Asked for Security Deposit by Host

[Alessandra245]

Hi everybody,

I am in a similar situation. I am asked by Airbnb to transfer the money of the security deposit into the bank account of the host and then send a copy of the transfer bank receipt to them.

Is that normal?

It doesn't seem normal to send the money into the bank account of the host. How can I be sure it will be given back to me then?

Thank you very much for your answer.

Alessandra

[Alessandra245]

Quick update,

I have to transfer the money to a V*** ***... Which is not my host, but possibly the Airbnb agent in charge of the transaction...

Could it be possible?

[Dimitri0]

Hi @Alessandra245 hope you are doing well. As @Ben175 already mentioned above in the thread the security deposit is not collected or held in any way by the host. Are you booking over the Airbnb website? Check also this help guide to see if you received any communication saying that it is from Airbnb. 

[Alessandra245]

Hi Dimitri,

Thank you for your advice.

I use Airbnb a lot and I found very weird what the guy was asking... 

Thank you very much for your tips!

I reported the guy.

Alessandra

[Dimitri0]

Hi @Alessandra245, it's great to see that you received great support from community members across the different threads you've posted 🙂 – I just wanted to tell you that I've created a new top and merge all the amazing replies into one thread for you. This way it's easier to follow the discussion and you have a better overview of all replies 🙂

Thank you

[Alessandra245]

Hello,

I am a guest and I do not understand how the deposit works.

I made my reservation online and instead of receiving the confirmation booking I received an email from invoice@airbnb-rental.org where I am asked to make a bank transfer to

Beneficiary: ***
BIC / SWIFT CODE: ***
IBAN: ***
Bank name: Lloyds Bank
Bank Address: ***
City/Zip Code: ***
Country: United Kingdom
Please send the deposit confirmation (bank receipt) to our department: invoice@airbnb-rental.org

Is that normal?

[Kate157]

No, @Alessandra245, this is not normal and has the earmarks of a scam. Do not send money to anyone outside the Airbnb system, there are many stories from people who have been cheated on these pages. The scammers are often convincing, but they still steal your money and you are left with nothing. If you have a credit card or account listed with Airbnb, that is how a legitimate charge will be taken. You should report this to Airbnb and flag the listing.

[Alessandra245]

This is incredible how accurate the website they recreate is, it looks just like the Airbnb one!

I reported the guy

Thank you for your tips.

Alessandra

[Alessandra245]

Hello,

May I ask if it is normal that as a guest I have to make a bank transfer to someone that does not seem to be related to Airbnb?

I received an email from Airbnb asking me to transfer the money to a "[personal information hidden]" and then to transfer a copy of the bank trasfer receipt to them (Airbnb).

Thank you very much

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra245

No that is not normal at all - it is a scam.  Flag the listing and the message please.

Never pay outside of airbnb.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra245

Yes, yes and yes !!! it is a fraud.  All payments are through airbnb directly - they have an intergrated, secure payment system and there is also a warning message on the booking page saying "do not do any payments outside of airbnb".  

The e-mail is not even a valid airbnb address - there is a full row of red warning flags !!!

[Alessandra245]

Oh God!

Why I cannot see the warning message!?

Could you please send me the link of the warning message?

invoice@airbnb-rental.org Is not a valid address? Seriously??

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra245

Seriously - and I cannot send a link as it only shows during booking process.  

If you already wired funds, consider them gone and the apartment non-existent.  It is a well known scam.

Wiretransfers take a bit of time to process though, so can be stopped if you contact the bank.

[Alessandra245]

I didn't transfer any money. I didn't want to send anything unless I was sure! and it looked very bizarre to me too.

I just made a reservation on Airbnb, but I didn't receive any confirmation about it and now when I look at my "next trips" I cannot find anything, so I think I won't be charged.

How can I alert Airbnb about those people?

Thank you very very much by the way Marit!!!

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra245

You can flag their message and their profile as I said earlier. Every profile and message have a little flag - click on it !