But the $828-a-night beach property didn’t have air-conditioning or internet and was even infested with cockroaches. In one example, a man in Sarasota rented his property 19 times, bringing in $53,000. In other words, if you show up to an Airbnb only to find missing amenities or that the property is in much worse condition than described. The second most common Airbnb scam cited in the study involved inaccurate descriptions of properties and amenities. Deceptive or inaccurate property descriptions Spot the scam: Related: 45 Fraud Prevention Tips: How To Avoid Scammers in 2023 → 2. To avoid this scam, remove the price filter from your search to see if a property is listed at different prices. If they reach out to tell you there’s a problem with the property or ask you to stay in a “similar” location they also own, don’t cancel for them. But if you cancel, you could be left paying cancellation fees or even the majority of your full reservation. Instead, make sure your host is the one who cancels.Īirbnb offers full refunds for host cancellations. Source: Here’s what to do:ĭon’t cancel your reservation. Here’s a closer look at the top 10 scams on Airbnb, how they work, and how to avoid them.Ī tweet showing two identical Airbnb properties listed at different prices. Deceptive or inaccurate property descriptionsĪirbnb scams include false advertising and manipulating the platform to charge extra fees (such as for “incidentals” or “management fees”), obtain a guest’s payment information, and discriminate against guests.The 10 Most Common Airbnb Scams in the U.S.

So how can you stay safe during your next getaway?īefore you book your next trip, be on the lookout for these 10 common Airbnb scams. With over four million hosts on Airbnb’s platform, there are bound to be at least a few unscrupulous hosts looking to scam unsuspecting travelers. While Airbnb support eventually helped us recover our stolen funds, we were still forced to find an alternative place to stay at the last minute. Last year, my wife and I were scammed out of more than €300 and left temporarily homeless due to a deceitful Airbnb host in Barcelona. Reading these results, I wasn’t surprised. The result? Nearly a quarter of all complaints involved Airbnb scams - from multiple listings, to account hacks, and fake reviews. That was the question data scientist Asher Fergusson wanted to answer when he analyzed more than 127,000 complaints from Airbnb customers on Twitter.

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