campbell." The rest of the story was exactly what you just described! (Working for Equinor on an oil rig, first month, last month and deposit, reserve the house for an entire year starting in July, only communicate via email.) He sent over pictures, which we reverse image searched, and they came up as a high level executive for Equinor Energy with a completely different name. That the pics came up as a completely different person, kind of a strange corporate email address, only talking through email, the excessive amount of detail, and the strangely good price for the area all were a suspicious, but this definitely confirmed it! We didn't send any money and are very happy to have stumbled on this thread. 

[Lorita3]

I had the same name too and glad I didn’t fall for it!

Hi Lorita, thanks for your inquiry.

The place is available from the 2nd of July as it's currently being rented short term until then. It comes fully furnished but unfurnished or partially furnished could be an option (I do have a storage unit, so I could move the unwanted furniture there but the rent will be the same). Also, the utilities are included (water, sewer, cable, wifi, electricity and garbage). I would like to know a little bit about yourself, so I have some questions:

- What kind of lease/length of rental are you seeking? (I'm looking for a minimum 3 months rental period but I would definitely prefer a long term lease)
- When are you planning to move in?
- How many people are going to move in?
- Are you working? In what field/domain is your job? What is your approximate yearly income?
- Would you be able to provide rental references?

About me, I work as a petroleum engineer for Equinor and my job keeps me away for most of the time, so I'm used to rent the place short term on Airbnb when I am away. Now I'm looking to rent it long term as I will be away for 2 years (at least), working on the Caesar Tonga oil field, so it's too much hassle for me to handle the short term rentals. I will be back on Friday, 2nd of July to sign a rental agreement with whoever will be the tenant and hand over the keys. I do have 2 other families interested and I want to make sure I choose the right tenants. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,

Albert Campbell,
Petroleum Engineer, Equinor ASA

[Jessica2232]

Hey everyone, 

just wanted to report another case of this happening. I am currently looking for a flat in Tübingen, Germany and got contacted via SMS. The person offered a flat and asked me to send an email to receive further details, so I did and then got a few photos and an offer for a wonderful flat at a ridiculously low price. After getting really excited, I realized that if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is and decided to google the thing, which is how I landed here. 

It seems to be the exact same thing everyone else is describing. I won't be posting the mail, as it is in German, but here's what was in it. The person calls herself Maria Stark and claims to be a doctor living in Madrid with no intentions of returning to Germany. What made me really hopeful in the beginning is that she claims she will travel to Germany if I like the flat and want to rent it, which sounded legit to me. She says however that her lawyer advised her to use Air-BnB for renting the flat (which sounded quite suspicious - keep in mind here that I was searching for a flat on another website and I also couldn't find an offer by her on Air-BnB) and that I could be shown around in the flat by an Air-BnB Agent (which I now have learned is not a real thing). She does mention that I will have to pay a deposit when renting the flat (which in itself is not unusual) and she does not say that I will have to pay anything before having seen the flat, but I assume that that's what's going to happen, after having read everyone else's report here. Being very disillusioned by this thread I then put one of the pictures she sent me of the flat through google image search and found out they belong to a holiday flat close to the baltic sea. So yeah.

Since none of this took place on Air-BnB itself I won't be able to report her or anything, but I at least wanted to contribute my story, so others can be warned. 

[Jessica2232]

Hey everyone, 

just wanted to report another case of this happening. I am currently looking for a flat in Tübingen, Germany and got contacted via SMS. The person offered a flat and asked me to send an email to receive further details, so I did and then got a few photos and an offer for a wonderful flat at a ridiculously low price. After getting really excited, I realized that if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is and decided to google the thing, which is how I landed here. 

It seems to be the exact same thing everyone else is describing. I won't be posting the mail, as it is in German, but here's what was in it. The person calls herself Maria Stark and claims to be a doctor living in Madrid with no intentions of returning to Germany. What made me really hopeful in the beginning is that she claims she will travel to Germany if I like the flat and want to rent it, which sounded legit to me. She says however that her lawyer advised her to use Air-BnB for renting the flat (which sounded quite suspicious - keep in mind here that I was searching for a flat on another website and I also couldn't find an offer by her on Air-BnB) and that I could be shown around in the flat by an Air-BnB Agent (which I now have learned is not a real thing). She does mention that I will have to pay a deposit when renting the flat (which in itself is not unusual) and she does not say that I will have to pay anything before having seen the flat, but I assume that that's what's going to happen, after having read everyone else's report here. Being very disillusioned by this thread I then put one of the pictures she sent me of the flat through google image search and found out they belong to a holiday flat close to the baltic sea. So yeah.

Since none of this took place on Air-BnB itself I won't be able to report her or anything, but I at least wanted to contribute my story, so others can be warned. 

[Sarah3897]

Hello, I am actually experiencing something similar but this guys story is he in the UK! He said he works with AirBnb to rent his apartment in NYC while he resides in UK?! I am not familiar with Airbnb do they do such things?? He also said that his apartment is not listed on Airbnb until our transaction goes through or something crazy! It seams too good to be true anyway but can anyone who is familiar with the process explain or give me some clarity please!!

