FAKE and FRAUDULENT LISTING

Claudio387
Level 2
Rome, Italy

FAKE and FRAUDULENT LISTING

Hello,

I just found out somebody is using my villa photos and they have created a fake listing of my house.
This is a total fraud and we need to do something before one of your guests' books that place to find out it does not exist.

 

 
Stunning Villa, a tropical sanctuary near Canggu
I had one of your photographers to come around two months ago and I am going through the airbnb plus procedure application.
 
Please help me out
Thank you
 
Claudio
 
27 Replies 27

@Paul7661 she’s doing the same thing here in hawaii!

@Jeri89  There is no "she" who is doing this in Hawaii and California. These are online scammers using fake ID and are likely sitting in a warehouse or their mother's basement in Russia, or Nigeria, or Argentina or Miami, who knows. This is an organized racket that follows the same script everywhere and it is happening all over the world because it is digital, not because the scammers live anywhere even close to where they are pulling this scam.

@Sarah977 yes I understand that, I was just mentioning that it was happening to me with the same scammer.

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Paul7661  

 

I just can’t see how this person thinks she will profit from this.

 

As far as I know the host doesn’t get paid until 24 hours after the guest checks in and there’s no way for guests to check in.

 

Seems like when they arrive at the property they’re going to be calling Airbnb immediately.

 

Maybe the con artist plans to try to convince the guest to pay in advance off-platform?

 

Or she’s trying to steal the guest’s identity?

 

Where did she get the intended victim’s email address?

 

 

@Brian2036  This scammer isn't listing on Airbnb. This is a well known scam- there are many threads on the forum about these with hundreds of identical emails received. They all read the same. 

 

The scammers put the ads up on long term rental sites, or Craigslist or wherever. Someone looking for a place answers the ad, and they get an email back just like the one @Paul7661 posted.

 

The scammer creates a fake look-alike Airbnb listing link they send to the guest, but the URL isn't an Airbnb URL, only similar.

 

The scammer tells the victim to pay by transferring money to a bank account. 

 

That's how it works and how the scammer profits. Once the mark has sent money, the scammer disappears.

 

Of course this scam won't work on any experienced Airbnb guest, because they know you don't send or transfer money, they know there aren't any Airbnb agents who show you the property and hand over keys, and they know that real Airbnb hosts don't send guests long emails about why they are renting the place. But lots of unsuspecting souls have lost lots of money this way.

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Sarah977 

 

OK, I get it.

 

Airbnb really has nothing to do with it. The name is just used as bait.

@Brian2036  Exactly. Occasionally  these scammers will throw up the listing on the real Airbnb site, just long enough that the victim thinks it's legit. Then it right away gets taken down again

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Paul7661  Email the scammer (make a one-use email address for this, not your own). Tell them you know they are committing fraud, and that you have reported them to the site they listed this on, and to the cybercrimes division of the police and have posted the name they are using and the listing they have fraudulently stolen all over social media.

I'd bet the ad will disappear immediately.

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

We occasionally get inquiries asking for "high resolution photos  so they can see more clearly the house" 🙄 to a private (blocked by Airbnb) email address.

 

Needless to say, instant decline & report. 

 

Also note... After listing on VRBO, we now show up on lots and lots of obscure booking sites, with modified photo order and modified descriptions. I know expedia owns a lot of sites, but I can't be sure which ones are legit or not.  I've reported it, but as usual, no response. 

Lauren3069
Level 1
New Hampshire, United States

Almost got scammed, too.  Our pal Judith Vosman.  Tried getting an apartment in Hawaii for a great deal... what a bummer.

@Lauren3069  It's best to realize that there aren't any incredible deals. Prices that look too good to be true, are too good to be true.

 

Generally speaking, really good deals are never advertised anywhere. They get passed around by word of mouth. I look after a sweet little cabin next door to me that has a long term renter who has been there for 2 years. If he ever moves, I have a list of half a dozen people who've said they would love to rent it if it ever becomes available.

My holiday let is being listed on Airbnb, but not by me! I don't list on Airbnb, people are booking and contacting us, and if they turn up they will be turned away, but Airbnb are refusing to do anything about it unless we give them personal details that they have said they will share WITH THE SCAMMERS!!!

This is total fraud how do we stop this?

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/669172954506003453?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2022-12-25&...

Elaine701
Level 10
Balearic Islands, Spain

We've just had a guest who experienced precisely this. 

 

Apparently, they booked a place long ago, but it was a fake. Somewhere between the time they booked it and their arrival, Airbnb caught it and took the listing down.

 

However, Airbnb failed to inform the guest who had booked it, and the guest showed up at the house at check in time, only to discover that it was a fake listing. 

 

On the bright side, apparently Airbnb paid hotel rooms for the guests and eventually booked our listing (we had just received a last minute cancellation due to a family issue) and paid for that too. Good on you, Airbnb! 

 

So, while Airbnb made good on all of it, their negligence in informing the guest caused some serious frustration for the guest, and all could have been avoided, simply by promptly informing the guest that the listing had been removed and giving them a refund. 

 

It seems these fake listings are becoming all too common. I found two last month in our area, both from the same fake owner, the telltale sign was that the first lines they printed in the description was that "due to overwhelming demand, guests must contact the host by email or WhatsApp before they can book it". These listings lasted nearly a week before being removed. No telling how many people booked them. Or how many have yet to find out they were scammed. 

 

This is not good for Airbnb, its guests or its hosts. Everybody loses. 

 

So, if you see a listing that appears fake or dodgy, it's important to report it immediately. It can take Airbnb quite some time to get around to it.