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

[Elizabeth103]

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? 

[Zaiba0]

have you send any money to them ?

[Holly140]

Hi Daniel, I just saw this. Did you find the post through Craigslist or something and then they contacted you with all their information and even send a copy of their passport?

Thanks

H

[Rudra1]

Thee guys surely think of this as easy money. 

Another attempt : This time from a female alias. 

Here is the email : Andrea [personal information hidden]> 

Thank You for your reply ,
Like I have informed you before, the price for 1 month of rent will be 520euro with all the bills included in it , and I want also a guarantee deposit 1040euro, with no extra taxes to pay.
I want to receive the money monthly into my bank account , so I hope that will be no problem for you to wire the money .
 
I am willing to send you the keys so you can visit it and see it suits your needs. The delivery for the keys and viewing permit (signed by me), will be made with Airbnb ( www.airbnb.com ) to make sure that we can trust each other , is a safe and fast company .
 
If you are interested I can explain you the procedure , so I wait news from your side because I really need to take care of this matter.
Thanks !

[Maria1206]

Thank you for posting this!

I got the exact same email and it sounded a bit too good to be true...so I googled a few phrases and found this...

Thanks again! You saved us!

[Efdal0]

In warsaw poland.they.make.me.the.same..and.take my 1200 euro money. **bleep**.   It.was.a listing on craglist poland. I lost my money but you please be carefull

[Vikramaditya0]

Hi Efdal, 

I'm also in Warsaw, I recently got a same proposal like this. May I know some more info about this?

[David126]

@Vikramaditya0

What else do you need to know?

[Anders10]

I was contacted by excactly the same guy, 12'th of april 2017:

You seem to be a very nice person, and I can assure you, we will not have any problems .Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for 1 month of rent, will be 5000 dkk, and i want also, 1 month guarantee deposit, 5000 dkk ( the guarantee deposit 5000 dkk, you will receive it back, when you leave the apartment ), with no extra taxes to pay. The money, I want to receive it monthly to my bank account, so I hope it will be no problem for you to send the money .

Of course, you will have to see the apartment, before discussing further details .
I am willing to send you the keys, so you can visit it, and see if suits your needs. The delivery for the keys and viewing permit (signed by me),  to make sure, that we can trust each other.We can use Airbnb (www.airbnb.com) ,they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package.

I will explain the procedure, if you are interested, so please,send me an email as soon as you read this message, because I really need to take care of this matter.

I have sent you pictures of the apartment.


Regards
Lars

[Mikhail2]

I just received an invoice asking me to wire money to a bank account for the apartment. This is something I have never done on Airbnb before and it seems contrary to Airbnb practices because it means that I'm going to pay outside the Airbnb website. In addition, this property doesn't show up on the Airbnb map anymore regardless of the dates. No need to mention the host asked me to email her directly, although her Airbnb still exists. Does anyone know if Airbnb financial department generates invoices or if it's all just fraud? 

[Helen3]

Hi @Mikhail2

As others have already stated here.  It is a scam. Any contact should always be through AirBNB messaging.

You are never asked to pay outside BNB. Flag their profile on BNB.

Calll BNB now it is a scam. (Contact details 1st post here at the top of this forum).

They should cancel your reservation and help you find somewhere.

Good luck

[Rosemary54]

i too recived a cudtomer service invoice from airbnn supposedly.. friend who is landlord did research and it was phony.. airbnn couldnt verify the so called confirmation numbers as well as receipt numbers.it was on a original looking company letterhead but   discrepancies began to appear...  

rosemary **

[Vero6]

Do not do it! It is 100% a scam, sadly. I did not fall for it as I thankfully did some research and came across scamwarners.com and other sites that showed the exact same email address and the email content itself was the exact same but it all seemed so real and so legit. Even though I knew it was a scam early on, I pushed the person even further and without giving any funds or personal information I kept insisting on a real-estate agent from the so called "Airbnb Property Management" (which does not exist) to meet us and show us the place as this should not be a difficult thing to do and a very normal first step in many rental applications. As the emails continued the email etiquette dropped significantly, the person you could tell was getting very frustrated and rude by the end and I did write back in my last email shaming them for this type of behviour and that I will report them on every site I can. If you get an email from (James ** - [email address hidden]) DO NOT RESPOND OR BELIVE THEM. 

[Jay263]

This is a big Scam! also. Here is my situation:

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in my apartment, it is still available. I
will try to give you as many details as I can regarding the apartment
in the following email.

The full address of the apartment is **.
Everything is just like in the pictures, fully equipped with all the
appliances you need, very clean and well kept. The apartment can be
rented furnished or if you want you can use your furniture and deposit
mine in the storage unit. I work as an civil engineer and the company
I work for has developed projects all around the world. Now, I have
received an very good offer from them to move to the United Kingdom
department, offer that I have accepted.

The apartment is vacant so you can move-in anytime you want, also my
contract in UK is for the next 6 years, so for this period, I will not
return 100%.

The rent of 1000$/month is for the whole apartment and includes all the
utilities: heat, water, electricity, parking, laundry in-suite, washer
and dryer also included, cable and internet. You will have full access
to all building amenities. Just in case repairs are needed there, I
will cover the costs, so no worries. The price I'm asking is below the
market because I want to find a responsible tenant to take good care
of the place.

I'm the owner of the apartment, it's already paid in full and there is
no mortgage on it. You have everything you need near-by (public
transportation, schools, groceries etc.). Also I love pets, so if you
have any pets, I won't have any problem, pets are allowed. Honestly
from point of view I'm sure that You'll love it for sure and rent it
on spot.

