Being an Airbnb host, I already have to deal with quite a load of work: bookings, inquiries, questions, complaints, messages of all sorts, repairs, improvements, whatnot… That makes it especially frustrating to also have to deal with those stupid Russian scammers who recently found their way into the Airbnb platform.
It was about a month ago when I first got contacted by them. The Airbnb tone rang out of my phone to notify for a new booking inquiry. It was a long-term stay request for one of my listings, sent from the listing’s Russian-language page. It was sent by an account registered on a Russian female name, altogether lacking verification and reviews. It read as follows:
Good afternoon. I offer to earn extra using the site. All information on our telegram channel @airbnb_Vip
What bloody idiots, I thought. I reported them as spammers and ignored them altogether.
They persisted, however. Over the course of the next few weeks, I kept receiving the same senseless message from a new fake account named after a Russian girl every time. They began getting on my nerves for good. After all, last week, as I had quite a bit of leisure time, I decided to get back to them and play one of those Scamming-the-Scammers operations that I often like to play out. I set three goals for my upcoming interaction with them:
- Understand what exactly they’re up to
- Try to disclose some of their real personal information, and
- Have fun.
I only had partial success on the first objective and zero success on the second. But I definitely had a good laugh.
So I signed up for a Telegram account. I searched the userbase for @Airbnb_vip and I was returned @Airbnb_vip_rent. Here were my idiots. I wrote to them:
Hi Sofia, you contacted me on Airbnb offering to earn more using the site. Could you please tell me more information?
They soon answered:
Hello
I offer cooperation. Read conditions
That’s what I did. I clicked the link and was taken to a series of pinned messages, first displayed in Russian and then auto-translated to English. Here is the English version of what I read:
We work only with the owner of the object! nor any intermediaries!
Let’s get acquainted, we will call me Mis-Air
💸 I will help you make money using the airbnb website
We have a huge number of travel destinations, but no one will go on this business trip, and the funds have already been allocated and need to be cashed.
⁉ How we are working
🔎 Choose one of your objects on the airbnb website. ⤵
🕰 We agree on dates, amount and time. ⤵
👥 We reserve your property on aibnb.
💰 We are waiting for payment from the site.⤵
💳 After receiving the payment, you transfer our% to the specified details.
🕵🏼 After leaving, the guest leaves a review and everyone is happy.
⁉ How much will you earn
💵 You keep from 15% to 30% of the payout check amount.
💳 The rest is transferred to our details.
💡 No one will live with you
! IMPORTANT
✅ Do not make changes to the property before arrival!
✅ The object must have 1 or more reviews.
💡 I want to immediately warn especially the wise!
_Any attempt to deceive or throw us will lead to immediate blocking of your account with issuing a debt for the full amount of the reservation! _
📌 If you are satisfied with my conditions, write I agree
https://t.me/Airbnb_VIP_rent
And start earning together 😘
Do not be lazy to read all the conditions.Attention ❗️
✅ We do not take any prepayments!
💸 You send our% after receiving payment from the site.
💰 After receiving the payment you have 24 hours to send us%.
⏱ After 24 hours
Immediate cancellation of the reservation with compensation for all amounts + penalty from the site!
🔴 We have the right to refuse to cooperate with you without explaining the reasons.
📲 Support at any stage has the right to request a screen touching our reservation!
Refusal = Cancellation with compensation and a fine from the site!
🔫 All stupid questions are ignored and blocked.
🛡 Mediators and suggestions like: “This is the object of my wife, brother, matchmaker, or someone else.
IGNOR
Only the owner of the object❗❗❗Almost all that is on the channel and after that write!
Phew, I almost got a headache skimming through this. What crap! I got to back to them letting them know that I’m interested, pursuing my objectives. Our entire dialog follows at the end of the post.
