e-mail purportedly from Airbnb seems to be a scam

[Lorraine65]

Last night I received an e-mail that appeared to be from Airbnb that read:

Get in touch with Hannah

Your guest, •guest•, hasn’t been able to check in at ••••.

In time-sensitive situations like this one, our Guest Refund Policy allows guests to cancel for a full refund immediately. Reach out to •guest• right away to help with check-in or your guest may choose to cancel their reservation and find another place to stay.

This was followed by the usual big red button, with a "click here to contact •guest•" We post emergency contact numbers right at the guest's entrance, readable from outside, yet nobody had called. I checked my Airbnb app — no message from the guest. I checked my voicemail and messages — nothing. So I've come to the conclusion this is some kind of scam. I was half asleep and very nearly clicked that link. Glad in the light of morning that I wasn't taken in.

Just thought other hosts might want to be aware of this.

[David126]

Do you have a guest called Hannah?

[Lorraine65]

Yes, I do.

[Lorraine65]

I just spoke with her and she said everything is "perfect."

[Clare0]

@Lorraine65  This message is not a scam.  Hannah must have contacted Airbnb about not being able to reach you otherwise Airbnb would not have sent you this message.  Did Hannah ever send you a message or call you about check in details?

In any event, you can check to see if a message is from Airbnb through this help article: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/971/how-do-i-know-if-an-email-is-really-from-airbnb

Also, Airbnb messages will show on your Dashboard while phony messages will not. 

Hope this helps!

[Lorraine65]

Thanks for your comments. Hannah checked in with no difficulty whatsoever. We have self check in and I sent her directions and the key box code a week ahead of her visit. Our phone numbers are posted outside the entrance in case someone gets locked out or loses their key. There were no issues with her check in. And there is no trace of the email I received in my Airbnb messages. So I'm not convinced this was genuine. 

[Lorraine65]

Thank you, Clare. The message did not appear in the Airbnb Dashboard. It came by e-mail. This is what tipped me off that it was a scam.

[Louise79]

There have been some real scams, and some mis-use of the AirBNB bridge into rental space occupation. The very first request I received in 2017 came a day or 2 after a troubling gov't announcement. The request, itself, was troubling; culturally dystonic photo, language that - albeit not foul - just did not fit with the person purportedly expressing herself, among other things that were 'just not quite right.' Some ID info seemed to be lacking; this allowed me to reflect for 24 hours, confirm the dates and politely ask for ID completion. It is my believe that my host response never reached the requestor; no response came back to me. I felt relieved! But I lost my 100% response rate!!

Another 'not-quite-a-scam' is the full-season high-rate 'guest' who in turn, subleases. No thank you! 

Louise at Sans souci

[Noni1]

I received an email today to my personal email address from Airbnb User purportedly from a guest booked for August providing an gmail address for future communications. The email appeared genuine with full name using an organisation logo, business title. The name used is the same as the guest booking. I have not responded to this request and propose only to communicate via the Airbnb app.  The reminder emails from Airbnb do not say 'User'. 

1. Any comments?

[Lorraine65]

That's exactly the way it happened with me. I believe if the message was truly from Airbnb, it would come through the app. I do believe Airbnb has been hacked.

[Tracy0]

I got one of these, via email only (not showing in the app) by a person who had already checked in without any issue whatsoever and she said she hadn't contacted AirBNB.

Just FYI.

[Noni1]

Thanks. That confirms my thoughts

[Lorraine65]

Yes, confirms mine as well. This is exactly what happened to me. I do wish it was easier (possible?) to contact a real person at Airbnb to report suspected scams.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Lorraine65,

Thanks for sharing this here in the Community Center. I think it is really good to be cautious of emails that come to you inbox, especially if they are asking you to click and confirm your details - so I am really pleased to see this.

The link @Clare0 provided to the Help Center article: How do I know if an email is really from Airbnb? provides a great overview, so I would recommend any community member reading this to take a look when you get a moment. 🙂

I hope you guest has a great stay. 🙂

Lizzie 

[Lorraine65]

Thank you, Lizzie.

This is helpful information. I've made a note of the e-mail address to report any future phishing. Much appreciated!

Best,

Lorraine