Rental scam using Airbnb? How should I go forward, if at all?

[Elizabeth103]

I have been trying to find an apartment and found a listing on a popular rental website (not Airbnb). We started e-mailing, and the owner told me that he lives in Spain and will be using Airbnb's services for payment. It didn't seem strange until this last email. What bothers me about this is that it doesn't seem to follow any of Airbnb's practices. It also threw up other rental scam red flags, such as the fact that he wants me to pay before seeing the property, he's asking for my personal information outside the Airbnb platform, and the place doesn't come up on the Airbnb search list. Here is the portion of the most recent e-mail that I find odd, copy/pasted, edited for clarity:

"If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number along with your full name and address where you can be contacted for the keys and the rental contract. Then I will start the process through Airbnb here in Spain, providing them your information. Next you will receive a notification message from them, containing a receipt with all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete the process and receive the keys and the rental contract.
Regarding the payment, you will get all the necessarily [sic] instructions on the invoice, so you can deposit the money for the first month along with the warranty, into an escrow bank account from AIRBNB. They will hold and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent it or not.
As soon as you will complete the deposit of $1,100 + $1,100 = $2,200 into their bank account, an agent from Airbnb will meet and show you the property. You will be given one day inspection period to take a decision and [in case you are not satisfied with the apartment], next day the total amount will be refunded to you by Airbnb. If you'll like the flat then you can keep the keys, sign the contract, and we will fix a date for the monthly payment, that it has to be done by you directly to my personal bank account."

There's a lot about the whole exchance that seems quite.... off. The more I think about it, the stranger it sounds. There is nothing on Airbnb about "escrow accounts," etc. It just smells terribly fishy, and I want to make certain that my eagerness and need for a place to go doesn't get me ensnared into some scammer's net. 

So, what are your thoughts on this? 

[Lucine2]

I think it is the same "Eric Wirtz" we are talking about. Looks like this guy owns "a lot of" apartment in Dublin. His first email wasn't strange but the second reminds me of some stories I've been told by my friend. Thankfully you put this message online and I checked it! We should let more people know about this "Eric Wirtz". 

"Hello,

I just read your e-mail regarding my property located in 10 Nelson Street, Phibsborough, Dublin 7. I am the owner of the apartment. My name is Eric Writz from Germany. I bought the apartment while working in Ireland. The property has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, 1 kitchen. Is available for long-term, it's in excellent condition, very clean and fully furnished with all the necessary equipment and appliances. The rent is 1,400€ per month including utility bill. A security deposit of 1,400€ is required at the start of the lease and it will be refunded at the end of the contract (a 30 day notice is required). The apartment is fully furnished, like in the pictures.

I currently reviewing the large number of applicants received to date. In order to progress your application, i would be grateful if you could answer my questions and return it via email as soon as possible. How long do you plan to stay? When do you plan on moving in? How many people are willing to move in ? Monthly Income ? Nationality ?

Looking forward to hear from you soon.
All the best from Germany!"

"Thank you for your quick reply.
At this moment I'm in Germany and can not be present to deal face to face. My job doesn't allow me to leave of Germany. We just hired some new staff and I'm in charge of their training. I tried to look for an agent that I could give the document & the keys before I left but could not find any as a matter of urgency. And I don't want my place misused in my absence that is why I took the keys and documents along with me. I can make arrangements to rent the property through Airbnb ( www.airbnb.com ) which is an international company dealing specifically in rentals, I used it in the past and I was very pleased for their services.

Please let me know if you accept Airbnb and I will explain you how we can finish the rental agreement.

Thank you"

I find this ad in daft.ie which is the largest rental website in Ireland. I sent my request and got a reply after the ad got removed from the list. The website team actually has sent an email to me saying the ad might not be true. I was too stupid to forget the message.

"It’s come to our attention that the property listing 10 Nelson Street, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, North Dublin City may have been compromised. Should you be contacted by email or by telephone in relation to the property ad stated above, we recommend that you proceed with absolute caution."

