WARNING OTHER HOSTS of this scam, which tries to get you to click on a link within messages in the Airbnb app.
I recently pre approved a booking request and had a brief message conversation with the ‘guest’.
I have been a host for 6 years and thought any interaction with prospective guests is safe on Airbnb’s app…not so.
This is the message I received……
“I recently paid for a reservation with you, but my account does not yet show a confirmation of the reservation. I would like to ensure that everything is in order and that I will receive an official confirmation from Airbnb soon.
I would appreciate if you could check the status of my reservation on your side and confirm that everything is ready for my arrival.
After paying for the reservation, I received an email and notification from Airbnb that from now on, all reservations needed to be confirmed directly with the hotel to complete the check-in process. This was my first time experiencing this situation, so I immediately contacted technical support who confirmed to me that everything was correct. Even though I have paid and accepted your request, I cannot provide you with a receipt and my passport because the attachment function is not available without confirmation.
They also gave me a pre-booking number: HM54XZXP25
So I'm asking you to visit **and confirm my reservation. This is the last step, according to the operator, to finalize my arrival.”
I decided to phone the help centre, (as we all know clicking on links is fraught with danger,) and of course the whole thing is a scam!
Hope this may help others.
**[Link removed by Community Manager in line with the Community Center Guidelines.)