My first objective (understand how their scam really works) wasn’t that straightforward to figure out. The main idea is that they would book my apartment but the guest would not come. I would then receive the payment and pass it back to them, keeping a 15% for myself. I didn’t surmise what would make that proposition attractive even to someone who actually took them seriously. Why would any host be enticed to have their listing occupied for getting 15% of a booking?? Unless, of course, they have a next-to-zero occupancy rate.
Anyway, the best guess that I made after our conversation is this: They would book your place by using an invalid payment method. Then they would claim that they have made a booking and ask you to transfer them their percentage by Western Union (the Nr1 scammer’s choice – hand in hand with Forex – when it comes to transactions). If you didn’t notice that the payment is pending and that Airbnb will cancel the booking within a certain amount of time if no legit payment is provided, you would send them the money. They would be happy and you would be… unhappy when you figured out what happened. End of story.
That’s pretty much how I imagined this scam to work. Details, however, may well vary. I was actually quite enticed to provide them with my Airbnb listing and see the whole thing in action. But, screw that, I don’t want to miss potential real bookings while this comedy plays out.
When it comes to my second objective now (get some of their personal information), I didn’t have any luck. Nor did I have time to try harder. The only thing I did was to hope that they are so stupid to believe that I am so stupid that I want to transfer them the money before they even make the booking. My idea was to give it a try to get a Paypal account from them, since, I reckon, there must be some degree of reliable verification for setting up a such. But no chance. They insisted to get the thing their own way and stick with Western Union.
Lastly, as for my third objective (have fun!), just read our complete conversation below (and especially the last bit of it):
Hi, I read the conditions but couldn’t understand much of it because you’ve used Google Translator (in case you’ve used a human translator, better use Google Translator instead, it would probably be better). Anyway, what little I understand about your offer sounds very interesting and I would love to hear more. Could you please find someone who knows English and can properly explain to me those details. Looking forward to hearing from you. 👄
I can book your apartment, the guest will not come.
Yes, I understood that far. But how will you make money out of this?
this is the money of the company that has already been allocated for the trip. we just cash them out
Sorry but I don’t quite understand again. What company? Ok, let’s try to make it a little clearer. So what I understand so far is that you book my listing (object) and after I receive the payment I give you out a percentage. Is that correct? What I don’t get is who is going to pay that money in the first place?
Payment will be from a corporate account. This money has already been spent, now I need to withdraw it from the system
Sorry guys but it doesn’t work like that. If you want to do international business outside of Russia you should hire someone who knows English. My question is: By whom is the money spent? In order to make a booking, somebody has to pay for it. I’m asking, who is going to pay?
I will pay.
Aha, I see, so you will pay a certain sum which I will cash in and then you want me to give you back a certain percentage of it. For example you make a booking for €200 and when I get the money I return to you, say, €40, is that correct?
It sounds like a very interesting business proposition. I think I’ll be pretty eager to cooperate with you girl.
Suppose, after viewing your object, we determine your% of the payout, which can be from 15 to 30%. Accordingly, let’s say it will be 30%, it will turn out from $ 200 you will get $ 60, the rest 140 it needs to be sent to us.
Aha, I see, everything is clear now. Can we make it 50-50? If not, it’s ok, I’m still satisfied with 30%. How will I send you the money?
Money will need to be sent by electronic payment system. There are several ways, let’s get to the point
Ok, straight to the point dear. So let’s start with a €200 booking as you suggested as an example and if everything works well we move on to big deals. So if I understand well I’ll just need to send you €60 and then you will proceed with with a making a €200 booking on my object, correct? Just tell me how to send you the money and I will do asap.
Hello, how do you want me to send you the money?
Hey. We live in the 21st century) Now there are a lot of ways. Let’s do it through an electronic payment system.
Yes, indeed we do. A month ago we got into 2020! Sorry, but I’m not very good computers, technology, and electronic shit. I find them very complicated to wrap my mind around. The only electronic payment system I’ve ever used is Paypal. Would that be ok? If so, send me your PayPal address and I will transfer you €60 immediately so that you can make the booking.