I'll never trust any long-term renting through Airbnb.

[Susan17]

Bee, Lucine.... might be an idea to report this to the Joe Duffy Show on the radio before these scammers have a chance to rip off other renters? 

[Loreto23]

Just had the same situation. She send me a request from the airbnb page, she even appears as a súper host.

[Gabor19]

Hi,

just had the same experience in Edinburgh, Scotland.

thank god i Googled it and got here. I already sent him a copy of my id and driving license. Should I call the police?

he sent me a copy of a passport I’m sure it’s not his though.

[Betty225]

I got a very similiar scam today from Spain!   I know the building so that was legit, but nothing else was.

He went by the name David and his wife was Christine.

Unfortunately he got my phone #, address, and full legal name.  

Here is the response from Airbnb when I contacted them to check all this out.

"For us to make sure that everything will be processed accordingly, kindly ask the host to send you their listing link from Airbnb so you can process booking the reservation, and all transaction will go through our platform.
You don't have to provide all your information to the host for now. Once you book the reservation, your name and phone number on your Airbnb account will be shared to the host.
Hosts have the option of adding a security deposit to their listing to cover damage caused by guests. Guests are not charged or authorized for the security deposit when they are making a reservation. Their payment details are held, and a charge is only made if the host makes a claim during or after the reservation.
Security deposits must be handled through Airbnb. It’s a violation of our Terms of Service to handle security deposits off-site, and in such situations, a claim cannot be made through Airbnb'.

I also cut and pasted the response into their email and that stopped it all.  I am going to report this to the police in the morning.  I suspect he used a burner phone but will also provide the police with that number, and additionally go to the legit address and advice of this scam involving their building.

It was a friend and my financiual institution that asked me to dig deeper to uncover this was a scam.  He called several times today, and his last call was rather threatening.  He wanted the money by days end, knew the time in my city and why did the financial institution have a problem and yada yada yada.  I knew at that moment this was a scam, and I heard nothing back from him when I copied and pasted the response from Airbnb for my query and report.  Be aware.  Seems there is a lot of rental scams happening at the moment.

Hello,   

 Thank you for your interest in my apartment  (1bed/1bath) located at: 2860 Trethewey St, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 0G5, Canada. I have attached you the pictures so you can see that is in excellent condition. My husband and I are  chemical engineers and the company we work for they had a project there in Canada that was suppose to be for the next 10 years so we decided to buy an apartment. Unfortunately the project we were working in Canada has been cancelled or it's on stand-by because of the Government of Canada. Therefore we were moved to the Spain department where we already signed a job contract for the next 6 years. 

    The rent for the whole apartment is 1025$/month utilities included (heat, hydro, water, electricity, maintenance fees, 2 parking spots, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer also included, cable and internet). In case repairs are need in the apartment the building management will help you and I will cover the costs. Pets are allowed. I'm looking for someone to rent anywhere from 3 months to 6 years or more. I know the price is below the market but I'm interested in finding the right person for the apartment that will take good care of the place. If you decide to sign the lease agreement the monthly payments can be sent through E-transfer, Bank Wire or any other payment method that is convenient for you. You can also rent the apartment furnished or unfurnished and the rent will NOT increase. 

     It's the first time I'm renting an apartment therefore a professional property management company will make the necessary arrangements for both us. I think it's much easier for both us.

    I would really appreciate a description of yourself so I can make an idea who will rent the place. How many people will stay in the apartment, where do you work, how long are you planning to stay in the apartment.  

    Please reply me ONLY if you are really interested because I really do NOT have time to waste.

    Thank you for your time! 

Regards,

Rose and David

[Sarah977]

@Betty225  Well, it's good that you caught this before it went any further. Do not ever, ever, give out your personal information to some stranger online.

If you want to book an Airbnb, you go directly to the official Airbnb site, set up a profile, find a place you're interested in and take it from there.