I would like to know how many people will live in the apartment and
also which rental contract do you prefer to start with - 6 months or 1
year with option of renewal?

Please let me know if you are really interested in the place so we can
discuss further.

Thank you and look forward hearing from you!
Chris

PS: I attached you all the pictures that I have with the apartment (as
you can see everything is in absolutely perfect condition).

 10 Attachments

Hello,
 
Like I said in my previous email, the company I work for moved me to United Kingdom, and unfortunately there is a problem showing you the apartment, because I already left. The reason I haven't managed to rent the apartment before I had to leave for United Kingdom is that someone said that will rent the apartment and haven't managed to keep the promise. I waited for him, but unfortunately he didn't managed to get the money on time, so the transaction failed and I had to leave before managing to rent it. Obviously this brought me huge inconvenience. So I can tell that I have a bitter experience making reservation, it's the first time I'm renting an apartment so I prefer using an worldwide property management company.

The company I am talking about is called AirBnb (www.airbnb.com) their website is main focused on short term rentals, but they also have an NEW service for long term rentals. I used this service last month when I rented my apartment in London, United Kingdom, and I can tell you that it was an great experience and the only way I will proceed renting my apartment is by using them.

We use this company to protect the both of us. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package (keys and paperwork).

Using AirBnb involves three parties: me as owner, you as a potential tenant and AirBnb as a responsible third party authorized to handle this transaction. AirBnb works the same way as the escrow account on which you place the deposit when you rent an apartment, except that instead of a bank, we use AirBnb. Of course, nobody can take that money until you will sign the lease agreement.  With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment.

Like I said before, I used them to rent my apartment in London and everything was perfect, they are really professional and they have great services. Please keep in mind that the "reward" for proceeding with this "unconventional" transaction is the monthly rent price, which is below the market, exactly for this reason. Also please know, that the transaction and the deposit to AirBnb is only the first time, so that you can be able to receive the keys and inspect the apartment, after you will visit the apartment and sign the lease agreement, you can deposit the monthly payments directly to my bank account, or we can setup a payment method that is suitable for both of us.

My phone number is ** You can call or e-mail me anytime you wish and I will do my best to respond ASAP.
 
Let me know if you are interested so I can provide with all the steps of this transaction. You need to know everything about this process before we get this started.
 
Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
Chris

PS: Sorry for the long emails, but I need to explain the situation as best as I can.

Hi again (person),

First of all, I want to start this email saying that this is not the traditional face to face transaction, this being the whole purpose for using AirBnb new service for long distance transactions, to protect the both of us 100%. Now for security and for your peace of mind I had attached an copy of my PASSPORT to build up some confidence. Also please know that you will receive official documents from Airbnb also, before making the deposit to them.

Regarding the process, you will have to deposit to AirBnb the first month rent + damage deposit - refundable, an total of 1300$ (880+420) so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the rental package (keys and documents) so you can 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 you step by step how the transaction with the Airbnb new service works, to avoid any misunderstanding please READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1 - To start the process all I need are your contact details: full name, mailing address (street, number, city and postal code), cell phone number, move-in date and lease agreement preferred (e.g. 6 months or 1 year rental contract with option of renewal). The lease agreement will be a standard one from the government.
2 - I will go to the AirBnb Property Management office to start the transaction and I will give them the apartment keys and necessary documents.
3 - AirBnb Property Management will check the ownership documents and lease agreement. 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) with the transaction details to inform you that they have the keys and the documents in their custody. Also they will send you all the transaction details, steps etc.
5 - At this point you need to send the amount of 1300$(1st month rent from the rental contract + damage deposit) to the the AirBnb payment 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. (an receipt proving that you sent them the deposit).
7 - AirBnb will verify the payment and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS Next Day Shipping Service.
8 - You will receive the package (keys and lease agreement) and you will have 5 business days (inspection time) to check the place.
9 - If you decide to rent the apartment you just 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 don`t want to keep the apartment you will receive a full payment refund.

PLEASE NOTE that AirBnb Property Management can NOT release the funds without your approval. You will have 5 days to inspect the apartment and decide if you want to rent it or not, in this time you will have full control of the payment. They can release the payment to me as a landlord just after they will receive the lease agreement with your signature.
ALSO THEY WILL SEND YOU OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS (LEASE AGREEMENT AND INVOICE) BEFORE MAKING THE DEPOSIT TO THEM.

Like I said, I used this service last month when I rented my apartment in London UK, everything went great, I felt 100% protected with them, so I hope this will work again for you and me in this transaction.

I ALSO NEED TO BE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAR FOR YOU SO PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL THE STEPS OF THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE I CAN NOT CHANGE THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS. ALSO I WILL PAY FOR THE TRANSACTION AND DELIVERY FEES AND JUST IN CASE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND I WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFUND FROM THEM!

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300$) so we can move forward. If you do have the funds available and agree with the transaction steps, please e-mail me your full information (full name and address and cell number) so we can get the transaction started.

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

Waiting your reply!

Thanks
Chris

Attachments area

Do not listen to **. He is a big Scammer! He needs to be caught by the authorities and the police.

[Mary-Ann6]

Hey im encountering this gentleman right now.

[Oliver195]

hi everyone

i have just came across this same scam.

im in the abbotsford british columbia canada area.

my first red flag was the cheap rent. in my area same type of unit would go for easily $500 dollars more.

be duediligent out there, way to many scams out there these days.

its really sad that people are this way.