Airbnb scams can be highly dangerous for hosts despite the enjoyable and profitable nature of hosting. It’s vital not to overlook these risks while focusing on the positive aspects. With Airbnb’s increasing fame, scammers are becoming more astute, making it even more crucial for hosts to be extra cautious and identify potential threats that could impact their property.
The most important thing you can do to avoid falling for an Airbnb scam is to read this post. It will teach you about common scams and how they work. No matter how much experience you have as a host, these possible dangers are essential to keeping your property safe and ensuring your guests have a great time.
Airbnb Scams Hosts May Face
Most of us are familiar with the benefits of Airbnb hosting, but there isn’t much information about Airbnb scams. According to a report by iGMS,
Airbnb scams are on the rise, with both hosts and guests falling victim to various fraudulent schemes.
A big challenge for an Airbnb host is the risk of being scammed by guests. It’s important to know how Airbnb hosts can be tricked by their guests. Clearly, the Airbnb market has grown a lot in recent years, and there are plenty of ways to earn money on Airbnb. Many people are running successful businesses thanks to this platform. However, the truth is that the more a market grows, the more likely it becomes to get scammed.
Airbnb scams can happen from both the guests’ and the hosts’ sides. In this article, we focus on the guest-side Airbnb scams to warn hosts of the possible risks because ignorance can burn your hosting career to ashes! So, if you want to start your Airbnb business, do yourself a favor and stay tuned till the end of this article.
Common Guest-Side Airbnb Scams
No one likes challenges in their career, but facing them is inevitable. Unfortunately, people are always out there making trouble and looking for ways to scam others, such as using Airbnb fake guest profiles. However, moaning about how bad people are doesn’t make Airbnb scams disappear. Instead, you should learn more to protect yourself and your Airbnb business.
In the following paragraphs, you’ll learn more about the most common Airbnb scams.
Private Contact Airbnb Scam
This one comes first because it’s the most common Airbnb scam! In this scenario, it doesn’t matter whether you’re the host or the guest. Never accept requests to communicate with others off the Airbnb platform.
You may see many messages from strangers who claim they want to contact you via WhatsApp or other private messengers because it’s more convenient. This is often part of an Airbnb WhatsApp scam, where scammers create reasonable and genuine-sounding stories, but it’s all part of a plan to deceive you.
Some hosts may be tempted to contact guests personally to avoid paying Airbnb taxes and fees. But at a glance, they find themselves in huge trouble. So please don’t waste your time on these requests and decline them; report and delete them as soon as you receive one!
Payment by Checking Airbnb Scam
Sometimes, Airbnb guests ask to pay by check. In this case, we recommend not accepting payments by check because this method is another on the Airbnb scam list! Does this mean all the guests who want to pay by check are Airbnb scammers? Not! But there is also no guarantee!
In most cases, the scammers come to you with a made-up story that their company or an organization they work for will send you a payment check. Their story may convince you to receive a check instead of cash. After that, you’ll receive a payment check and notice that its amount is much more than it should’ve been. Now you’ve fallen into the trap! They will ask you to refund the difference immediately. So, you’ll refund them in cash. I hope the check will clear in a few days, but it never will! So, here you are, scammed and robbed!
Freeloaders
Freeloaders are people who take advantage of the hospitality and generosity of others to receive free services without paying a dollar! As professional scammers, they know that in case of any complaint about damages and cleanliness, Airbnb will take the guests’ side and refund their payments. In many cases, it’s an example of Airbnb guests scamming hosts, where they cause trouble, blame the host, and request a refund. They usually do this on the last day of their stay. To avoid falling victim to these scams, you can disable the instant book option on your listing, review guest profiles, check their information, and read their previous reviews before accepting reservations.
Bad Review Threats
This Airbnb scam is very similar to the previous one. In this case, the guest books only to make a dispute on the last days and ask for a refund. If the host disagrees with refunding, the guest threatens them by writing bad reviews. Believe it or not, bad reviews impact your career as a host and can change other guests’ minds about booking your Airbnb. Keep all the information, evidence, and threat messages to prove your side of the story. Remember that preventing bad Airbnb reviews plays an essential role in the success of your Airbnb business.
Credit Card Fraud
This Airbnb scam happens when someone books and pays with a fake credit card that belongs to someone else. To avoid future problems, keep all records and documents.
Sneaking Extra People In
Sometimes, guests book for one or two people but sneak extra individuals into your Airbnb later. To be more accurate, it’s not a severe Airbnb scam. It’s just a thing people do to save more money! To prevent this scam, it’s necessary to set up security cameras in your outdoor area and be clear about the Airbnb house rules and policies.
Airbnb Scams in Canada
Airbnb scams can occur anywhere, including in Canada. Many types of fraud have also affected Canadians. It’s common for guests to cancel at the last minute or make up fake complaints to get their money back.
Guests may even do damage on purpose because complaints usually favor the guest. Canada has scammers who use methods similar to those seen around the world. However, because of the number of bookings, hosts in bigger places like Toronto and Vancouver may be more at risk. Because of this, Canadian hosts need to be extra careful and know about the newest scams.
Does Airbnb Protect Against Scams
There are a few ways that Airbnb helps hosts stay safe from scams. For example, they offer a secure payment system that ensures all transactions occur directly on the platform. This significantly reduces the chances of falling victim to Airbnb scams by guests, such as fake checks or third-party payments.
Check out Airbnb’s $1 million Host Guarantee terms and conditions very carefully. This promise covers some damage that guests might cause, but not all of it. You need to know what the service includes in order to make smart decisions about your hosting.
Airbnb provides some protections but recommends that hosts adhere to best practices. These include not talking to guests outside of Airbnb, making sure all payments go through Airbnb, and carefully checking for a suspicious guest Airbnb before accepting them. This reduces the chances of getting scammed.
Final Words
This article discusses what Airbnb hosts need to watch out for to prevent Airbnb scams from ruining their business. Of course, it’s essential to be more cautious in your business. However, Don’t let previous examples frighten you and turn you into a suspicious and bad-tempered host. Instead, keep your eyes open and check all the information before approving your Airbnb guests to reduce the risk of Airbnb scams.
Have you ever felt that a guest is trying to scam you or been a victim of Airbnb guest scams? What actions do you take to prevent any trouble with your guests? We’d appreciate you sharing your experiences and ideas with other readers and us in the comment section.
I’ve had guests sneak extra people in so many times that I ended up installing a security camera in my outdoor area. It’s honestly such a pain to deal with these things! ??♀️