Unsure about fake listing

[Chia821]

Hi Airbnb Community,

This is my first attempt to book a listing without any review and the host seems to be just verified ( and joined in Dec. 2019). The host is in Panama City, Panama. Therefore, super worried about the fake listing issue. It'll be great if you could give some advice to how typical this listing is true (since everyone has to start somewhere, so personally not super against it). Below is the link to the listing. 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/40897250?adults=4&check_in=2019-12-24&check_out=2019-12-29&guests=4

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/40886680?source_impression_id=p3_1576647530_U9bW2W2cN6edmfhm&check_in=2...

Thank you so much in advance!

[Colleen253]

@Chia821 I can see why you're hesitant. The host hasn't made much attempt to reach out to prospective guests through the listing setup...it's lacking in a lot of detail and is impersonal. The host has two identical listings, and the photos seem off somehow. They could also just be two of the exact same units in one building. You could send the host an inquiry to get some dialogue going to test the waters. That might help you decide if you just want to move on.

[Helen3]

I don't know pricing for Florida but it would be unusual I would imagine for a host to list a place over Christmas  for up to six, of that sort of quality, that is still available and only charges £90 a night. @Chia821 

I don't what the price market is like for your destination, but you can get an idea by putting in dates, location, bedrooms, pool etc and see what comes up in terms of availability and pricing.

The fact they have absolutely no description of the listing, location etc combined with it being a new listing and host from another country would raise red flags for me.

I would suggest you move on and find a place with an established superhost or host with mainly five star reviews.

[Susan17]

@Chia821 

Don't touch this. Host is advertising two properties, duplicate listing for one, triplicate listing for the other - and nowhere is it stated that she has several properties that are similar to each other (as hosts typically do, when using the same pics for separate, but identical, listings)

Plus, there are already scheduling conflicts showing on the calendars for both properties, often an indicator that while your booking may initially be accepted by the host, should they subsequently receive another longer/more lucrative booking for the same property on their duplicate or triplicate listing, or from another platform, you could very well find your reservation cancelled at the last minute, and be left with nowhere to stay.

So either you're dealing with a complete newbie here who has absolutely no clue what's she's doing, and already appears to have double bookings on her calendar..  or, far more likely, this is indeed a scam. Either way, avoid like the plague.