Airbnb fails to warn hosts about fake guests

AIRBNB failed to warn hosts that fraudsters posing as legitimate guests were in their homes, despite being alerted to the issue days earlier.

The problem came to light after Sharon O’Dea had her Airbnb profile hacked and used to make bookings in London earlier this year.

Ms O’Dea, a London-based consultant, said she found out about the breach when she received a password reset email prompt from Airbnb.

When she logged in, she discovered three bookings, costing between £300 and £400 each for three nights, had been charged to her credit card.

Hackers had impersonated her to confirm check-ins with hosts, sending them messages that said they would be staying at the flats “with friends”.

When Ms O’Dea reported the breach, Airbnb said it had cancelled the bookings and informed the hosts.

But days later, Ms O’Dea says, she was “shocked” to be contacted by hosts to ask how she was finding her stay.

They had no idea that strangers were staying in their homes, Ms O’Dea said, adding: “Airbnb didn’t [say] a stranger had access to her home, posing as me. I said, ‘I don’t want to alarm you but there is someone in your house that isn’t me and I would call the police.’”

The room-letting website even tried to hand Ms O’Dea a bill for more than £100 of damage at one property.

Although she recovered her money, Ms O’Dea said she believes the company’s reporting system is “broken”.

“It’s incredible Airbnb would not tell someone when there is clearly something illegal happening,” she said.

“If someone hacks your account, they can just randomly turn up at a flat. It doesn’t paint them [Airbnb] in a very good light on personal safety.”

Airbnb said more than two million guests used the site a day and negative situations were “extremely rare”.

“Our handling of this isolated incident was unacceptable, and we are in contact with guest and hosts to apologise and offer our full support,” a spokesman said.

“We are working with our team to review our handling of this matter to ensure we do better in future.”