After more than three years of arranging accommodations through Airbnb and dedicating an enormous amount of time to exploring the platform, we came perilously close to losing over $3,000 USD to a fraudulent scheme. The deception was so brilliantly crafted that I believe it's crucial to share it with everyone so others can sidestep the same trap.
This is the story of how the Goats nearly lost $3,300…
We'd been hunting for an appealing flat in Lisbon, Portugal for roughly three weeks. Virtually every property within our budget had been examined on Airbnb with no success, which pushed us toward Craigslist.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover a handful of stunning listings that fit our financial plan. I reached out to several owners and received prompt responses.
One host in particular (offering an attractive one-bedroom unit in the heart of the city with a spacious terrace) replied quickly and appeared entirely trustworthy. He introduced himself as (allegedly) Reynolds Daniel and mentioned that he preferred handling the reservation through Airbnb.
He explained that Airbnb provides purchaser safeguards, meaning I could submit the complete payment, inspect the property before finalizing the move-in, and if anything seemed off or didn't match the photos, he'd issue a complete refund via Airbnb's system.
This arrangement seemed ideal. We understood Airbnb's policies and knew they compensate dissatisfied guests, so having that protection on our upfront payment felt reassuring.
Several days later, Reynolds Daniel forwarded me the booking link for his flat on Airbnb.
This is where the deception kicks in.
Upon clicking the link, the page initially appeared legitimate. The layout mirrored Airbnb exactly, even to my trained eye after endless hours navigating the site.
I entered my travel dates and the cost appeared exactly as Mr. Daniel had quoted in his messages. €650 monthly for three months plus a €650 security deposit, plus an Airbnb service charge, bringing the grand total to €2,700 ($3,300 USD).
At this stage I called Dariece over.
"That Reynolds Daniel fellow finally replied about the flat and shared the Airbnb link. Let's reserve it!"
Dariece was thrilled and readily agreed we should lock it in immediately. She settled beside me and started browsing the listing, eager to examine the feedback. There were indeed ten glowing five-star reviews, and the entire page seemed convincing. The review language was slightly peculiar, but nothing alarming.
Then we caught something odd about the web address. It displayed "www.airbnb.com-request-booking.space/booking/…". We were puzzled momentarily, but since the address began with "www.airbnb.com", I assumed it couldn't possibly be a fraudulent page.
I'd always believed that a URL beginning with the recognized brand and a .com extension guaranteed authenticity. We scrolled further and inspected the page more carefully. That's when we noticed the listing disclosed the precise street address in Lisbon.
Airbnb typically withholds the full address until after a booking is confirmed, protecting host privacy and preventing guests from arranging rentals off-platform. This immediately triggered our suspicion.
Help your friends dodge this scheme! Spread this article on your networks and pay it forward.
Eventually we spotted a functional, live chat widget in the lower right corner of the display (yes, it was interactive). While a live chat tool would be welcome, we knew for certain Airbnb doesn't offer one.
At that moment we typed a Google query resembling this:
"airbnb.com-request-booking.space/booking/ counterfeit Airbnb page fraud"
Our search promptly returned several revealing results, including pieces from The Guardian and Huffington Post. We reviewed the Huff article and within minutes understood we'd nearly been victimized by a widespread yet little-known fraud. The site we were viewing was a counterfeit Airbnb page.
The piece carried the headline: "Beware This Evil-Genius Airbnb Scam" (arguably a stronger title than the one I picked) and chronicled the writer's experience after he actually fell for the counterfeit page and lost $3,800 USD.
He highlighted the warning signs he should have caught on the site, such as the reviews, the odd URL (his was different from mine), and the live chat widget. The sole distinction between his account and ours was that he actually lost his funds.
View From a Good Airbnb Booking We Had in Valparaiso, Chile
In fairness to that writer, his encounter with the scheme came from a different angle, making it considerably more difficult to detect. He was communicating with the host through the chat function on the legitimate Airbnb platform.
He located a property he liked, reached out to the host using Airbnb's messaging tool, and exchanged several messages on the platform. Eventually the host asked him to switch to email, and their conversation continued there. Once everything was settled, the host emailed him a link to his bogus Airbnb listing to process the payment.
An Email From Our Con Man
Had I already been chatting with the host within the Airbnb platform, I might not have been as careful about examining the website and could easily have been duped, just like this unfortunate individual who was swindled out of $36,000.
Consider it: if you're messaging on the authentic Airbnb site, then corresponding over a few emails, and the host then sends you a link back to Airbnb, you'd likely proceed with the booking without hesitation.
Fortunately, Dariece has a sharp eye for fraudulent schemes and we managed to outmaneuver this aspiring cyber criminal.
Had we completed the booking, we would have purchased tickets to Lisbon, traveled there, grabbed a cab from the airport to the address listed in the reservation, only to discover that no such property exists at that location, leaving us $3,300 poorer!
Take This Caution Seriously
When reserving through Airbnb, be extremely cautious about taking conversations off the platform and avoid booking properties through any Airbnb lookalike sites that don't precisely match the official layout. Watch carefully for subtle discrepancies on the page and, crucially, examine the URL to confirm it's a standard Airbnb address.
We have no problem reaching out to hosts for special rates or promotions, but whenever they forward you links, verify they're on the genuine site. If anything seems off, reach out to Airbnb support and share the link for verification.
We're incredibly grateful we avoided this trap, but we use Airbnb regularly. We're convinced that without our extensive experience on the legitimate site, we could have easily completed the reservation through the fake page and lost $3,300.
This write-up is for anyone who might encounter a similar predicament. Whether you stumbled upon your property on Craigslist or another free rental classifieds site, or if you received a link from a host on the actual Airbnb platform, stay alert to this scheme.
Have you encountered this fraud or others that could benefit fellow travelers? Drop your experience in the comments below and help others steer clear of similar traps!
The post The Airbnb Scam Travellers NEED To Know About appeared first on Goats On The Road.
