"unclaimed property" scam letter regarding AirBnB?

Bellevue1
Level 2
Bellevue, WA

"unclaimed property" scam letter regarding AirBnB?

Allegedly from the following org:

 

Airbnb Unclaimed Property (upper left corner)

Unclaimed Property Processing Center (lower right corner)

P.O. Box 66501        (both corners of page, google it with quotes around it and no good hits)

London KY 40742 (both corners of page, google it with quotes around the address and no good hits)

855-888-8749         (google that number with quotes around it "855-888-8749" and there are virtually no hits)

 

WHAT's CREEPY ABOUT THIS LETTER:

  1. It has my full name - first, middle, last - CREEPY!
  2. I obscure my/our names on our AirBnB accounts.  (Before I make a c/s call, I temporarily change my name so AirBnB's phone reps can do verification.)
  3. It went to our PO Box - where we receive zero mail about AirBnB
  4. We have 2 AirBnB accounts for 2 properties.  If AirBnB wanted to send us funds "unclaimed property" they are perfectly capable of doing a bank deposit
  5. The amount claimed as owed to us - $917.00 - is an even number which almost never happens with our AirBnB sums nor in real life around real, unclaimed property

 

Every year or so I will do a REAL search on our state's unclaimed property website for everyone in our family and assorted friends.  From time to time I find something for someone.  I looked not that terribly long ago. This letter claims a sum from 09 Sept 2018 but says it was printed 19 May 2022.  Doesn't add up.

 

We've been an active hosts since 2015-16 and short term guest about 3 times.  Hard to say which this letter is pointing at although we did travel summer 2018.

5 Replies 5
Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi there @Bellevue1, this does look quite strange, indeed. Here's an older topic that seems quite identical to what you've shared https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/scam-letter/td-p/348254

 

 

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Bellevue1
Level 2
Bellevue, WA

AIRBNB-UNCLAIMED-PROPERTY.jpg

I received thae exact letter but with my name and my mortgage company on it.

Quincy
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi there @Bellevue1, I spoke with the team, and they recommended that you contact them in order to have this looked into. You can contact the the team by following this link https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact-us

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Bellevue1
Level 2
Bellevue, WA

Updates:

Had both text chats & Phone chats with AirBnB customer service.  NO help - if this alleged $917 of "unclaimed property" is real (again, why can't they just deposit to my bank account on file?) then the AirBnB C/S reps have no ability to either confirm nor deny the validity of this scammy letter.  << That point alone is a problem.

 

I called the number on the letter (starting with *67 to suppress my outbound callerID) 855-888-8749 and a vague, unbranded voice greeting dumped me into a phone queue.  Finally a man with a Hispanic accent came on, weirdly asked for no information from the letter to ID me, asked for no other concrete information.  Just told me to fill out the letter and return it. 

 

HE ALSO TOLD ME that if I did nothing, the "government would get the money and keep it".  Prior to the call I had visited my state's Unclaimed Property website and searched again.  Their search mechanics err on the side of returning too many hits, not too few.  I saw a PILE of people with my last name with money owed to them.  If this mysterious CS rep at 855-888-8749 was correct, then that website either would have been fairly empty of search results or the website would have been non-existent (maybe some friction-ful phone line and major hassles to extract unclaimed property... but nothing like that).  He basically was making a claim that all governments are corrupt always and without exception, to stoke fear. I told him flatly our state government was not corrupt like that because I had successful past claims of unclaimed property (factual).

 

He alluded to some email where I should email about this "unclaimed property" of $917 - again, connected to AirBnB.  I asked for that email and he gave me: ENHANCED-CA-DD@SOVOS.com

Sovos is a real, international company and Sovos.com is a real website.  No where on that letter is Sovos mentioned, however.

 

Google  "855-888-8749" (with quotes) in Google and nearly nothing comes up.  Google "Unclaimed Property Processing Center" (with quotes) allegedly in London KY and nothing comes up.  If this supposedly legit organization they sure are hiding in the online world of 2022.