Airbnb, the global website of holiday has grown increasingly popular in the past year, more and more guests and holiday lovers registering on the site. What began in 08, the small startup has more than 1.5 million listings in over 34,000 cities in 10 countries. But with great popularity and growth usually comes with growth problems. It was reported that Airbnb scams designed to rise as more and more scammers are targeting the site and its growing customer base.
fraudLast year nine months alone, more than 687 UK users have reported on the site, which is more than double that of the whole of 2014. Even more impressive is that this figure is five times higher than two years ago only. The scope and range of scams have become increasingly sophisticated, ranging from simple fake lists to more complex methods such as "phishing", which use fake emails to get the customer's personal information. But just as alarming, is that the most common scam is the list of real properties without permission from the current owner. The money is then transferred to the bank account of the scammer directly.
The number of complaints also rose against Airbnb for their apparent lack of understanding and sympathy for the victims. This came after several reports of being the customer asked to pay in full from the start, and even with the assurance of Airbnb, transactions have proven false. Unfortunately, this is a glaring security problem not easily fixed. There have been calls for more stringent measures on security of Airbnb, as a selection process to determine the true owner of the leased assets, but of course, these types of controls will undoubtedly slow the hosting process and potentially complicate the situation.
If you are concerned about false Airbnb ads, then check their previous feedback is always advisable. A newly listed property will obviously not have a previous feedback, but measures must be taken that no total amount must be transferred until the property is considered. In addition, no transaction should take place outside of Airbnb, so if a host application to deal with off-site, care should certainly be taken. Ultimately, Airbnb should improve its position regarding the host and the guest, rather than just facilitate the meeting. Airbnb announced that they will continue to fight against fraudulent activities on their website and always encourages users to post and not pay through the secure website.
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