Scamwatch: new Airbnb con

Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash - and how to avoid being taken in by them.

This week, the crafty con being used to target travellers who find their accommodation through booking website Airbnb.

How does it work?
A number of people have been caught out by fraudsters posing as Airbnb property owners.

The criminals behind the scam contact Airbnb hosts by sending out emails that appear to come from the website asking them to verify their account details.

If hosts respond to their messages, they then have access to the property owners' accounts and all the bookings correspondence, allowing them to send emails to the customers via Airbnb to try to extract a second payment by bank transfer.

These emails generally state that the customer's card payment has been declined, meaning they need to arrange a bank transfer to secure their booking.

How can I avoid being caught out?
When booking accommodation via a site such as Airbnb, it is always sensible to pay by credit card.

That way, you benefit from the protection offered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which states that credit card providers are jointly and severally liable when things go wrong.

You should also refuse to pay property owners by bank transfer or an instant wire service such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

"Never pay for your reservations outside the Airbnb website," Airbnb said.

I've been defrauded. What should I do?
Airbnb is not legally liable for the security breaches caused by the actions of either hosts or guests.

So unless you can prove that you have lost money because the site's own database has been compromised, it is unlikely to offer you a refund.

You should, however, report any fraud to the site, as well as the police via Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).

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