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Whenever there's money on the internet, there are people who want to steal it. And sadly, Shireen Heidari, MD, has just experienced it firsthand.

One day, the doctor at the Stanford Department of Medicine in California saw her home listed as a rental on Airbnb by some random person. Without her knowledge.

Image credits: ShireenNHeidari

When Heidari contacted the scammer, they even had the nerve to ask if she wanted to rent out the place she owns and lives in. But reporting the issue didn't help at first either — Airbnb proved that its customer service isn't up to par.

Looking for moral support, Heidari described the whole ordeal on Twitter, and apparently, stuff like this happens all the time as many people replied with similar stories of their own.

When VICE asked its readers to describe their own experiences using Airbnb, it got nearly 1,000 emails with plenty of tales of deception.

Turns out, scammers all over the world have figured out how beat the game on the platform: by engaging in bait and switches; charging guests for fake damages; persuading people to pay outside the Airbnb app; and, when all else fails, engaging in clumsy or threatening demands for five-star reviews to hide the evidence of what they've done. (Or, in some cases, a combination of several of these schemes.)

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Katherine Boag
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah nah. If you're only renting to friends and family you can do what you like, but if you're advertising to the public and renting to the public you have to abide by the relevant laws including anti-discrimination ones.

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Kathy Wilbourne
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I stay at Airbnb's often, and one thing I always do is message the owner in advance. If no response or one that feels off, I look elsewhere.

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The emails VICE received suggest that the people who run Airbnb are fundamentally unable to track what goes on within it, and point to easily exploitable loopholes that scammers have steamed their way through by the truckload.

"We have to take more responsibility for stuff on our platform," Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s CEO and co-founder, said at a conference.

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"I think many of us in this industry ... are going from a hands-off model, where the internet's an immune system, to realizing that's not really enough, that we have to take more responsibility for the stuff on our platform," he said. "I think this has been a gradual, maybe too gradual, transition for our industry."

In part, Chesky suggested Airbnb would start asking more specific questions of guests upon checkout—relying on users, in other words, to help clean up the platform.

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Cold Contagious
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would have been a little surprised but relieved, because that would've been a crunchy situation to walk into.

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karen snyder
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some one is using pictures of your property to scam Rental Application and Background Check fees. In San Francisco, they usually ask for, between $30 and $100 and desperate people looking for rentals keep the scammers in business. ALWAYS ask to see the property before paying an application fee.

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One exceedingly common theme across hundreds of emails that VICE has received was the classic bait and switch: Airbnb users were promised one apartment and arrived to find something entirely different.

Sometimes, the problem was deceptive photos that bore no resemblance to the actual place. Other times, they were persuaded by the host to switch apartments or houses entirely, only to find that the new location was filthy, unfurnished, or in a totally different area. (Surprisingly, a number of stories also talked about the new house possessing a weird number of beds, laid out in bizarre configurations.)

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Celesta
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Probably the only time you would WANT to get stung by a bee, so you could sue for negligence.

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deathrose
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They bought the house before their apartment lease was up. To not have to come out of pocket for both rent and mortgage they rented out their new house. The people renting the house were there for over a month which gave them squatter's rights and stopped paying. Without the income from renting the house they couldn't afford paying rent and mortgage and ended in foreclosure.

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The so-called plumbing scam is a very popular bait and switch. Dozens of people told VICE that they'd booked an apartment or a house (in cities both in the U.S. and abroad) and days or hours before the reservation was set to start, the host would abruptly tell them that the unit had developed a sudden and fatal plumbing issue.

"I rented a place near Glass Beach and a few weeks prior to my trip when I reached out to confirm the booking, the lister told me she had a 'septic problem' in the unit and she could see if she could put me up in a larger place nearby," one platform user told VICE in an email. "That never materialized but she refused to cancel my booking, saying the first time that her computer wasn't working and the next time, weeks later, that her father had just passed away. I had to complain to Airbnb that she refused to cancel the booking so they canceled it but I was unable to write a negative review."

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LJ Robinson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went thru every background check imaginable to get into my apt., paying all fees, security, etc etc to move into that building. They turned some of the apts into ABB rentals after a few years. Within 2 years our clean, civil, quiet, secure building was a mess. The exercise facilities, the meeting/computer area had to be closed due to repeated theft. The trash rooms were filled with vomit, broken glass, used condoms and smelled rank when walking past them. It felt strange that I had to undergo such an extreme background check, when ABB was renting to anyone with a credit card.

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CATMONSTER2018
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hikacked the pictures and we're trying to rent it? Maybe its just MY bad grammer, but what the heck does that mean.

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

AirBnB is notorious for starting lawsuits against municipalities if they start collecting tourist tax or something similar. They really think, like most American businesses, that they can use the same legal tactics in other countries to bend laws in ways that suits them best.

