I got a very similiar scam today from Spain! I know the building so that was legit, but nothing else was.
He went by the name David and his wife was Christine.
Unfortunately he got my phone #, address, and full legal name.
Here is the response from Airbnb when I contacted them to check all this out.
"For us to make sure that everything will be processed accordingly, kindly ask the host to send you their listing link from Airbnb so you can process booking the reservation, and all transaction will go through our platform.
You don't have to provide all your information to the host for now. Once you book the reservation, your name and phone number on your Airbnb account will be shared to the host.
Hosts have the option of adding a security deposit to their listing to cover damage caused by guests. Guests are not charged or authorized for the security deposit when they are making a reservation. Their payment details are held, and a charge is only made if the host makes a claim during or after the reservation.
Security deposits must be handled through Airbnb. It’s a violation of our Terms of Service to handle security deposits off-site, and in such situations, a claim cannot be made through Airbnb'.
I also cut and pasted the response into their email and that stopped it all. I am going to report this to the police in the morning. I suspect he used a burner phone but will also provide the police with that number, and additionally go to the legit address and advice of this scam involving their building.
It was a friend and my financiual institution that asked me to dig deeper to uncover this was a scam. He called several times today, and his last call was rather threatening. He wanted the money by days end, knew the time in my city and why did the financial institution have a problem and yada yada yada. I knew at that moment this was a scam, and I heard nothing back from him when I copied and pasted the response from Airbnb for my query and report. Be aware. Seems there is a lot of rental scams happening at the moment.
Hello,
Thank you for your interest in my apartment (1bed/1bath) located at: 2860 Trethewey St, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 0G5, Canada. I have attached you the pictures so you can see that is in excellent condition. My husband and I are chemical engineers and the company we work for they had a project there in Canada that was suppose to be for the next 10 years so we decided to buy an apartment. Unfortunately the project we were working in Canada has been cancelled or it's on stand-by because of the Government of Canada. Therefore we were moved to the Spain department where we already signed a job contract for the next 6 years.
The rent for the whole apartment is 1025$/month utilities included (heat, hydro, water, electricity, maintenance fees, 2 parking spots, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer also included, cable and internet). In case repairs are need in the apartment the building management will help you and I will cover the costs. Pets are allowed. I'm looking for someone to rent anywhere from 3 months to 6 years or more. I know the price is below the market but I'm interested in finding the right person for the apartment that will take good care of the place. If you decide to sign the lease agreement the monthly payments can be sent through E-transfer, Bank Wire or any other payment method that is convenient for you. You can also rent the apartment furnished or unfurnished and the rent will NOT increase.
It's the first time I'm renting an apartment therefore a professional property management company will make the necessary arrangements for both us. I think it's much easier for both us.
I would really appreciate a description of yourself so I can make an idea who will rent the place. How many people will stay in the apartment, where do you work, how long are you planning to stay in the apartment.
Please reply me ONLY if you are really interested because I really do NOT have time to waste.
Thank you for your time!
Regards,
Rose and David