[Sarah977]

@Sarah3897  This is a scam. There are 70 pages of posts here telling you this is a scam- did you not read any of them?

No, Airbnb doesn't work like this.

[Sarah3897]

I did read them thank you!!! 

[Sabrina909]

Hi there!

I was searching for a flat to rent for 3-4 month in Geneva and found a nice flat on the website urbanhousing. When I contacted the person (Dominic Fadinger) he sent me these informations:

"Hello Sabrina,

In principle, the viewing process is quite simple.

1. I will list the property on the Airbnb website so you can book the apartment ( I will need your full name and address ). I have been an Airbnb member since 2015, with many reviews. You will have access to my Airbnb profile and reviews. I'm a Superhost verified member.
2. You will have to pay a 2 months deposit to Airbnb in order to confirm your booking reservation. This 2 months deposit covers ( 1 month of rent + 1 month security deposit ) . This payment will be just a formality, and it will not commit you to rent my apartment. Your payment will remain in the custody of Airbnb until you will check the apartment and move in.
3. - Once Airbnb will confirm your booking payment , you will be able to view and inspect the apartment.
 - I will send you the keys and the lease contract using DHL (2 Days Delivery) service, so you will be able to receive it in two days.
 Due to the COVID19 restrictions, I can't come personally to show you the apartment . But once everything becomes normal , I will come to meet you, so we can know each other. 
Our contract with Airbnb will end once you will view the apartment. We will sign a legal standard lease , between me and you . The future monthly payments will be paid directly into my local bank account.

Airbnb will transfer the payment to me after you will confirm that you will rent my apartment (after viewing). In case you decide to don't rent it, you will cancel the booking and get your payment back.

Now, I'm waiting for your final decision because I have another tenant interested in the apartment too. But for me, the first option is you.
Thanks,

Dominic"

I asked him if he could send me a digital version of the contract via mail and another question of clarification. I did not get an answer about the contract but he said he'd list the apartment on the next day.

Instead I got two mails from "noreply@reservations-airbnb.com" about the message he sent me through "airbnb" and a mail about "Reservation pre-approved at 2-Room Apartment for rent in Geneva".

I checked with the Airbnb site which mail-addresses are officially used by Airbnb and "@reservations-airbnb.com" is not one of them. Therefore I did not click on the link in the two e-mails and don't know what kind of site it would take me to. 

Even though this already was a red flag for me and I was sad about not having found a flat, I searched a bit more if this is a common scam-scheme.

I'm happy I found this discussion so quick and at the same time I'm extremely sad that this happens and is such a common thing.

[Evelyn725]

This man Dominic fadinger with an email address dominicfadinger@gmail.com
Is a Huge Scam he stole 1600 of my money using a link to a fake airbnb site which let's you message him exactly like the real site.

the email was for the booking confirmation  email noreply@reservations.airbnb.com. He even makes it look like he is a superhost an all and promises to send the key by courier. Once he gets the money he continues the scam until you finally figure out it isn't coming. He is currently doing it for an apartment in Bern Switzerland. Which he advertises on a property site. Asking you to pay via Airbnb for safety please becareful. He is a con he also uses the name Herr Silvian Grosan. This was this month June 2021 for an appointment today 22nd of June. The fake site uses url the same as the real site but has airbnb /rooms  in the url. 

[Hüseyin11]

I have beebn asked by Luisa Montilla to use following like please see below my mail change with this person. She have asked me to transfer € 1500 via the following link:  This airbnb Link looks very weird

https://airbnb.infos-list.com/2f2c/living-with-a-view-of-the-lake-and-mountains/57d15b

Btw. I can´t find you offer on the public and official airbnb.com site.

This is my unusal access link to Airbnb:https://airbnb.infos-list.com

Btw. this link is not even working:

https://airbnb.infos-list.com/

And there are tons of spelling mistakes on the website - that's really very weird.

The correct would be e.g.

https://www.airbnb.de/

When can you provide me the correct and official airbnb.com link?

Who is receiving this deposit? 

Who is?: Account Holder: ARANTXA PINTO MARIBLANCA
IBAN: ES26 0182 1294 1702 0616 8986
Swift: BBVAESMMXXX
Bank Name: BANCO BILBAO VIZCAYA ARGENTARIA S.A.
Address: CALLE ALICANTE 13, 19005 GUADALAJARA, SPAIN

Why you name (Luisa Montilla) is not mentioned?

I would rather pay a rent rate on Airbnb instead of a month's rent via a very strange Accout holder: 

ARANTXA PINTO MARIBLANCA
IBAN: ES26 0182 1294 1702 0616 8986
Swift: BBVAESMMXXX
Bank Name: BANCO BILBAO VIZCAYA ARGENTARIA S.A.
Address: CALLE ALICANTE 13, 19005 GUADALAJARA, SPAIN

[Sarah977]

@Hüseyin11  This is a scam. That is not an Airbnb URL, it is a fake.

When you book through Airbnb, you never transfer money to the host. You are charged for the booking by Airbnb on the credit card you have on file with them.

Stop communicating with this scammer and do not send any money