Avoid being scammed on Airbnb

Twas the week before New Year’s and the consensus was out “we’re not doing the bar crawl madness lets rent us a house!” no pushing, no shoving, no potential bar fights. No cramped crowded spaces just some close friends and I. What better way to ring in the New Year than a prime view of the ball drop from a penthouse overlooking the NYC skyline. Imagine with me if you will; champagne, confetti, Ciroc and sexy people just being sexy people, the kinda party you see in commercials and think man I want to fly out on my private jet and sip a tasty beverage underneath a palm tree having irreverent fun …but since I’m not P.Diddy and I don’t have that bank roll, I settled for an upscale yet affordable apartment I found on Airbnb.com. About a month ago I discovered Airbnb.com though an associate of mine, who raved about the great alternative to hotels. Well this week I decided to explore the site and I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued to see the great options and affordable prices. After conferring with my friends and some debate we all settled on a, for lack of a better term, perfect unit entitled “COMFORT OF HIGH END AWAIT YOU HERE”. We looked over the pictures read the landlord policy we decided that this was a great fit, close to Times Square and other fun attractions we decide to contact the host and book this steal! Well this is where things got a little bit sticky. After emailing the host through the Airbnb site she requested that we exchange personal emails, which I did since this was my first time on this site and I figured maybe this is how it works. She then proceeded to tell me the rates and etc. The deal was almost sealed but a red flag was flown when she wanted me to use Money Gram or Western Union as opposed to a credit card or PayPal service to pay the fees. After closer review a few more red flags popped up.

The warning signs on Airbnb

The place was being rented out for $200 a night, which was not too bad
They didn’t care about extra guest, like no limit if this was my house I would care
The pictures on the site did not look like a typical New York City skyline try to have an idea of what the area looks like…Google the address just to be safe
The pictures looked like a computerized 3D model or something from an architectural design used to sell to potential clients
The pixels on the images looked fake (even cheap point and shoot cameras take better pictures
The host had no reviews or friends
The host wanted us to send money via Money gram or Western Union
The host wanted to do business outside of the Airbnb site which is against Airbnb policy

Let’s just say we are a bit more trusting because it’s the holiday season and couldn’t fathom someone trying to rip us off, so we went against our better judgment and put a hold on the apartment. That’s when the host wanted our contact information and a $600 deposit to be sent via Money Gram or Western Union. For those of you who’ve done business online, most places use PayPal, credit card, debit card, and other certified online payments. Never send cash! You want to use certified payments because those can be easily tracked by your bank or Credit Card Company and if a transaction goes south getting a refund is much easier. In case you need to file a police report; you can show evidence that you actually made payments to that person or organization. When doing business online, it’s best to use a credit card.

Below is the message we received from the host on Airbnb:

Hi Jane Doe, Okay here is the basic information about the apartment that you should know………. The Address of the Apartment is xxx West 4xrd Street, New York, NY, the apartment is on the 5th floor of elevator building with 24/7 concierge and doorman service. The apartment is available for your desire dates Dec 30 – Jan 01? The rental fee for 2nights is $400 (@200 a night) Wi-Fi with free internet wireless is provided. The unit also have laundry facilities, washer and dryer ready for use, all other utilities such electricity, water and others has been included in the rental fee. 1) Living room couch which includes a pull out sofa for sleep. 2) 2 bedrooms, sleeps maximum of seven people Bedroom 1 – 1 queen, Bedroom 2 – queen . Bed sheets are provided. Bedroom 3 has two twin beds which can be made into a queen size upon your request. 3) 2 bathroom(s) , Bathroom 1 – Toilet, Combination Tub/Shower, Bathroom 2 – Toilet, Shower. Towels and linens provided 4) New kitchen includes microwave, full size oven, toaster, coffee maker and cooking utensils to satisfy the most discriminating gourmet chef. Elegant living and dining area appointed with large flat-screen TV and excellent music system, including dining area, seating for 6 people. If you are contented with the amenities of the apartment you can contact us to book the apartment now. Below is the requirement for securing the apartment, The rental fee = $400 Damage security deposit = $200 (Fully Refundable on your Departure day) You are to Pay = $600 To affirmed your booking reservation dates in advance… Payment Method Via: Secure Money Gram OR Western Union Transfer.. Kindly get back to us for the booking rental agreement form if you are able to meet the requirement of reserving this awesome home away from home apartment. The apartment is centrally located. Nearby you’ll find the Hudson Theater, Foxwoods Theater, Times square, Bryant park, Central park, Empire Building, , world class Restaurants and the best bookstores and coffee shops in all of New York . The wonderful thing about Manhattan its history and the world class amenities in it for pleasuring travelers. You can walk to many attractions as you wishes. Best Regards, Sandra and Stephen.

