Most Common Airbnb Scams and How to Avoid Them

Are you trying to book your next vacation rental? Airbnb is a great choice, but that also means it’s home to an element you want to avoid – scammers. You need to be able to tell the difference between a scam listing and a legitimate rental. We help here by looking at the most common Airbnb scams and how to avoid them.

Airbnb Scam 1 – The Multiple Price Scam

Anybody renting out their property wants to get the highest price possible. Unfortunately, that leads to some Airbnb scammers listing their property multiple times at different prices. Once they have the bookings, the scammers choose the one that pays the most and leave the rest in the dust.

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How to Avoid:

Max out the Airbnb price filter using these steps:

Step 1: Click the “Filters” button toward the top-right of the page.

Step 2: Slide the “Price Range” slider all of the way to the right to max out the prices.

Once you’ve completed these steps, scan the listings to see if you can find your desired property repeated at a higher price. If you find the same property twice or more, avoid renting – you’ve just spotted one of the most common Airbnb scams.

Airbnb Scam 2 – Fake Images

Some Airbnb scammers use faked, doctored, or stolen images to advertise their properties. The idea is simple – they lure you in with fake images, get your money, and then send you to a property that looks nothing like the one you thought you’d booked.

How to Avoid:

Reviews are your best bet for spotting this scam. Follow these steps to check a property’s reviews for suggestions that the images you see aren’t all that they appear to be:

Step 1: After clicking on your desired property, click the “Reviews” link you should see below the headline images.

Step 2: Press “Ctrl + F” for Windows devices or “Command + F” for Apple devices and run a search for words like “accurate” and “pictures.” Anybody reviews from people who’ve been scammed by the listing before will use words like these to warn others that the pictures are faked.

Airbnb Scam 3 – Payments Outside the Platform

Airbnb provides all of the payment facilities you need to book on its platform. If a listing states that the property owner only accepts payment off-platform, you’ve at best found somebody who wants to avoid paying Airbnb’s fees. At worst, you’ve found a scammer who’ll take your money and run. Sometimes, the host is running a double-payment scam where they take your payment both through Airbnb and outside the platform.

How to Avoid:

There’s no trick here – avoid any listings that request payment away from Airbnb. If the scammer attempts to con you into paying off-platform after you’ve booked via Airbnb’s messaging service, report the scammer using these steps:

Step 1: Click your profile icon at the top-right of the screen and select “Messages.”

Step 2: Open the message you’ve received from the scammer and click the “…” icon.

Step 3: Choose “Report This Message.”

Step 4: Provide Airbnb with the reason why you’re reporting the message – the sender has requested payment off-platform – and hit “OK,” followed by “Submit.”

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