But a company spokesperson said, "We hold hosts accountable for honoring their reservations, and we strongly support guests with rebookings or reimbursements when things don't go according to plan. For a host to avoid cancellation penalties, we require the submission of supporting documentation. For instance, a host citing a plumbing issue would need to submit to Airbnb an invoice or receipt of services from a legitimate business."

He added that, usually, "If we see a host engaging in problematic behavior, including frequent last-minute cancellations, that host would be subject to suspension or removal from the platform."

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why would AirBnB check if you are scammed? They still get their commission from the scammer and hide behind a wall of silence. It's not in their interest if they proactively check if people are scammers. It costs time, someone has to be paid to do it and in the end they miss out on their percentage of the profits that the scammers make.

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Djennie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s just a generic clone scam, I get several emails a day alleging to be from genuine providers I use and ones I’ve never used. They work because a large number of people have accounts and saying they’ll be restricted or some other issue in an email with the right logos gets many to unthinkingly click and then “confirm” all their ID and credit card details.

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Grady'sRaider
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

From experience, these scoundrels represent themselves as professionals, rich, or important people who are caught up in events where they can't meet you and want the money up front. They will up the timetable if they come to know you are desperate.

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Referring to bait-and-switches of all kinds, Airbnb told VICE that, "Bait and switch schemes, such as those described where guests are offered worse accommodations, are unacceptable and antithetical to Airbnb's values and the community standards. If a guest is ever asked to do something like this, they should contact us either by phone or through our app so that we can support them. Our Guest Guarantee policy entitles guests to a full refund or rebooking into a new listing of equal or better value. We would then address the issues with the host, which could include suspension or removal from our platform. If such a scheme were to rise to the level of criminal fraud, we would also seek to work with law enforcement to hold that person accountable."

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Ally MacMann
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is unfortunately a very common scam that isn't limited to Airbnb or the US and nearly happened to me. Never ever pay a cent before (in the very least) seeing the property and if possible having the keys in your hands.

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Leslie
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why did it take me so long to figure out that GAS meant “give a s**t?”

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Defeat the enemy with their own weapons and report them for illegally renting out their loft and every code violation you can think of. The couple will lose the battle if all neighbors collaborate to have them evicted.

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Earlier this month, the company said it will help shelter some of the 2 million Ukrainians who have fled their country after Russia invaded it.

According to a company spokesperson, Airbnb is prepared to offer housing of up to 14 days for up to 100,000 refugees.

Airbnb works with nonprofits on the ground to book and coordinate stays for refugees, who also receive a range of other support in their new lives, the spokesperson explained.

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Seadog
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ABNB needs to be fined a large amount for false listings beginning with the day it's listed. You can bet they'll begin verifying all listings real quick when they have to start paying out millions in fines and penalties on a daily basis. Personally, I think they should be put out of business and legislation passed governing any future attempts at creating a replacement.

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Everydayhuman83
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I Have A Nice Job Covering Downvoted Comments :) _________________Airbnb Should Have Employees Go To Every House And Do A Tour To Make Sure The Place Is Legit.

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Plus, People are booking Airbnb stays and experiences in Ukraine that they don’t intend on using just to help the locals and the platform is also temporarily waiving guest and host fees on bookings in the country.

But given the amount of scamming on the platform, who says nobody is using the situation for their own gain? “Were I a Russian scammer, I would be setting up fake Airbnbs in [Kyiv] and Odessa as fast as I could to cash in on those noble intentions,” one person tweeted.

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Kuchi Kopi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really wish people were better writers... I don't understand which party you were in this. There are many missing pieces of info too. I know Twitter caps the # of characters but surely there is a better way to write this. In half of these posts, people don't write clearly enough and it leaves the reader with questions! For example, I hate when people say "I was renting my apartment" when they really mean they were renting OUT their apartment to someone else. So much confusion!

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Kay blue
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happened quite a lot even before Airbnb started. There were numerous reports of British holidaymakers booking a villa on the continent - usually Spain or Greece and when they turned up the property didn't even exist. They either had to change their flights to get home or pay for hotels. The Internet makes it so easy to scam people.

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Shelby Jackson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Um. Why do they have their door unlocked in the middle of the night? And if this happened more than once, why would you continuously keep your door unlocked in the middle of the night?

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, they are the platform that enables hosts to advertise their property. If the hosts fail to run a proper business without constantly disturbing neighbors, it's up to the platform to warn them about possible repercussions like a ban or very low rating. You can't create a business model and next claim that you're neither accountable nor responsible for the trouble it causes.

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Kuchi Kopi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What policy!!? And Whose policy? ( I know it's ABnB's but its not written clearly). And why would the policy being fluid cause people to go to the wrong address and walk into someone's home??? This is the 30th post in this article and like the 27th one that wasn't written well enough to understand fully!! Ahhhhhhhhhh so annoyingggg. Why do people suck at writing so much? lol

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Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.