In this case, we advise you not to sign contracts or transfer deposits too quickly, as criminals are currently renting Airbnb apartments and then posting them for rent on the Internet. They view an unavailable apartment, sign an invalid contract and transfer the deposit to criminals! We'll show you how to spot the scam.
This is how the AirBnB scam works
Criminals rent an apartment through Airbnb for a specific period of time.
So far we have only known about scams that ask you to pay a deposit without an inspection. Here you can read more about it .
Everything seems very professional
The criminals pose as brokers from real brokerage offices. They abuse the logos and design of the brokerage office. If you want to rent the apartment, you will receive a complete and genuine looking rental agreement. You submit all the necessary data and send the signed contract to the fake brokers. Once you have transferred the deposit, you will not hear from the brokerage firm again. Due to the personal contact and the involvement of a “brokerage office”, the fraud is very difficult to see through.
Recognize fraudulent offers when looking for an apartment
If a real estate agency is specified, you should contact them and find out whether the apartment you want is actually rented. Find the contact details yourself on the Internet. The data on the rental agreement or in emails could come from criminals.
Trust your gut feeling. Don't act hastily and don't allow yourself to be put under pressure. Better check carefully!
Here you can find more tips on how to recognize fraudulent apartment advertisements .
Have you paid? You can do that
- Contact your bank immediately. With a bit of luck, the money can be recovered.
- File a police report. This is important because criminals may misuse your data and commit crimes on your behalf.
Is your apartment being used for this scam? You can do that
- Contact Airbnb and report this scam to get the fraudulent users blocked.
- File a police report.
Source:
Watchlist Internet
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