Rental scam using Airbnb? How should I go forward, if at all?

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Rental scam using Airbnb? How should I go forward, if at all?

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? 

1 Best Answer

at least you are wise enough to follow your gut instinct. if it walks like a duck,, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, the probability is that is a duck..  you are correct in  the assumption that is a scam.. it is..all around the mountain... it appears that these scam arists seem to have chosen spain as ground zero for these fradulent activities.. don't waste your time or money dealing with this person,,

find yourself a reputable agency with verifiable information not unless you like sending your money to unknown persons with unknown accounts.. i was almost victim of this okey doke, but saw at the last minute, after things just didnt jive nor was verifiable that i was being hoodwinked..

 

nope not a victim here...

 

rosemary

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1,192 Replies 1,192
Larissa355
Level 2
Sutton, MA

I received a similar email that I read here 

 

The apartment is currently rented, but will be available to move starting with 2th of November.
It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, located on the second floor and comes fully furnished, with all the necessary amenities: dishwasher, washing machine, air conditioning, tv and internet.
The monthly rent for the entire property is £650 and it is also important that the additional costs (gas, water, electricity, TV, parking and council tax) are included in the price.. The pets are accepted. There are one parking spots, a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don't like it and you want to use your furniture).
I would like a long term rental (minimum 6 months). For which period do you need it?
I'm looking for a serious and responsible person to care, keep the house clean and see it as his own home. It would be great if you can send me some personal information about you (age, employment, lifestyle, etc)?
As you will see in the attached pictures, it is a truly luxurious apartment in which was invested a lot of money so will be required a security deposit of £750 upfront.
At the moment I am working in Cape Town so I can not meet you in person, but I have a solution to this inconvenience.

Let me know if you are interested!
With best regards, Dr. Eleanor West

Samantha919
Level 2
Aboyne, United Kingdom

Received this yesterday - Disgusted.

 

Congratulations on renting the apartment ! You are receiving this email because the owner Chloe Marie Anderson has registered you as a potential guest. We have attached you the invoice! This invoice is in PDF electronic format. Double click on the attached file to view the invoice and please follow the enclosed payment instructions.
If you have any questions, please e-mail us, or call us at: +44 20 7193 8052
 
 
 
Thank you,
AirBNB Mail Team
Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Samantha919 I am confused (to put it mildly). Who are you disgusted with?

Disgusted with the scammers! You have to be so careful these days.

@Samantha919  Anyone who knows how Airbnb works would know that there is no such thing as "Airbnb Mail Team" and that hosts don't register guests. Nor does Airbnb send a guest an invoice, nor are there "payment instructions".

If you have never booked through airbnb before, how are you to know. Don't be so judgemental.

@Samantha919  That post I just made cut off the last part of what I had written, that's why it sounded judgemental, sorry.

 

What I had gone on to say was that people need to read up on the Airbnb site about how Airbnb works before answering these ads they find on other sites. If you do that, it will be hard to scam you. 

 

There are so many online scams, having nothing to do with Airbnb, like the Nigerian prince who has a million dollars to send you, all you have to do is send him money for the processing charges.

 

We all need to do our due diligence and do some research before just naively believing what some total stranger tells us online, and sending off money.  

 

 

Somin8
Level 2
St Gallen, Switzerland

Hi, thanks for this discussion. I unfortunately got scammed as well by a woman claiming to be Ana Martinez. She uses the same tactics but I found her emails to be extremely convincing..this is the fake url airbnb site she redirected me to. I even got a pdf invoice and everything! Screenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.54.45.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.55.01.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.55.21.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.55.37.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.55.51.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 22.56.10.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.17.46.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.18.06.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.18.26.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.23.40.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.24.02.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.24.19.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.24.34.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 at 17.25.07.png

@Somin8  I'm so sorry you got scammed. It's a hard lesson to learn, but had you taken 15 minutes to find out how Airbnb works, you would have known this was a scam. 

 

Airbnb doesn't have agents who show you the place or give you keys, they don't send PDF invoices, that isn't what an Airbnb confirmation code looks like, guests don't authorize Airbnb to release the funds to the host, hosts do not arrange the booking, and you do not send money to anyone. 

Somin8
Level 2
St Gallen, Switzerland

Hi Sarah, yes I have used airbnb before in 2019, but I had assumed the rules would be different with COVID. I was fooled by the legit looking disclaimer that deposits can not be paid by credit card as it is standard procedure in many cases. That's also why I was fooled by the confirmation of the release of funds, because usually when you rent a house, that's standard procedure in Switzerland. I had planned to rent for a month initially and extend the contract.  Although I guess I was desperate to find a place in Zurich as well. I must also note that the screenshot I posted was of a FAKE but genuine looking airbnb.com URL which was fully interactive as well. 

 

And it's hard to know what a legit airbnb invoice or a confirmation code looks like. You may be an experienced host, but most people are not.  Before, I had travelled in Thailand and met a host through facebook who agreed to let through airbnb and arrange the booking because I didn't want to pay a deposit-it all worked out fine for me. I stayed there for five months and the amount was charged each month I think. When I moved to Switzerland, I sent money without meeting the host face to face because I was abroad after conversing in Facebook and it all turned out to be fine... guess I had too many positive experiences with trusting people beforehand. 

