AirBNB scam traumatises NHS nurse moving in to new home

South Wales Argus

6 days ago

Ben Echianu was desperate to find a property big enough for his three kids to stay over after breaking up with his partner.
After spotting a Gumtree ad for the three-bedroom property for £750 per month in central Manchester, Ben got in touch with a woman claiming to be called Amy.
Footage shows the 43-year-old being shown around the central Manchester house on June 19th by Amy who claimed to own it.
(Image: Kennedy News & Media)
Ben paid £1,000 through bank transfer and £1,000 in cash to secure the semi-detached home but says Amy stopped replying three days before his move-in date of July 1st
The baffled NHS worker admitted he then became 'worried' and visited the property on June 29th and said he saw 'other people' in the house.
Ben said he then spoke to a neighbour who claimed the property was being used as an Airbnb accommodation and they hadn't heard of Amy.
The property can be found on Airbnb and Booking.com for short-term rental by property management firm City Superhost.
Since calling City Superhost to report the incident last week, the management firm say they've changed the locks to the property.
Ben, who currently lives with a friend, says he's 'traumatised' by the incident and claims he's been contacted by other scam victims targeted by the same woman.
Airbnb says they have removed a user from their platform following an internal investigation and Gumtree say they encourage people to report suspicious behaviour so their 'dedicated trust and safety team' can investigate.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed the incident is being investigated as an alleged fraud by the Action Fraud team.
Ben, from Chorlton, Greater Manchester, said: "When I realised it was a scam, it was a shock. I was really traumatised.
"Moving to this property meant so much to me. I recently separated with my partner so I needed a bigger place where my kids can come and sleep over.
"When she stopped responding to me I got really worried. All I needed to know is if the inventory appointment on Sunday would go ahead.
"The property is close to where I play football so the day before the meeting [Saturday] I went there and low and behold people were already in the property.
"I saw a lady lying on the sofa and when I knocked on the door she ran upstairs straight away and didn't want to answer.
"One of the lodgers asked what the problem was, I asked for Amy and she said she didn't know anyone called that and that this was a short-term rental.
"She may have rented it in the past and made a copy of the key so she might check when the place is available and then make appointments with people.
"When I got back she still wasn't picking up so I thought, 'this isn't normal' and 'it's too good to be true'. The price was way below what is normal there.
"I spoke to a lady who lives beside the property [on Sunday] and she said to the best of her knowledge the house is used for Airbnb.
"She knows the owners and they've handed it over to a company that manages it. That's when I realised it was a scam."
Ben said he could pay the £2,000 deposit within four days of the first viewing and was then told his application had been accepted the next morning.
He returned to the property to sign the tenancy agreement in the last week of June and says Amy opened the home with a set of keys.
A move-in date of July 1st was agreed and an inventory meeting was scheduled for two days earlier, but Ben says Amy stopped responding to his texts and calls.
Ben says he will be able to claim £1,000 back from his bank but the £1,000 he won't be able to recoup the £1,000 he paid in cash.
The devastated footy fan believes Amy has previously stayed at the property, had a key cut, then returned when the house was empty to show him around and pose as the landlord.
City Superhost believes the scammer faked the house viewings during the period she had booked to stay.
A City Superhost spokesman said: "We think somebody has booked it and during their stay has had a number of people [round] and she's acted as an estate agent.
"We're responsible for keeping the properties well maintained, well looked after and secure so when something like this happens our first thought is security and the safety of the guests and any future guests.
"We've got both sets of locks changed, we've spoken with the neighbour who has a camera and she's been very helpful and we're in communication with the police.
"Most people are here for genuine reasons, whether it's visiting friends and family, for tourism or events that are on.
"Like any industry, if you've got one person who wants to upset things then they're going to try and do it.
"City Superhost manages nearly 100 properties and this is the first time something like this has ever happened.
"We're Airbnb superhosts and 99 per cent of guests are fantastic and just want to use the property."
Desperate to stop it happening to anyone else, Ben says he hopes she will face the legal consequences of her actions soon.
Ben said: "There is a housing crisis and cost-of-living crisis so when people see something where it's quite cheap she plays on their vulnerability.
"It makes it worse that I have heard other people have been scammed. I want to make sure she's apprehended. She's heartless.
"I don't think she knew I was taking the video of the property so I captured her face and everything."
Airbnb say they have 'trust and safety teams' to identify fraud on their platform and encourage users to report suspicious activity.
The platform runs annual campaigns with online safety experts to warn users of third-party scams and have warned against unusually cheap deals or high deposits.
A spokesperson for Gumtree UK said: "At Gumtree, the safety of our users is our absolute priority, and we do not tolerate fraudulent activity on our platform.
"We require that property ads on our site comply with government regulations for property advertising, and we list prominent safety advice for prospective tenants on our website, which recommends that all potential tenants check the relevant paperwork, ask to see proof of ownership, and ensure a tenancy agreement is in place before paying deposits or holding fees.
"We strongly urge anyone who thinks they may have come across a scam or experiences suspicious behaviour to report it to us immediately via the 'Report' button listed next to all ads.
"Our dedicated trust and safety team will investigate and take necessary action, such as removing adverts and blocking offending users, and supporting law enforcement in their investigations.
"We encourage all our users to read more about our posting policies and guidance for searching for properties safely online on our help desk: help.gumtree.com."
A spokesperson for Booking.com said: "In the very rare and unfortunate instance that a customer engages in unlawful behaviour at a property they have booked on our site, we offer support where needed and will cooperate with law enforcement as required.
"Our guest management tool also allows partners to be able to instantly report guest misconduct and when necessary we will block the responsible customer account on our platform."