Fake Host/ Scams

Matthew1027
Level 1
Redlands, CA

Fake Host/ Scams

Hello! Just wanted to tell anyone who was planning on using AirBnb for the first time to be wary of any listings without reviews or who recently joined the website. Just because someone verified their account does not necessarily mean that they are totally honest about what their intentions are on this site. I recently had an encounter with an account named "Tonya", who as of today switched their name to "Tonya + Tommy", who tried to scam me out of $1000 by repeatedly telling me to cancel my reservation because she did not do instant bookings directly after I had already instantly booked the house. I was able to get my refund back from AirBnb support who was very helpful throughout the process. Definitely know the refund policies of AirBnb because if I hadn't I would be very upset but it totally would have been my fault. Just be wary of false listing and look into who you are renting from. That being said, I think there are a lot of legitimate hosts who do a terrific job of hosting on this site and want their guests to have the best possible experience. I really love this platform and I hope this does not scare anyone from using this website. Thank you.

5 Replies 5
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Matthew1027  Certainly all users, both guests and hosts need to do some due diligence when booking or accepting.

Of course, either a guest who is new to the platform, or a host who is, won't have any reviews yet- we all have to start somewhere. I'm grateful to the guests (especially my first, who had zero reviews to go on) for taking the chance on me, and also very appreciative of the lovely reviews they wrote to get me going.

I always suggest to guests that if they have any wariness about a place, to message the host before booking. You can get a pretty good feel for someone by the way they communicate, and also if they respond quickly. Just because a place is instant-bookable, doesn't mean a guest can't send an Inquiry to the host first, before committing to a booking.

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Matthew1027 This doesn't sound like a scam to me. This sounds like a host who is brand new and who set up their listing at the recommendations of Airbnb. Unfortunately, many new hosts (myself included) don't really know what instant booking entails when they first sign up. Airbnb automatically puts a listing on instant book and then sometimes within hours the host will have a booking without getting a chance to speak with the guest first. Listings go live so fast and Airbnb does a poor job of educating hosts on how the platform works. With that said, as @Sarah977 mentioned, it is a good idea for guests to communicate with a new host first to put both minds at ease.

Dan11631
Level 1
Thousand Oaks, CA

so there is no real way to see if a new person is a scam or not? I emailed the person .. they said they just put the property up this month .. so no reviews .. got right back to me .. but I am setting this up for a family visiting over Christmas and really really don't want them to arrive to find out it is fake? Is there any real way to know?  thanks

 

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi there @Dan11631, just a reminder that third party bookings are not allowed on the platform. See https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/427/can-i-book-on-behalf-of-a-friend-or-family-member

 

 

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Luana130
Level 10
State of Bahia, Brazil

@Matthew1027 I get that you are upset, but that is a very unfair thing to say. That does not sound like a scam at all, for me that is one of two things, either the new host got confused when doing the configuration to her listing (it takes a while to get everything right), or she looked at your profile and did not like it.

 

You say that people should be careful with new hosts, you don't have any reviews yet, so many hosts would be weary of you. It really is a two way street.