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No one deserves to be stooped by Airbnb scams. There are ways to protect yourself from being scammed from Airbnb fraud and host scams.
Whether you’re away on business or looking to relax and have fun, finding a great place to stay will improve your trip. Or, perhaps you already have travel plans booked and are considering renting out your home on Airbnb, to help you cover the cost.
First, a little about Airnb:
Airbnb is considered a new & improved way to travel. An online marketplace which specializes in vacation stays and hospitality service, Airbnb also offers individual led tours. Since its launch in 2008 (as airbedandbreakfast.com) Airbnb has gone mainstream. It lets travelers rent cottages, apartments, family homes, hostels, hotels (or even castles, tipis, igloos and more!) and has changed travel for good!
While its popularity has primarily been fueled through its hotel alternatives and rates, it has attracted concern over the scams found on the site and app. While it might be tempting to use Airbnb, and modern travelers – from baby boomers to millennials and everyone in between – do just that, it is essential to know what to look for to avoid being scammed!
Fake Airbnb Site
Technically this isn’t Airbnb’s fault, but either through phished links in emails or online searches, people often end up on the wrong Airnb site – meaning the website they click on isn’t Airnb at all! They might end up on a website that exists only to phish account info or personal details like name and credit card number.
Other times they do end up on real travel stay sites, but they may not have the same professionalism, insurance, or host guarantees. Even if an email looks professional, the links may take you to a clone site with malevolent intentions!
How To Avoid This Scam
Download the official Airbnb app. If you do use Airbnb online, regularly check the URL you are using, making sure it begins with www.airnb.com. If anyone emails you, verify it is one of these correct Airbnb email addresses.
Fake Pictures
When a scammer steals or co-opts photographs from the web, it is rare that they took the photos themselves. Especially in the case of Airbnb scams, it is entirely likely that the scammer found the photographs on a regular search engine and are presenting them as their own ‘fake’ vacation rental.
How to Avoid This Scam
Download, screenshot or drag and drop the image of the rental you want onto your desktop. From there, conduct an algorithm based reverse image search on Berify. Look for similar photos appearing and if they belong to other individuals locations, or were taken by the scammer from other photo sites.
No Rental
This type of scam seeks to help you feel relaxed. The person renting out their property does indeed message you through Airbnb and you feel secure. At some point during the interaction, they will offer you a deal or ask you to complete the transaction through an outside money wire. Boom, your money is immediately stolen most likely by an overseas scammer!
How to Avoid This Scam
There are very few legitimate reasons why you will ever need to wire money during your lifetime, and none of them are found on sites like Airbnb. If anyone asks you to wire money for a rental, on or off the site, report them to Airbnb and if you have already lost funds, contact the authorities. Report internet fraud to the FBI.
Always conduct all Airbnb transactions through the site or app itself and report any users who attempt to get you to do otherwise. Having a pleasant stay through Airbnb is possible. As always be safe and do your due diligence with reverse searches like Berify:
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