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? 

[Victoria133]

A couple of people tried to scam me using this method. Already reported them in ScamWarners. 

https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/search.php?keywords=rental+scam+airbnb

If you have used Airbnb before I think you'll inmediately notice there is sth wrong, as Airbnb always requires communication and payments to be done through their site, not via Bank transfer. But I guess for a non-user it may seem normal. STAY ALERT!

[Erika323]

Hallo, Victoria can you help me? I have questions  can you whrite me email?

**

**[E-mail address hidden due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines]

[Sarah977]

@Erika323  You shouldn't post your personal information on the forum. Email addresses or phone numbers will usually disappear from your post as soon as the computer detects it.

You can write privately to any host on this forum by clicking on their profile photo- a box will come up that has the option "Send message" Click on that and you will be able to send a message to anyone here. When you get an answer, the little envelope symbol at the top of the screen will be red. Click on that to read your messages.

[Maxime34]

' Oulala ' !

If you want to make sure that you book a property that truly exist, and that is own / managed by your contact, just go directly on airbnb.com, do you research of an accomodation there, and book through airbnb, never directly with the host !

This way you will be saved from all those spams out there 😉

Kind regards,

Maxime

[David651]

I just got screwed by them as well.  Never in a million years would I think I would fall for this but everything looked like a true Airbnb site.  I am sickened by this.  We lost our 26 year old daughter in Feb to an overdose and we can't even think of sitting at home during the holidays without her.  We were planning a trip away for the holidays but these scum bags just took our money for the trip.  I can't stop crying that someone would really do something like this.

[Ruby32]

I'm so sorry this happened to you! 😞

[Elizabeth429]

David, I am sorry to read about your lost.

[Daniel367]

Hi David. Your post is devastating. It's amazing the lows to which people will stoop for a quick buck. I'm collecting the stories of victims of cybercrime for a major web publication to highlight the extent and the dangers of online scams, as well as the personal toll they take on everyday people.

While I can't hope to ease the pain you must be feeling, I can at the very least try to get your story out there.

If you're interested in conducting an interview for a story, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address removed]. I'd also be happy to answer any questions you might have over email.

Best,

Dan

[Rosemary54]

hi dan.. interesting in joining the chat on cyberfraud using airbnn

[Danny46]

I was contacted with one too!

From: Andrew <[email address removed]>
Sent: 21 November 2016 18:06
To: Danny
Subject: Re: 3 bedrooms in N8 area £1400 PCM

Danny,

I'm sorry for my late reply but I was busy with my work commitments and I couldn't check my email until now.

I'm happy to inform you that my property is still on the market if you still wish to rent it.

My property is located at the following address: Rokesly Ave, London, N8 8NS, United Kingdom (for security reasons I won't disclose the exact number).

I'll gladly sign the rental contract with you if we can reach an agreement.

As I've explained in my previous email, I currently live in Switzerland due to my work commitments. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends or other person back in the UK who could arrange a viewing of the property with you.

In order to make the rental process easier for the both of us, I'd like to use Airbnb.com (https://airbnb.com/trust) as they are currently managing my property.

Airbnb will require the first month's rent + one month holding deposit, meaning a total of £2800 that has to be deposited with them. You'll be contacted by Airbnb and you'll receive their payment details with the warranty for your deposit.

After you've sent the payment deposit to Airbnb, you'll be contacted by an Airbnb agent to agree on a suitable date and time to view the property. Upon viewing the property, if you decide to rent it, the Airbnb agent will provide you with the rental contract which you can sign there and then. If you decide to sign it and move in, Airbnb will release your payment deposit to my account 30 days after your move in date, all this time your money will stay with Airbnb. If you decide not to rent my property your one month's rent payment + one month holding deposit will be fully refunded to you by Airbnb without any charges.

This way Airbnb will handle the money and the property's keys to ensure a smooth transaction.

If you agree to the above terms, please provide the following details for your rental application so that I can register the transaction with Airbnb and move forward.

- your full name and full address;

- your phone # (a valid mobile number where Airbnb can contact you);

- a photo/scan copy of your Passport or National ID (needed in order to fill in your rental contract).

The Airbnb agent will require you to show the Passport or National ID in original when you move in.

Let me know at your earliest convenience if you've understood the process and I'll contact Airbnb with your details.

Once I've sent them your details they'll register you in their database and contact you with the payment instructions. Upon receipt of your payment deposit, an Airbnb agent will arrange the viewing of the property with you.

Kind Regards,

Andrew

[Jeremy185]

SO glad I found this post because I received an email with almost the exact same wording. I knew from the get-go it was too good to be true. 

[Jan451]

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@Danny46 wrote:

I was contacted with one too!

From: Andrew <[email address removed]>
Sent: 21 November 2016 18:06
To: Danny
Subject: Re: 3 bedrooms in N8 area £1400 PCM

Danny,

I'm sorry for my late reply but I was busy with my work commitments and I couldn't check my email until now.

