Possible Airbnb scam?

[Philippe1155]

Hello everyone, i've had an offer on Airbnb made through a local site in Switzerland. I am searching for an apartment and found one in the region i want, but the person renting it said she was in spain and will be using Airbnb as a 3rd party to assure everything would go smoothly

She sent me a link to an airbnb site here airbnb.com/rooms/3298641, i've checked to see if it was a scam on scam verifying sites but it didn't...

A booking was made, the payment was sent, but Airbnb itself actually said they didn't receive anything for multiple days. I am not sure at all how to proceed, the e-mail address is express@airbnb.com, and i don't know if it is legit or not

I am quite distressed as i am in a precarious financial situation, and this is coming up at about 2k money lost if it's a scam. Please please please help me as fast as possible

[Philippe1155]

In addition, the page on Airbnb even had a few reviews added, and the person having posted it had an Airbnb rank, so i didn't suspect anything. There were multiple pictures as well

[Sarah977]

@Philippe1155  What do you mean, "The money was sent"? You don't send money to Airbnb- they charge the credit card you have on file with them. If you sent money, it is definitely a scam.

And the little you say about this listing, also reads exactly how the scammers compose their emails. 

The email you received from express@airbnb.com saying they didn't receive any payment is a legitimate email. But the person you "sent" money to isn't.

[Philippe1155]

I sent it directly to Airbnb, here is the invoice, which came from said express@airbnb.com

[Alexandra316]

@Philippe1155 Unfortunately, this is definitely a scam. Airbnb never invoices you: if this was a legitimate Airbnb booking, you would pay directly through the website via credit card. There are no bank transfers on Airbnb. The link you provided: https://airbnb.rentals-long-terms.com/1/listing/74/view-4q16lsdv/Pt3fsBF_Ew also isn't to the Airbnb website.

Is there any way you can cancel this transfer with your bank?

[Philippe1155]

I will try to issue a chargeback as soon as possible, thank you all for your help

[Elena87]

@Philippe1155 

This is a scam which is fairly common, you can see more examples in this thread that has been ongoing from May 2016.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Rental-scam-using-Airbnb-How-should-I-go-forward-if-at-all/...

Legitimate airbnb emails are listed here

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/971/how-do-i-know-if-an-email-or-website-is-really-from-airbnb