Scammers tap into AirBnB’s Website to Steal From Clients:
We hate to be the bearers of bad news but, yet again, scammers are finding new ways to invade people’s lives and steal their hard-earned cash.
AirBnB is an online portal that people use to find cheap, short-term accommodation throughout the world’s favourite holiday locations. Whether you want to stay in Sydney for a few nights or jet off to Hawaii for three weeks, you’re likely to find the perfect place to stay, at much lower rates than a hotel of the same standard.
AirBnB has grown to become an incredibly popular tool for that very reason.
Taking into account that people don’t question a lot of information that they find online, especially when it’s coming from a “reputable” source, it’s no wonder than scammers have turned their attention to the AirBnB website.
Over the weekend, an Australian family had planned a relatively expensive trip to New York in celebration of Aunt Heather Smith’s 70th Birthday.
The holiday was organised by her niece, Alana Scott, aged 32, who envisioned an 11-day vacation, staying in a luxury, New York Tribeca loft, only to discover that after she paid $7,000 AUD for the trip, that the apartment was not for rent and the person she’d dealt with had disappeared.
A report states that AirBnB admitted to the fact that they never employ proper background checks on the people or properties that they advertise and, as such, are never 100% certain that their customers are going to get what they pay for.
While we understand how easy it is for most people to navigate the web without being taken for a ride, it’s dually important to note that there is always a chance that the same website you visit everyday can be duplicated and presented to you as if it were normal when, in fact, it’s just a clever copy that’s aimed at stealing your money or personal information.
As AirBnB should have done, and now should really consider implementing for the future, running a detailed, professional background check could have saved the Scott family $7,000.
Precise Investigation can perform an expansive range of Investigative services, the most straightforward of which are our highly dependable background checks.
If you’d like to have a look at what our background checks involve, please click here.
If you’d like to explore a broader range of our Investigative services, please click here.
Background checks can be performed on employees, partners, spouses, companies, cars, boats, hotels and a lot more. If you’re ever unsure about who someone really is or if that company you’re about to buy from is really legitimate, then get in touch.
Call Precise Investigation today on 1300 856 011 for a professional, Private Investigation Service
We have highly qualified and experienced investigators based across Australia, professionally serving Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane and many more locations throughout the country.
Thank you – Image credit: Leeroy (Life of Pix)