[Avinash12]

Hi ,

I also received such mail yesterday after seeing ad on popular house rental website in Norway(asking me to contact on whatsapp) and after I replied with basic details and requested to see the apartment , I received below response .

Hi,

Thank you for your reply but the matter is that I'm in Madrid already. Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for one month of rent will be 10.000NOK, with no extra taxes to pay. The money, I want to revive it monthly to my bank account, so I hope it will be no problem for you to wire the money to my bank account. The apartment is ready for you, you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you like it.

  Obviously we need a way to complete this deal, that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. In order of that I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 3 days, if you move fast as well. The solution is a worldwide third party company called Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package.

We use this company to see that you are an trusting and serious person. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package. With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment. I'm a registered user for 4 years and I've made over 5 transactions with them so far. They are really professional and they have great services.

  Let me know if you are interested so I can provide with all the steps of this transaction. You need to know everything about this process before we get this started. I think is right for both of us.

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Sent from Outlook

[Alexis274]

This is happening to me as we speak! I couldn’t find the listing nor could i find host profiles. So i googled “Airbnb Lisa Connell” and i found this thread. 

[Laney7]

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me and hope this e-mail finds you well. We bought this property for our daughter during her studies there, but now she finished the studies and we do not plan on selling the place. That`s why we decided to rent it.

Unfortunately, because of my job, it will be a bit difficult to meet you personally now because we are from CA and I am unable to travel right now.
Last week I came there to meet with a couple who was interested, but no one was present at the meetings, and I think you can imagine that it's not very comfortable to fly back and forth from CA, especially when work commitments are made.

So we decided to make the arrangements for an inspection through Airbnb, an international company that mainly deals with rentals.
Through Airbnb, you will inspect the property before to sign the rental agreement. They will organize the inspection and will also assist you in managing the payment. I am paying Airbnb fees, so there will be no extra cost for you.
First of all, I`ll have to make the booking registration for you with Airbnb, and they send you the booking confirmation containing all the rental information along with payment instructions to secure the booking.

You will need to send Airbnb a down payment of 1 month of rent to Airbnb and after they will receive it, an agent will be assigned for your reservation, which will contact you to schedule the perfect time when you can inspect the place. Can be even the same day.
If you like the place, you`ll sign the lease, you`ll get the keys from the Airbnb agent and you can move in right away.
The down payment is a simple formality and by paying you are not obliged to rent the apartment.
After the inspection, if you do not like the place and you do not want to rent it, Airbnb will return your down payment in full immediately.

If you want to proceed, I`m going to need your details (full name, current address and phone number) to can make the registration for you at Airbnb.

Sincerely,
Brian & Lisa Connell

[Heather698]

Thanks for posting and I also recieved an email from this sgt mike character. I knew something’s didn’t seem right because the background of the photos ie: scenery outside windows didn’t match with the apartments address he sent me. 

[Cátia13]

Also happen to me:

Hello,

First of all i'm sorry to write you in english but i don't speak portugese very well .

I just read your e-mail regarding my apartment located in [street]

It has 3 rooms : 2 bedroom , 1 living room, 2 bathroom, 1 kitchen (108m2) + Garagem. I have attached the pictures of the apartment!

I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in Portugal, but now she's back home permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time. Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long. The flat is exactly like in the pictures, furnished and renovated. The utilities (coldhot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, etc.) are included in the price of rent ,you will have one parking spot , the rent is 650 EUR/month . The guarantee deposit is EUR 650,00, and you get it back, when you decide to leave the apartment (you will have to give me at least 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to Portugal, so we won't disturb you.

You can use my furniture, or you can also use your own if you prefer. If you decide to use yours, you will have access to a very large and well ventilated cellar, where you can store my furniture.

Now, a little bit about myself so we can get to know each other better. My name is Cristina Grossi and I'm a 56 years old ,Company Director of Italfarmaco SpA from Milan/Italy, planning to retire in the next 2 years. I have a lovely husband, Emilio and a 26 year old daughter, Rosalia. I am very proud to say that soon I'm going to be a grandmother ). Another member of our family is a 8 year old Labrador which we all love, so, I have no problem if you will keep pets.

