host wants personal information through email

[Stephanie28]

Hello! I have an airbnb reserved in one city and am looking for another in another city. I found one we really like, but I am concerned it may be a little fishy. Host wants me to email my personal information to him/her directly and not through the website. Is this common practice? Host suggested payment be through the website...

New to this, so just want some input. Thx

[Donna15]

@Stephanie28, no, this is not usual practice, and is not authorised by AirBnB. 

All communication between host and guest must take place via the website.

If it doesn't, and if anything unforeseen occurs, neither the guest nor the host is covered by AirBnB. 

[Stephanie28]

Thank you! I thought it seemed strange. They said it was due to not being able to update the calendar to show availability.

[Donna15]

@Stephanie28, there's always the possibility of a glitch regarding the calendar. The fact that the host still emphasized paying via the website is a good sign. 

Perhaps you could suggest to her/him that you will be glad to provide details via the website once she/he has cleared up the problem with the calendar. 

[Clare0]

@Stephanie28  If there is a message from the host, or a picture in the listing that says the host can't update their calendar, IT IS DEFINITELY A SCAM!  The host wants to contact you off the Airbnb website so they can send you payment instructions to do a bank wire transfer. Don't do it.   Flag the listing as a scam right away so that other, less suspecting guests don't get sucked in.  

This is a typical scam!

 I have flagged well over 100 of these type of listings. 

[Donna15]

@Clare0, wow! Good thing you looked in on this thread.  🙂

[Clare0]

@Donna15 It's really heartbreaking to hear about guests being scammed this way.  Just in the past few days I read about a family being scammed out of $2,300 .  Money gone, long planned vacation ruined.  Scammers are very clever at sending messages that look like real Airbnb communication with logos, language, etc.  Moral of the story?  Never, ever, pay outside the Airbnb system. 

[Donna15]

Absolutely, @Clare0. What fooled me was that the apparent 'host' had still said payment should go through the AirBnB website. But perhaps she/he would have changed that once email communication had been established.

[Clare0]

@Donna15 Yep, another trust building device.  Since the host and guest were communicating on the website, a guest could easily interpret a bank transfer request with paying on site. Once a guest gives out their email address, they are no longer on site and the scammer's hooks go in deeper.  Victims always believe that since the listing was on Airbnb it must be legit and anything the host asks them to do must be legit as well.  And, since they pay off site, Airbnb can't and won't reimburse them which makes them all the more bitter. 

[Stephanie28]

That is exactly what it looked like! Luckily I came to all of you first! Magically all of the listings have disappeared from my wish list, so I can't flag it. 😞 But thank you!

[Clare0]

@Stephanie28 Where was the listing located?  Could you tell me the city and country?  So glad you dodged a bullet! Other people are not so fortunate!

[Stephanie28]

London. I put in fake information to see and sure enough bank to bank wire transfer for payment. I can't ins the listing to flag it. I have the email... Any suggestions?

[Clare0]

@Stephanie28 Ok.  Do you remember if it was an entire home, private room. approximate price per night? Did you use any other search filters when you initially looked?  Instant Book ( yes they're there too)? Amenities?  If you can give me something to go on, I'll find it and get it taken down.  Thanks!

[Stephanie28]

I was looking at an entire house for 4 people. I used the filter for less than 250 per night.

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

I would let Airbnb know about this. There's no reason to ask for personal information.