Hello! Will we do that booking or not?
Hey. I don’t quite understand what you want to transfer to me for 60 euros?
Sorry, I may have misunderstood. I thought that I’d have to transfer you €60 so that you afterwards make a €200 booking on my object which I will then keep. Have I got it wrong? What is that we have to do then?
Not. all wrong. We will reserve an object for you, pay for it through airbnb. You will receive a payment, from this payment you leave your% to yourself and send the rest to us through the electronic payment system.
Aha, now I think I understand. So it’s pretty much what I’ve said but with the difference I won’t pay you before I get my money, right? Yes, I think that sounds even better. So we are going to agree on some certain dates you are going to reserve my object for. You make the booking, we wait until I get the money in my bank account, and as soon as I get it I keep my % and I send the rest to you by electronic payment system. Have I got everything right now? You didn’t tell me, would Paypal do fine for an electronic payment system?
Paypal – not yet suitable. Let’s do it through the western union. Drop the link to your object, look at%
I see. Western Union is totally fine too, although it’s not an electronic payment system. Anyway, you know, I thought the whole thing over and I’m not sure whether it would be of my interest after all. You know, the thing is that my Airbnb objects have a nearly 100% occupancy rate. So, when I do the math, I figure out that I should better go with the normal bookings of which I just keep 100% of the payment instead of getting a % out of your booking.
However, I have an alternative, very lucrative business proposition for you. We are currently looking for overseas employees in my company, URGENTLY. You would get a €5,000 monthly salary and as many as €10,000 in potential bonuses. 6 months minimum contract term. Let me know if my proposal interests you and I will get back to you with more details. 💵💲💸💰
OK. understand
Thank you, I’m still busy with my work.
What a shame. But it’s ok, I understand. Feel however free to contact me at any time in the future if you decide to have a change in your professional orientation. If you want my opinion, honestly, you should do that rather soon. You really need to rethink your career. Believe me, you will never find on Airbnb – or anywhere else as a matter of fact – a bigger idiot than yourself. On the other hand, if you accept my proposal, you have excellent prospects. Trust me, there’s big money to be made💰. And it doesn’t matter at all that you are stupid. The only requirements for taking the position are that you are a good-looking Russian female aged 18 to 25 and are willing to move to India. Let me know if you change your mind. Kind regards.
Cause I’m a motherf*#%!ing
Update: In late April 2020 I received the following message from an account seemingly attempting a similar scam:
GGreetings Dimitrios Fanourios! l am Andrei. Soon I wiIl be having a business trip tto Athina, Greece. I came across your listing and wouId like to book your apartment. However, there is one senssitive issue l’d like to discuss personaIly. I have decided actualIy not to stay in your apartment upon arrival, my good old friend is going to host me instead. Here’s my (Website hidden by Airbnb) get some money that my empIoyer is going to pay for the rentals and never check in. Does it sound like a pIan to you? If you are interested, please get back to me soon.You can conttact me in VVaz zap. This is my number plus seeven niine and fivee one three and 7 eighht thrree sevven 0 6
Scammers
Update: In July 2020 I got targeted by yet another attempt (from two separate fake accounts almost simultaneously), apparently from the very same Russian scammers – bloody morons, they never stop trying… This was the message:
Good morning, i just looked your appartments and i got couple questions to you, can you write to me in watsap. + sevenn ninee s1x tthree thhree twoo zerro onne n1ne foour thrree [+79633201943]
Scammers
This time I went on with a new piss-take and attempt to get some of their personal details, which I have posted here.
Update: In September 2020, they keep trying hard. I received the following message from them. They seem to also be investing in some English courses or something. Much better than all the previous crap. Also, they give up spelling out telephone numbers, and they paste a username on whatever platform that may be, instead.
We would like to book accomodation through airbnb but we will not check in. A person is paid for accommodation, but he will live in another place. You will take 40% of the payment to yourself and send me 60% after receiving money. @andr_osipov
Scammers