 

Anyway, I am just posting my experience here, so people can know what an elaborate scam this is. You will get a real-looking airbnb url that asks you to upload the invoices and everything. If you have not rented long term on airbnb after covid it's easy to fall for this type of scam. 

Sunnie9
Level 2
Sutton, United Kingdom

Just had the same email sent to me. From a Jennifer Hamilton who is calming to be working in Dublin and can’t come over but a AirBnb agent will sort this out. Scam. 


email: jenniferhamilton056@gmail.com

address of scam property: 819 London Rd, Worcester Park, Sutton SM3 9BN

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Ankit72
Level 1
Boston, MA

I got an email from the one of the guy described in chats. To convenience me he sends his photo and family phot and he sends me his passport as well and that sounds me little worried because shares his details. Below is his latest email I got it.

 

Hi again,

 

I will do my best to be as transparent as possible during the whole transaction. To build up confidence and gain peace of mind, I have attached a copy of my PASSPORT to this email. Also, please know that you will receive official documents from Airbnb also, before depositing them.

 

Regarding the process, you will have to deposit the first-month rent + last month's rent, a total of 1400 (700+700), to Airbnb so that they can proceed with the shipping of the rental package (keys and documentation). Please note that Airbnb will HOLD your deposit (escrow) until you receive the rental package (keys and documents) and go and inspect the apartment. Please know that I will pay for all the fees that Airbnb will take. (transaction and shipping fees).

 

Below I will explain step by step how the transaction with Airbnb works. To avoid any misunderstanding, please READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

 

1 - To start the process, all I need is your contact information: full name, mailing address (street, number, city, and postal code), cell phone number, a move-in date, and lease agreement preferred (e.g., 6 months or 1-year rental contract with the option of renewal). The lease agreement will be a standard one.

2 - Once I have your contact information and your approval, I will go to the Airbnb office (UK) to start the transaction. I will give them the apartment keys and necessary documents.

3 - Airbnb will check everything, including the ownership documents. If everything is in order, they will proceed with the transaction. They will also confirm that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.

4 - Airbnb will send you a notification (via email) where they will inform you that the keys and the documents are in their custody. They will also send you all the steps, how to proceed, and all the transaction details.

5 - At this point, you need to send the amount of 1400$(1st-month rent + last month rent) to the Airbnb payments representative (lawyer escrow account) provided to you in the notification. THE PAYMENT NEEDS TO BE SENT WITHIN 24 BUSINESS HOURS AFTER YOU WILL RECEIVE THE TRANSACTION DETAILS, OR ELSE THEY WILL CHARGE ME AN ADDITIONAL FEE.

6 - As soon as the payment is completed, you need to send the payment details to Airbnb. (a copy of the receipt proving that you sent them the deposit).

7 - Airbnb will verify the payment. If everything is in order, they will start shipping procedures using UPS Next Day Shipping Service.

8 - You will receive the package (keys and documents), and you will have 5 business days (inspection time) to check the place and decide if you want to rent it.

9 - If you decide to rent the apartment, you need to sign the lease agreement that Airbnb sends, email it to them, and they will release the funds to me. If, after the 5 days inspection, you decide not to rent the apartment, Airbnb will refund the whole deposit.

 

PLEASE NOTE:

  •   Airbnb insures your deposit, and this means that if you do not sign the lease agreement for any reason, Airbnb will refund you the whole deposit, so you are 100% protected.
  •  They CANNOT release the funds without your approval, and they can do it ONLY after you send them the lease agreement with your signature. (after the 5 days inspection period).
  •  Airbnb will send you official documents (invoice, rental agreement, and insurance document) BEFORE sending the deposit to them.

 

From my perspective, everything is safe, and the reward for going forward with this process is significant. Also, because it's a SELF-SHOWING process, I find it usual (common sense) that you need to make the deposit first, as a guarantee. I hope you share my opinion because I cannot modify the transaction terms in any way, so PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL THE TRANSACTION STEPS.

 

Let me know if you have the funds available (1400$) so we can move forward. If you have the funds available and agree with the transaction steps, please email me your full information (full name and address, and cell number) to get the transaction started.

 

If you have any further questions regarding the transaction, please let me know.

I am waiting for your reply!

 

Navindi0
Level 2
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Don't fall for it mate. What company "ships keys" once the deposit is paid? Also the passport copy he sent you could possibly be that of a innocent person who got scammed since they ask for a proof of ID from the person getting scammed. 

 

 

Cara232
Level 2
Sandton, South Africa

Going through the exact same thing now. Found a rental with a price that is too good to be true on FaceBook Marketplace. Awaiting the Airbnb link where I am told I will then need to transfer 2 months rent and deposit before I can get keys to the apartment. I will have 2 days to decide if I like it or all funds will be sent back to me. Owner lives in Germany so they are using Airbnb to manage the rental (apparently) Just waiting for the link to come through so I can report it to Airbnb and will also report on FB

@Cara232  If it's a fake Airbnb URL look-alike site, as opposed to them briefly throwing up an actual Airbnb listing to appear legit, reporting it to Airbnb unfortunately won't help,  because it has nothing to do with Airbnb and they can't remove it from Facebook.