Scam listing?

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Scam listing?

I'm new to Airbnb. I'm not planning travel, but I was curious to see what might be available in my home town. A couple of the listings threw up red flags for me. One in particular showed photos of a residence that clearly is not in the town. It's not even in the same state. And the price was very high. Is this a scam listing? How do you know if a place is actually real?

1 Best Answer
Sabine42
Level 10
Tucson, AZ

Hi K,

if you're fairly certain this listing is not where or what it says you should flag it. unfortunately the number of scam listings is growing but a good indicator for a 'real' listing is the reviews. good reviews = hosts at work to create good experiences for travelers. That being said, new listings don't have reviews until somebody stays there and leaves one. I personally only book with hosts that tell me something about themselves in their profile (and that have good reviews). Superhost status is another good sign but not necessary for a great experience. If something looks fishy it probably is..

hope this helps!

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29 Replies 29
Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

If you suspect a listing is fake - please report (flag) the listing asap.  

Sabine42
Level 10
Tucson, AZ

Hi K,

if you're fairly certain this listing is not where or what it says you should flag it. unfortunately the number of scam listings is growing but a good indicator for a 'real' listing is the reviews. good reviews = hosts at work to create good experiences for travelers. That being said, new listings don't have reviews until somebody stays there and leaves one. I personally only book with hosts that tell me something about themselves in their profile (and that have good reviews). Superhost status is another good sign but not necessary for a great experience. If something looks fishy it probably is..

hope this helps!

This is helpful. Thank you!

Cynthia-and-Chris1
Level 10
Vancouver, WA

You can also copy and paste a link to the listing here and us "experts" can help determine if we think it's real or not.

Sure.

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15999511?checkin=11%2F23%2F2016&checkout=11%2F28%2F2016&guests=1&s=vaJF...

 

The cityscape out the window is definitely not North Dakota!

 

 

 

Yep, looks fishy to me!

 

I've flagged also.

Hi Cynthia and Chris,

 

I am coming at this from the other side.  I recently advertised on airbnb for the first time after advertising on tripadviser last year.  Unfortunately I made two mistakes.  I got the dates misaligned causing a two day overlap.  In addition I turned on smart pricing and ended up advertising my villa at a 50% discount.

 

The poor Italian woman who booked my home now thinks that she has been scammed.  I tried to redirect het to the tripadviser site, where I have reviews, but this just made things worse given the price differential!  Its almost comical if I wasn't feeling so guilty for causing this guest so much stress.

 

What can I do to recover the situation?

 

Regards

 

Fraser

Hi Fraser,

what an amazing place! I would involve Airbnb, @airbnbhelp on twitter, facebook, phone, and have them explain the situation, have them tell her how she lucked out!

hope this helps,

Sabine

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18110679

 

All reviews were recently submitted by people in France and they all only have one review which is from this host.  The description says "Arcade games and Smart TV's" but the pictures show neither.  His phone number is also a Staten Island area code though he says he's in Alabama and the rental home is in Louisanna

 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/16210343

 

Wondering if this is a scam add. I booked the apartment then once I have read up on scams it has made me a little worried. I don't know if I am been over the top or not can any one confirm please thanks a lot 

I was two listings on AirBnB, seems to be identical, but the pricing is drastically differnt, one is almost twice of the other. Is the lower priced listing fake??? They are both instant booking, by same host:

**

appreciate some feedback!

 

Jenny

 

**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines

Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Jenny757 I doubt that the host would make a fake listing, it makes no sense. But the price difference is dramatic so I would suggest sending an inquiry to the host and asking him what is the difference. 

Anyone help me?

This listing seems odd to me. When I asked if I could just use my payment details as normal the owner got a bit sniffy about it. He provided images on an Airbnb page that does not hyperlink to the main Airbnb home page. There was also a Chat box, which I've never seen before on Airbnb. When I tried to find the address of the apartment it wasn't there and he said that was because it's a long term rental. Seems odd. He didn't want to skype and he says he's not on Facebook, when his full name and location relates to q an active Facebook user.

 

http://airbnb.booking-lease.com/1/invoice/15/show-wovjb15h/21061?

 

All very suspicious.

 

Anyone got thoughts or experiences like this?

 

Karen

a scam listing, i hope you haven't paid yet! you should report it to Airbnb immediately, it has all the red flags and then some. good luck!