The only inconvenience is that my job doesn't allow me to leave Milano even for one single day. We just hired some new staff and I'm in charge of their training.

But this won't affect you at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from Milan (on my expense of course).

Looking forward to hear from you soon.

All the best from Italy!

Mrs.Cristina**

[Ana1958]

Fizeste algum pagamento para ela? 

[Safa5]

I also received this email from 

<cristinagrossi71@hotmail.com>

Muito obrigado pela sua resposta. Acabei de ler o seu email sobre o meu apartamento localizado em :1700-273 | Alvalade, Lisboa, Rua Luís Augusto Palmeirim.

Tem Localizado em zona Premium nas Alvalade Área útil 70 m².

 

T1 em Duplex, com remodelação recente, sendo composto por sala estar, jantar, cozinha, wc com banheira e acesso ao terraço, pertencente à fracção. No piso superior encontrará a suite com closet .

Som Ambiente.. Segue em anexo as fotos do apartamento!

Comprei este apartamento para minha filha durante seus estudos em Portugal, mas agora ela está de volta ao Reino Unido permanentemente, então eu estou alugando o lugar por tempo ilimitado. Antes de mais, gostaria de saber alguns detalhes, como quantas pessoas você pretende morar no apartamento e por quanto tempo? O apartamento é exatamente como nas fotos, mobilado e renovado. Os serviços

(água, electricidade, internet, TV digital, lava-louças, microondas, geladeira, máquina de lavar roupa, etc.) estão incluídos no preço do aluguel, você terá um lugar de estacionamento, o aluguel é de 620 Euros por mês. O depósito é de 620 Euros e vai ser devolvido quando você decide deixar o apartamento (vai ter que me dar um aviso pelo menos 30 dias antes).

Você pode usar meus móveis, ou você também pode usar o seu próprio se quiser. Se você decidir usar seus próprios móveis, você terá acesso a um armazenamento muito grande e bem ventilado, onde pode colocar meus móveis.

Agora, um pouco sobre mim mesmo, para que possamos nos conhecer melhor. Meu nome é Cristina Grossi  e tenho 46 anos, sou consultora, trabalhando para empresa PricewaterhouseCoopers no Reino Unido, planejando começar meu próprio negócio no próximo ano.

Eu tenho um lindo marido Marco e uma filha de 26 anos Rosalia. Minha filha está construindo sua vida aqui no Reino Unido, meu trabalho no Reino Unido e nós moramos no Reino Unido por muito tempo, portanto não vamos incomodá-lo e eu nunca lhe pedirei para deixar o apartamento.

Estou muito feliz que logo vou ser uma avó. Outro membro da nossa família é um labrador de 8 anos que todos nós amamos ele, então eu não tenho nenhum problema se você vai trazer animais de estimação no apartamento.

O único inconveniente é que meu trabalho não permite que eu saia do Reino Unido nem mesmo por um único dia. Acabamos de contratar uma equipe nova e sou responsável pelo treinamento deles.

Mas isso não afetará você de jeito nenhum. Eu posso fazer arranjos para alugar o apartamento do Reino Unido (à minha custa, claro).

 

 

Disponível para qualquer esclarecimento adicional.

Muito obrigada pela disponibilidade e atenção.

 

 

Com os melhores cumprimentos

Cristina

[Myrtill2]

hi, be aware that this person, or whoever they are are advertising on the local Portuguese website Imovirtual/Idealista, the add was up for a few hours only. Then "cristina grossi" got in touch via email. Luckily I googled her and I got to this airbnb website. 

[Pablo1004]

I'm in Lisbon for studies and she (or whoever) is on bquarto.com too. Luckily, I stumbled upon this airbnb threads because I was close to make a deal. I saw a similar post on uniplaces.com from a guy that doesn't live in Portugal but rents a room.

How can we get a place to live?!!