After we decided to channel Sherlock Holmes and not inspector gadget; we contacted Airbnb and they sent us this beautiful reply:

Marie E, Dec 21 08:21 (PST): Hello Jane Doe, Thanks again for calling Airbnb. It was my pleasure to assist you today. I have retracted your reservation request with Sandra L.We have released the hold on your visa for 224.00, and the funds will be available shortly. I would advise you not to contact this host again, or any other host that asks you to send them money directly, or contact them offsite.Our guidelines for using Airbnb: We require all contact between hosts and potential guests to be handled on the site before a reservation has taken place to maintain your privacy, help provide customer support,and adhere to the Airbnb Terms of Use. This means that you should not exchange addresses, websites, email addresses, or telephone numbers before having an accepted reservation. Read more about why it’s necessary to keep your communication and transactions on our site: www.airbnb.com/help/question/209 For your convenience, you can take advantage of our Voice Connect feature, which enables a host to call potential guests directly through the website without revealing personal contact information to either party. Look for it in our FAQs! If you have any more questions, let us know. Best regards, Marie E So in closing If at any time, you do not feel comfortable booking online, please contact the company who’s offering the services to make sure their postings are legitimate. Do not get caught up in the moment of having a beautiful place to hang out with a few friends just to end up being a victim of a scam or potential scam. Take everything you see online with a grain of salt. Protect yourself and remember all that glitters is not always for rent. I would like to thank Airbnb for their quick response and making sure that their customers are satisfied. Airbnb has specific guidelines to help its hosts and customers protect themselves. Please familiarize yourself with them. This incident did not deter us from using Airbnb. Fraudulent people are everywhere, the purpose of this article is to teach you some warning signs, for you to learn to trust your instincts and always ask questions.

Up until two years ago, these words wouldn’t have come out of my mouth. However, since working in Singapore for about 6 months and had a chance to explore Asia, my opinion about hostels has changed for the better. I remember in the early 2000’s a movie called Hostel came out and it didn’t depict hostels in the best of light. I formed my opinion about hostels from that movie (very bad idea). I promised myself that I would never stay in one for fear of disease, kidnapping, hair in strange places, you name it and I thought it. I remember planning my trip to China from Singapore. I booked my hotel ($60USD) a night, flight was a couple hundred, and I think the total price of the trip was about $1000USD. I booked the hotel for 3 days because I was planning on visiting Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou, all in 9 days. However, I only booked my hotel for Shanghai, hoping I could negotiate a better deal once I was in China. When I arrived at my hotel, I was impressed, and thought it was well worth the $60USD even though I hate spending a lot of money on hotels. Let’s face it, you only use it to sleep and shower, most of the time you want to spend your vacation exploring, so why waste all that money on a hotel. On my last day in Shanghai, I couldn’t get tickets for the bullet train to Beijing. Tickets were sold out for months. Turns out you have to order tickets ahead of time which I didn’t know. I didn’t want to go over my budget so I started walking around the streets of Shanghai looking at better deals for hotels. I ran into one of the international hostel chains and met an American from Texas whose been backing across Asia for the last year. I was jealous and impressed at the same time. I wanted that lifestyle! I explained my dilemma and he told me all about hostels and how I could save a ton of money by staying in one. At first I was skeptical but decided to take his advice. Benefits of hostels

If you are a member of some of the top international chains all you have to do is go to one of their hostels and you can get a discount when you provide your member card. In most cases, it costs about $10 to become a member.
You can get a private room for $6-$50 depending on the country you are visiting.
Most of the time it’s cheaper if you stay in a dorm format which is a group of 3 or more people.
Single or twin beds are available
Wi-Fi is available
Cleaning service
Hot shower and other toiletries
You meet great people from all corners of the world
Hostels are usually located in backpacker areas like Khao San Road in Bangkok Thailand.
If you are traveling alone or with a group of people, hostels are a great place to meet friends.
Great for budget travelers
Some of the top chain and non chain hostels are just as cleaned or even cleaner than most hotels
Breakfast and kitchen provided in some cases
lounge areas

Since meeting that person in China, I continue to stay in hostels. I’ve saved a ton of money and met a lot of great people who I continue to stay in contact with. If you haven’t tried staying in a hostel, do so. You will find that the managers of these places are accommodating because they need the business. I remember I was staying in a hostel in Ho Chi Minh City called Saigon Hostel and they ironed my shirt and served me breakfast while I was waiting for them to finish ironing. Just remember to read the reviews on a particular hostel before booking it. If you are traveling in area that has a lot of hostels on the same street, try switching hostels every other day to get an understanding of how hostels are being operated. If by some chance you do have a bad experience, don’t forsake all hostels because of one bad apple. There are bad hostels just like there are bad hotels. Unless you’re on a family vacation or on a honeymoon, I suggest you save your money and use it towards trying new food.

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