Ex-CIA chief leads Airbnb fraud crackdown
HOLIDAY rentals giant Airbnb is stepping up security measures to help end the scourge of fraudsters using its website to dupe holidaymakers into sending cash to scam accounts.
The menace of fake Airbnb bookings was exposed last year by The Mail on Sunday after numerous families were tricked into transferring payments for seemingly genuine properties to conmen disguising themselves online as the real property owners.
Now, as the US-based company reports that booking numbers are exploding – ten million British holidaymakers alone arranged accommodation via its online service in 2017 – it has pledged to stamp out the practice. As well as reinforcement measures such as ID checks and checking names against regulatory, terrorist and sanctions watchlists, the company has introduced stricter authentication requirements when customers log in from an unrecognised device. It has also developed new guides to help guests and hosts protect themselves, compiled with the help of internet safety group Get Safe Online.
Nick Shapiro, global head of trust and risk management at Airbnb is former deputy chief of staff at the CIA. He says: ‘While we already take steps to help keep bad actors off our platform we think these guides will further protect customers.’ The growing band of booking websites rely on trust between owners and bookers. But some users have paid thousands of pounds for properties that turned out to be sham listings. Among them were the Gilmour family from South London who handed over more than £5,000 to a fraudster posing as the real host of a luxury property on the Balearic island of Majorca.
Other Victims are also hoodwinked by websites set up by fraudsters using photos and details lifted from genuine web pages.
In all cases the holidaymakers are tricked by convincing patter to send cash quickly by bank transfer to secure a booking. Figures from Action Fraud reveal crooks stole £6.7 million from holidaymakers last year – but it is the tip of the iceberg as embarrassment means many frauds go unreported.
Airbnb checks the ID of members but this does not stop fraudsters from hijacking real profiles. Customers using online marketplaces such as Airbnb can protect themselves by only communicating with owners through the booking website’s private messaging system – and paying via the firm’s own secure payment set-up. But not all online marketplaces do ID checks or provide secure booking.
One way to be safe is to pay by credit card. Your bank may provide a refund if the booking proves fake. If a bank transfer is the only option then do extra homework. Use Google maps to track down properties and search engines to verify an owner’s details.
Report any holiday fraud to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040 – or contact sally. hamilton@mailonsunday.co.uk.