I'm happy to inform you that my property is still on the market if you still wish to rent it.

My property is located at the following address: Rokesly Ave, London, N8 8NS, United Kingdom (for security reasons I won't disclose the exact number).

I'll gladly sign the rental contract with you if we can reach an agreement.

As I've explained in my previous email, I currently live in Switzerland due to my work commitments. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends or other person back in the UK who could arrange a viewing of the property with you.

In order to make the rental process easier for the both of us, I'd like to use Airbnb.com (https://airbnb.com/trust) as they are currently managing my property.

Airbnb will require the first month's rent + one month holding deposit, meaning a total of £2800 that has to be deposited with them. You'll be contacted by Airbnb and you'll receive their payment details with the warranty for your deposit.

After you've sent the payment deposit to Airbnb, you'll be contacted by an Airbnb agent to agree on a suitable date and time to view the property. Upon viewing the property, if you decide to rent it, the Airbnb agent will provide you with the rental contract which you can sign there and then. If you decide to sign it and move in, Airbnb will release your payment deposit to my account 30 days after your move in date, all this time your money will stay with Airbnb. If you decide not to rent my property your one month's rent payment + one month holding deposit will be fully refunded to you by Airbnb without any charges.

This way Airbnb will handle the money and the property's keys to ensure a smooth transaction.

If you agree to the above terms, please provide the following details for your rental application so that I can register the transaction with Airbnb and move forward.

- your full name and full address;

- your phone # (a valid mobile number where Airbnb can contact you);

- a photo/scan copy of your Passport or National ID (needed in order to fill in your rental contract).

The Airbnb agent will require you to show the Passport or National ID in original when you move in.

Let me know at your earliest convenience if you've understood the process and I'll contact Airbnb with your details.

Once I've sent them your details they'll register you in their database and contact you with the payment instructions. Upon receipt of your payment deposit, an Airbnb agent will arrange the viewing of the property with you.

Kind Regards,

Andrew

---

This is an e-mail very similar to one I received a week ago.

Slightly different wordings, different specifics, but identical in the method (Airbnb escrow, agent handing over the keys, etc etc).

There were multiple mails; the first email only describes the apartment and gauges your interest. The 2nd mail delivers pictures and asks for more personal details. The 3rd mail is to try to reach an agreement through a contract and "Airbnb".

Just to put this out there, the email is from "Carl Coolen" via gmail and is regarding an apartment in Eindhoven. This is a scam! I have been messaging the person to gather more info to confirm my suspision.

With some research I found out the apartment in question is not actually owned by Carl Coolen but by a very similarly named female, who is Chinese.

This "Carl" claims to live in Sweden, where he is born. The apartment in Eindhoven was bought as an investment, etc etc.

Do not fall for this people!

[M24]

Ive just been communicating with the same person, his deal sounded too good to be true. Thank god i diodnt act quickly.

[Megan89]

I was really hoping into leasing an apartment cause Im moving to San Diego from Asian in a few months, I thought we were going through a smooth process until he emailed me that same thing,

From: Daniel ** [email address removed]
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 11:01 PM
Subject: Re: Lead for studio in Island Ave, San Diego

The address is 120 Island Ave, San Diego, CA.
I will gladly sign the contract with you if we can reach an agreement. As I explained in the previous email, I live in Europe. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends or other person back in United States who could arrange a viewing with you. In order to make the rental process easier for both of us, I would like to use Airbnb.com ( https://airbnb.com/trust) as they are currently managing my property.
They will require the first month’s rent US $760 + one month holding deposit US $760, meaning a total of US $1520 has to be deposited with Airbnb.
You will be contacted by Airbnb and will receive their payment details with the warranty for your deposit. After you make the payment deposit to Airbnb, you will be contacted by an Airbnb agent to agree on a suitable date and time to view the property.
Upon viewing the property, if you decide to rent it, the Airbnb agent will provide you with the rental contract which you can sign on the spot. If you decide to sign and move in, Airbnb will release the payment to my account 30 days after your move in date, all this time your money will stay with Airbnb.
If, however you decide not to rent it your one month’s rent payment+ deposit will be fully refunded, they won't charge you a penny.

In this way Airbnb will handle the money and the keys so as to ensure a smooth processing.

Please provide me with the following details for your referencing application so that I can register the transaction with Airbnb and move forward.

First name:
Last name:
Full Address:
Phone number (a valid mobile number where Airbnb can contact you):
Passport or National ID photo:

The Airbnb agent will require you to show the Passport or National ID in original when you move in.
The copy is needed in order to fill in your contract.
Let me know at your earliest convenience if you understand the process and I will contact Airbnb with your details.
Once I send them your name,address..etc they will register you in their database and contact you with the instructions for payment. Upon receipt of your payment, an Airbnb agent will arrange the viewing with you.

Kind Regards,
Daniel **

I thought my apartment hunting was done so I can focus on other things but sadly....

[Jackson19]

Can you tell me from what website have you received this  message ?