Extended stay scam

[Vincent1070]

Be aware of long term inquiries typically will be for the max booking timeframe. In my case 6 months. I constantly get message inquiries for 6 months always with just a short hello message or can I stay longer inquiry. It’s easy to get excited when you see a 20-30K booking but this is almost always a scam. Almost always a Chinese name with no verification. They will attempt to get owner information. I get these frequently and always flag. I wish AirBnb had a better system for preventing these messages. I’m sure people fall for it or they wouldn’t keep trying. 

[Sybe]

@Vincent1070 Thank you so much for sharing this!

[Antya2]

Yes, I've had a few lately and did not fall for any of them.

Everyone should be aware of these con artists and AirBnB should be proactive in terms of preventing these 'enquiries'. 

[Ricardo85]

@Vincent1070 

Could you describe what is the scam? Get owner information?

Ricardo

[Lucy845]

I am a new host to Airbnb, offering an upscale townhouse for long-term rental. Almost immediately I received an inquiry from a Chinese gentleman who wanted to book my place for a long-term period.  However, he did not want to use the platform, only WhatsApp to communicate.  Also, he wanted to pay in cash, professing that he made his money in cryptocurrency. It took me a few days to realize that he is a scammer.  Not sure what he is scamming, however.   Can someone explain what's going on.  BTW, I did contact Airbnb, who removed him from the platform. Scary.

[Carol5745]

I have been getting them, too.  The latest variation was a request for a video call tour of my house.  That is also a type of communication outside of Airbnb.  I am mystified as to why they keep trying it, but they must be getting some kind of reward for their persistence.