Not even vacation rentals are exempt from the shadow of scammers. Most of them illicitly exploit the Airbnb site, which instructs them on how to recognize them.
It is one of the most adopted solutions to spend the summer holidays. And, perhaps for this reason, it is not exempt from the treacherous shadow of those who try to take advantage of it. Holiday homes, the main tool of the summer period, especially for families, have failed to dodge the specter of scams, with repeated news stories that, in the last period (and even before), have characterized the summer of some Italians. A scam system that, in some circumstances, can be just as lethal as those that travel the web. Also because, reservations are mostly made online.
The proposals for holiday homes themselves arrive by e-mail. On July 20, for example, a girl came across an apartment suitable for a romantic holiday. An attractive offer, which prompted her to book the apartment (in Massa Lombarda, in the province of Ravenna) paying the amount due of 1,500 euros by bank transfer. After that, however, contact with the interlocutor broke down. The girl contacted Airbnb, on whose website they were sending back the emails, to discover that what was received did not correspond to the truth.
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Vacation Rental Scams: Airbnb explains how to avoid them
In order to avoid similar incidents, Airbnb itself, in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, has released a vademecum to guide customers in online booking, providing important details for distinguish a real offer from a possible scam. For example, you should always be wary of those who request documents, draft contracts à la carte and with a certain haste in concluding the deal in 24 hours. The booking page and invoice will also be falsely attributed to Airbnb. Of course, after the deposit, the interlocutor will disappear.
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The site provides other examples, such as the “IT technician”, or the scammer who actually creates a (fake) ad on Airbnb but, as soon as contacted, will ask to continue the negotiation via email. It will later remove the ad saying it is no longer visible due to a technical problem. Or “il compare”, which offers vacation rentals with no reviews since the ad was created recently. Then, in a friendly tone, will propose a discount but without acting on Airbnb, prompting the customer to cancel the reservation. Once the bank transfer has been collected, it will evaporate. The main advice is never to pay by bank transfer. In the event of a request for a deposit, contact the Airbnb service directly, through the website of which to make payments. The staff will keep the amount from the credit card and then credit it 24 hours after check-in, so as to verify that everything is in order. The other advice is not to converse with off-site proposers. It is also a matter of common sense.
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