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? 

[Gracie4]

Hello Maddy,

Just cut directly the communication or report them to your nearest police station. Do not send any money to them.

[Rosemary54]

friend this is what you need to do.. you need to take this a a learning experience. if you have happened to send any monies or follow any instructions from someone whom you cannot even verify is actually a airbnn representative, then unfortunately you are the victim of scam.. it is not certain if you will receive any returned monies if you did send them because you have no way of verifying any information that was given to you this fictious realtor, so you may be on the losing end of this situation.  airbnn is not going to know what you are talking about if you expect to recoup from their end.. you have no verifiable paper trail..

it is also unfortunate that you did not research  airbnns policy as well as its practices before you proceeded with any transactions

with a person who may not even exist and one in which you have no way of contacting if you have specific issues concerning the apartment..  even if this person was to send you a photocoy of what he says is his credentials, don't believe the hype..how many people send photos of themselves over the internet date web sites,who look nothing like the picture once you meet them in person..

use this as your analogy when dealing with these scam artists.  

do better research and ask specfic questions.. most of all dont be in a rush to respond to these characters.. if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is...

rosemary

[Marie82]

the scale of the scam is scary

all over the world 

So guys be extremily careful and send any links to Air BB when u found a fake listing

[Louise155]

I also had contact with a person using airbnb for a 'ligit and safe' rental contract agreement. 

Hi,

You will not share the apartment. This transaction is not made face to face, this is the whole reason for using Airbnb, for both of us to be 100% protected. Regarding the process, you will only have to deposit to Airbnb the first month of rent from contract and security deposit €500 + €1000 = €1500 so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the rental package (keys and documents). I will pay for a 3 days delivery so you will receive the keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this process will work:
1 - To start the process all I need is your full info(full name and address).
2 - I will go at Airbnb to deposit the keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - Airbnb will check the package to see if everything is in order and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys and proof of ownership with their Real Estate Professional Department.
4 - Airbnb will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody. They will also send you all the payment instructions to complete the rental transaction.
5 - At this point you will have to go to your Bank Location and make a money transfer to the bank account of Airbnb Representative for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is €1500.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the payment details to Airbnb.
7 - Airbnb will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS or TNT Next Day Shipping Service.
8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 3 days (inspection time) you must contact Airbnb to inform them if you keep the apt or not and if everything is in order you will instruct Airbnb to send me the information about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds. If you don`t like the apartment they will be sending the money back to you and you will send back the keys and contract. Airbnb can't release the funds without your approval.
Now i must know for sure if you agree because here are a lot of peoples interested to have this apartment rented and i want to know for sure what i must tell them. If you agree what i suggested i will tell them that my apartment is already rented and i will keep it for you. If you agree then i must have all the shipping details so i will be able to make all the arrangements for the Airbnb delivery.

Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.

[Dani37]

BEWAREEEE .... it sounds too good to be true because it is. I was looking for a place to rent out and our conversation went the exact same. This is just the beginning but ended exactly like yours. I replied giving him a piece of my mind shortly after doing my research and finding this 

Hello,

I am Alfredo **, the owner of the property, and i'm happy to let you know that it is presently available even for long and short term periods. I bought this property for my daughter during her studies in the US, but now she's back home in Spain, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time (obviously preferable for long periods).

The property looks like in the pictures. The utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spot, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $1,000 per month plus one month deposit of $1,000 is also requested and fully refundable once you decide to leave the apartment (with a 30 days notice before). As from my side, i will never ask you to leave the apartment because my daughter is permanently living here in Madrid/Spain, so we won't disturb you.

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 property, and for how long.

All the best from Spain,

Alfredo **
Empresario
Madrid, España

[Priyanka21]

Reeived the same email in Dublin, Ireland on daft.ie. 1 bedroom house for €1000. This time name was Gustavo Pugliesi from Rome

[Muller1]

Hello Dani,

Where you find this ad? Which website because need to report their website in US. 

I have a website forum with scams.

I wait your answer 

[Rosemary54]

complete scam.. must be the brother of pedro tejado who is also from spain.. same line... dont waste your time.. 

rrogers

[César15]

I am just renting an apartment In Vienna  in a website diferent for airbnb and the renter is asking me to do this. . 

Hello , 
First of all , I want to tell you that if you are ready to proceed with this transaction I will need to inform you the steps about how this service works.
You will have 2 days to inspect the apartment before your final decision to rent . I will pay the shipping costs.
This is how they work:

1) I will make the delivery papers at Airbnb.
2) After I will make the papers for delivery they will require for your payment confirmation of the first month and the guarantee deposit(€ 420.00 + € 900.00= € 1320.00) to the company. Airbnb will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody .
Also Airbnb will give you further instructions about the money deposit 
3) After the payment is confirmed to Airbnb Central Bank Account the delivery process will start and when you will receive the keys, you will have 2 days inspection period before your final decision to rent .
4) If all is in order, you will instruct Airbnb to give me the money. Further rents will be sent directly to my bank account.
5) If you refuse to rent the apt , Airbnb will give you a full refund (€ 1320.00) and you will give them back the keys and the contract.
If you are interested to rent the apartment please send me your information, so i can make the deal
 
Name
Address
City
Postal Code
Country
Phone number
A copy of your ID,passport or driving license by email ( scan or photo) and a picture of you.

looks like an scam?  

[Rosemary54]

im asking you to do one thing and that is keep it moving in the other direction..this is definetly a scam on top of a scam. you dont send monies to a person whom you do not know or cannot verify information in a expedient and professional manner.. airbnn does not work this way to begin. there is no exchange of monies to be sent to some fictiious person.. you have no idea where this money is going or to whom... false instructions say send it to airbnn.. okay but who in airbnn? if this bogus person cant give you the name of the person from airbnn that she has been in contact with, she is playing you for a fool... any reputable person would put you directly in touch with the representative responsible for the transaction... there may be questions you have prior to any agreement..why would you put money on apartment that you have yet to see?  you don't even know if this apartment even exists.. why would you send money to a person who you have no name or account number for..  when someone starts out with " im in spain " you know then and there something aint' right..how are you going to do business with a phantom that lives in spain while you are here in the united states..

do yourself a favor... when it seems to good to be true it usually is... i went thru the same thing ,well almost, until i did further investigation, and found out this was some bogus bull...

be smart..take your money and give it to a reputable d ealer.. not unless you want to give it to me..i got a piece of the bklyn bridge i want to sell you.. 

not a good investment or idea

rosemary

[David126]

Total scam

[Rosemary54]

at least you are wise enough to follow your gut instinct. if it walks like a duck,, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, the probability is that is a duck..  you are correct in  the assumption that is a scam.. it is..all around the mountain... it appears that these scam arists seem to have chosen spain as ground zero for these fradulent activities.. don't waste your time or money dealing with this person,,

find yourself a reputable agency with verifiable information not unless you like sending your money to unknown persons with unknown accounts.. i was almost victim of this okey doke, but saw at the last minute, after things just didnt jive nor was verifiable that i was being hoodwinked..

nope not a victim here...

rosemary