[Ipg-smz] NOTSP She Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb - VICE

[Gabe Goldberg]

Author writes:

Feeling I had all the evidence I needed to prove my point to Airbnb, I 
emailed the company’s press team a long note, asking them, among other 
things, how they make sure that people are accurately representing 
themselves on their profiles and how case managers are directed to deal 
with allegations of fraud.

A little more than 24 hours later, a company flak responded in an 
emailed statement.

“Engaging in deceptive behavior such as substituting one listing for 
another is a violation of our Community Standards,” the flak wrote. “We 
are suspending the listings while we investigate further.”

That was it. No one at the company ever agreed to speak on the record 
about the specifics of what I uncovered. Nor would anyone answer any of 
my questions about Airbnb's verification process. As far as what 
obligation it has to people who have fallen victim to a scam on Airbnb's 
platform, the company only said in an email that it is "here 24/7 to 
support with rebooking assistance, full refunds and reimbursements" in 
cases of fraud or misrepresentation by hosts. Maybe Airbnb couldn't get 
more detailed about its verification process because it doesn't have 
much of one at all.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb