I was conned out of £2,000 on new home that was someone ELSE'S Airbnb – just days before moving in
Ben Echianu, 43, was left 'traumatised' after he was duped by a woman who showed him around the property and claimed to own it.
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The dad-of-three had hoped the £750-a-month rental would give him a fresh start and space for his kids to stay over following a break-up with his partner.
But just days before move-in day, the so-called landlady vanished – and when Ben turned up at the house, he found other people living inside.
'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,' Ben said.
'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... That's when I realised I'd been scammed.'
The three-bed semi in central Manchester was listed on Gumtree, where Ben responded to the ad and arranged a viewing on June 19.
Footage shows 'Amy' giving him a tour of the house.
Convinced it was legitimate, Ben transferred £1,000 by bank and handed over another £1,000 in cash to secure the deal.
He was due to move in on July 1, with an inventory check scheduled for June 29 – but Amy stopped replying to texts and calls three days before.
Worried, Ben went to check the property in person on June 29 – and was stunned to see it already occupied.
"The property is close to where I play football so the day before the meeting I went there and low and behold people were already in the property.
'When I saw people already in the property, I knew something was off.
A neighbour later told him the house had been used as an Airbnb and was managed by a firm called City Superhost – not privately rented out.
Ben said: '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."
The scammer is believed to have stayed at the property as a guest, made a copy of the keys, and returned when it was empty to pose as the owner.
How to avoid falling for the same rental scam:
Google the address to see if it's listed elsewhere as a holiday rental or under different names.
Verify the landlord by asking for official ID and proof of ownership or management (e.g. utility bill, land registry document).
Speak to neighbours and have chats with locals that can confirm who actually lives.
Avoid handing over money, especially in cash, without a signed tenancy agreement.
Scammers often rush you, take your time to verify details and don't be afraid to walk away.
Pay by card or secure transfer through reputable platforms, never via cash or untraceable methods.
City Superhost confirmed the property was being rented on Airbnb and say they've since changed the locks and contacted police.
A spokesperson 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.
Since calling City Superhost to report the incident last week, the management firm say they've changed the locks to the property.
Ben says he has since been contacted by other victims who claim the same woman tricked them too.
"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.
'She's heartless," he said.
Greater Manchester Police says the incident has been reported to Action Fraud and is under investigation.
Airbnb confirmed a user has been removed from the platform following an internal probe.
Gumtree said it 'does not tolerate fraudulent activity' and urges users to report scams using its 'Report' button.
Ben says he may be able to get back the £1,000 sent by bank, but the other £1,000 in cash is likely lost.
City Superhost said this is the first time anything like this has happened across the nearly 100 properties it manages.
The company added: 'Most guests are genuine, but occasionally someone will try to abuse the system. We acted fast to secure the property and support anyone affected.'
Ben is urging others to be on guard when renting privately – and says he's still trying to find a new home.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I was jailed with UK's most evil killers… I slapped Myra Hindley for sick tune & saw raging Rose West froth at mouth
HEARING 'Britain's most evil woman' cheerfully singing along to the radio, convicted killer Linda Calvey felt something snap inside. Seconds later Linda - dubbed 'The Black Widow' - slapped child killer Myra Hindley so hard she left a handprint mark on her face, leaving the child killer recoiling in horror and pain. 12 12 12 'It all happened in a split-second,' Linda tells us. 'I yelled, 'How dare you sing when you murdered all of those children!' I slapped her without thinking.' This was her first of many encounters with the Moors Murderer, who butchered five kids aged 10 to 17 alongside partner Ian Brady in the Sixties, in three different prisons. Linda, jailed for multiple robbery offences and murder, would, reluctantly, get to know Myra better than anyone behind bars and now reveals all for The Sun's Meeting a Monster series. She tells us how Hindley duped prison staff to feed her interest in the occult and hid her secret fling with another notorious inmate. Recalling her attack on Myra, Linda tells us: 'I walked into the washing room and couldn't believe she was singing along to the radio. 'The next second I snapped, before I knew it, without even thinking, I slapped her. I thought, 'Oh God, what have I done?' but I'm still glad to this day that I did it. 'I remember she looked at me, rubbed her face and there was a handprint. She yelled, 'I could get you shipped off to [HMP] Holloway'. 'I said 'Holloway holds no fears for me' and walked out. The mad thing is she never reported me but I think part of it was that she had been attacked so many times before. 'Prior to that an inmate had broken her nose and there were various other issues, I think she feared officers would force her to give up her job washing inmates' clothes. 'That wouldn't have benefitted her, she would have been locked in her cell all day with nothing to do.' It would take four more encounters before Myra spoke again to Linda - who next week releases gangland crime fiction Hope, loosely influenced by her experiences in prison and London's East End underworld. By this time, Hindley no longer sported her trademark blonde hair, instead dying it red. But she had the same 'harsh features and look about her' that made many lags feel uncomfortable. 'You wouldn't look at her twice on the street. She looked more like an everyday housewife than a monster but there was this evil, horrible feeling around her,' Linda recalls. 'There was no warmth or niceness. She had this unpleasant aura and was very aloof but highly, highly intelligent.' Evil obsession Linda worked in the prison library and Myra would often come in to order books - permitted for inmates - but the monster had a dark motive behind it. While she requested romantic books under her own name, she secretly used the identity of other inmates to pursue her real passion. 'She would say, 'Can you order a book under this name?' and choose totally different books. They were about Adolf Hitler, black magic and obscure things,' Linda says. 'I told one of the staff, 'This is ridiculous. Is she allowed to do this?' 'They told me to just order the books. Myra bucked the system and it proved her true feelings and desires. This was long into her sentence too.' The serial killer considered herself 'far superior' to her fellow inmates who she considered 'stupid and thick' according to Linda. It was right for her to suffer so intensely at the end of her life after all the harm she caused. I remember I used to look at her and think, 'You deserve this' Linda on Myra Hindley Myra mainly kept to herself and few prisoners wanted to talk to her. One who did was fellow monster Rose West, who tortured and killed 10 young women with her husband Fred. Linda noted that they 'became thick as thieves', spending every meal time and any spare moments together, as well as often disappearing into each other's cells, in HMP Durham. 'Everybody knew they were having a fling, it was like they were stuck together. It's just beyond belief to think about,' Linda says. 'These were the two worst women in Britain, two mass murderers, and they were getting involved with each other, having an affair. 'They used to go to each other's cells all of the time and while you couldn't lock the door you could close it. Everybody knew what was going on. 'I remember one prison officer, who came over from the men's wing, being horrified when he saw them together and said, 'If I had a camera I could retire tomorrow.'' Their fling lasted seven weeks before it 'suddenly stopped' according to Linda, which she found 'very bizarre' due to how cosy they had been. She suspects the lawyer representing Rose, who was then awaiting trial, may have advised her against spending time with Myra because it was 'not a good idea and didn't look good'. 'Poetic justice' The final time Linda met Myra was in HMP Highpoint, where the villain was kept isolated living in two cells between the hospital wing and cell block. 12 12 Linda says: 'It was called 'no man's land' and they decided she had to live there. Her life was totally solitary. She lived in one cell and she had a job repairing books in the other. 'She was a really ill woman then. She did suffer a lot. She had such brittle bones that they were always snapping and chronic COPD but remained a chain smoker. 'Normally you'd feel sympathy for someone like that - 'that poor person' - but for her it felt like poetic justice. 'It was right for her to suffer so intensely at the end of her life after all the harm she caused. I remember I used to look at her and think, 'You deserve this.'' Knowing she trained as a hairdresser and that they had met before, Linda was the unfortunate soul picked to style Myra hair - a task she couldn't refuse, fearing it would impact her chance of parole. She would dye it red once a month and wash it twice a week and noted that the murderer was 'very particular' as her hair was the 'only thing left she could control'. During their time together, Myra asked about life on the prison wing and spoke about her longing to go to the gym - which she was unable to do. In a bizarre moment, after several weeks styling her hair, Linda was forced to speak to Myra's mum on the phone and was told she was the beast's 'only pal'. 'With a really elderly voice, her mum said 'Hello' and 'I'm so pleased my Myra's finally got a friend',' Linda tells us. She was hysterical, absolutely enraged and yelled, 'He should be hanged! That poor cyclist'. While yes, it was terrible, that was coming from a mass murderer Linda on Rose West 'I thought, 'I am not her friend', but didn't say it. I thought about all her poor mum must have suffered having her for a daughter. She must have taken a lot of stick.' Myra was so desperate for attention that she gave Linda a bevvy of gifts including a cardigan 'to keep me warm, which looked awful' and an empty chocolate box, because it was velvet and she thought it 'looked lovely' . The monster, who died from respiratory failure in 2002, had a miserable time rotting in prison before she passed. Linda says: 'Myra was really lonely and the longer into the sentence she got the worse it was for her. In HMP Highpoint she couldn't mix with anyone and had a very lonely existence in the final two years before she died.' 'Foaming with rage' Another famous lag Linda shared her stint with was Rose West - but unlike Myra, the former was a woman of 'quite low intelligence'. One moment that highlighted it to her, was the night her husband Fred took his own life in 1995 while the House of Horrors killers were awaiting trial. 'We could hear the men from the male prison wing singing 'Fred West, has gone and hung himself' to the tune of The Village People song Go West,' Linda says. 'We all heard it but Rose never associated what they were singing with Fred having killed himself and that it was about her husband. She wasn't intelligent. 'When she found out about his suicide, she wasn't happy at all. She wasn't upset, she was angry and absolutely raving about what he had done. 'I think she felt that way because until that point she thought she was going to walk away and Fred would take the rap for their crimes.' Besides being 'rather thick', Linda thought Rose was 'very drab, dry and very old fashioned' and the only positive thing about her was that she was a very talented seamstress. And while she gave off a meek persona, claiming to have been bent to evil under duress from Fred, there were a few times where the monster's mask slipped. Once was during a prison session with a university lecturer, who encouraged inmates to debate stories in the newspaper. The one they chose was about a drunk driver who ran over a cyclist, killing him, which Linda says left Rose so enraged she was 'foaming at the mouth'. 'She was hysterical, absolutely enraged and yelled, 'He should be hanged! That poor cyclist'. While yes, it was terrible, that was coming from a mass murderer. 'She started foaming at the mouth, it looked like toothpaste and we were transfixed by this gross white gunk coming out of her mouth. That's when the debate ended.' Another outburst followed an arsonist setting fire to her cell, which nearly killed her pet budgie, who was left covered in black soot. Linda recalls: 'Rose was hysterical, 'How could anyone be so evil to set fire to a cell and leave a bird in there' she yelled. She begged the guards to save it. 'It was given to another inmate to nurse back to health. After that, she went and lay on her bed for two days straight. She didn't get off it until the budgie was better.' Serial proposers In another surprising twist, Linda found herself on the receiving end of affection from two notorious prisoners - mobster Reggie Kray and violent lag Charles Bronson. The former, she tells us, would call her every week from prison, lavished her with gifts and once proposed before telling her 'forget I said anything' after she turned him down. Meanwhile Bronson popped the question 'probably every three months and at least 14 times' in letters as well as sending her photos. The lag, who has nearly served 50 years behind bars, contacted her claiming he knew some of her friends and said 'what a lovely person I was'. 'Due to being in prison for so long, he didn't have a lot to chat about so would ask me questions like, 'How are you?', 'Any family visits?' and that kind of thing. 12 'Then all of a sudden, 'Would you like to marry me?' I said, 'I don't think it's a good idea'. He said 'That's ok' and then three months later, was like, 'Would you like to marry me?' again. 'He was always proposing. He didn't write love letters, he would just say, 'I was thinking, if you'd like to marry me the offer is still there.' Although Bronson was originally jailed for petty crime and robbery, his attacks on fellow inmates and prison officers have seen his sentences extended to total five decades. 'I feel sorry for him, that he's still in prison. It's a shame when you put it into context. Everyone assumes he murdered someone but he didn't," says Linda. 'He just drove authorities mad for so many years with his antics. What he did wasn't that big and he's been in there forever.' Linda, who was released on parole in 2008, has put criminality firmly behind her and dedicated her life to her family and writing - she's published two memoirs and is about to release her fourth novel. Titled Hope, it's about three generations of women caught in the grips of London's murky underworld and many of the characters are loosely based on crooks she met. 'It's a world I came from, which makes it more real, and some characters are based on women I knew and met in prison,' she says. 'It was my late husband, George, who died from cancer nine years ago, that inspired me. He told me, 'Linda, go for it. Do your writing'. I've found my niche and I know I'm making him proud.' Hope, the second in a crime gangster trilogy, is published by Mountain Leopard Press on July 17. To preorder, visit here
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Croydon's fixed facial recognition cameras spark debate
The summer heat always brings Croydon town centre to life, with a positive, lively atmosphere. However, some say the mood changes noticeably as the sun say they are forced to hire extra security to prevent thefts, and that drug-related gang crime is prevalent. The Met Police is using live facial recognition (LFR) to look for criminals, with fixed cameras being installed in Croydon for the first time anywhere in London. The force says the technology will keep the streets safer, but Big Brother Watch said the scale of the surveillance was "alarming". LFR cameras scan faces in real time and help police find those who are wanted. In March, the Met announced it would install fixed facial recognition cameras on North End and London Road in Croydon, after previously trialling mobile devices. The fixed LFR cameras look like regular CCTV but will only be switched on when the technology is in use, the Met LFR has already been used in several London boroughs, including during the King's Coronation in 2023. The Met says it's arrested more than 1,000 people by using the technology so far across London, including 93 registered sex offenders and several others in breach of court far this year, LFR has scanned 1.5 million faces in London, leading to 459 arrests – roughly one for every 3,300 scans however more than half of the Met's so-called "true matches" did not result in an Chiswick, who leads the Met's facial recognition programme, said: "This technology is making London safer by removing dangerous offenders. It's saving officers valuable time and delivering quicker, more accurate results." 'After 4pm, it's different' Live facial recognition cameras are something that shopkeeper Mohammed Kamzi welcomes, although he has concerns. Mohammed has worked on North End for four years, a time he said has seen rising crime and waning police visibility. "It's ok in the morning, we can manage with two staff members," said Mohammed, who owns U Fone. "After 4pm, it's different. We need three or four people working because someone has to be ready to chase thieves while another watches the shop."We see crime here all the time," he added. He said although the LFR cameras had benefits in terms of safety, he feels some customers aren't comfortable with it: "They feel anxious, like they've done something wrong." Shane Barrett, a local resident, believes the technology could help, but questions its placement. He said: "Croydon's getting worse, there are stabbings every other week. The cameras might help, but the stabbings happen on side streets and around Surrey Street, not North End."Shopper Helen Matthews said she wanted more clarity from the police. "I can see it being useful, but we don't know how it works or when it'll be used." 'Dystopian effect' Some civil liberties groups also have deep Stone, a senior advocacy officer at Big Brother Watch, said the new cameras would have "a chilling and dystopian effect on the high street".Charlie Whelton, from human rights group Liberty, said the technology was being used without proper legal oversight. "It's a regulatory wild west," he Whelton warned there's currently no unified legislation guiding its use nationwide, and the cameras can be used to watch anyone. The Met insists it has strict safeguards in says biometric data is permanently deleted if someone isn't on the watchlist and added that independent testing by the National Physical Laboratory found the system to be accurate and showed no significant bias based on race or gender.A Met spokesperson said: "We're committed to making London safer by using technology to target the most dangerous offenders. "We continue to engage with the public to explain how the technology works and to reassure people that strong privacy protections are in place."
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Evil neighbour invited me to a BBQ then drugged & raped me – he laughed as I tried to push him off, then attacked again
AS HER neighbour offered Juanita Greenhalph a cup of tea during a get together BBQ, she was touched by the friendly gesture. Taking her first sip the grandmother had no idea of the horrific ordeal that would follow just an hour later. 5 5 As she carried on drinking Juanita, 62, felt 'whoozy' and her vision blurred having been unknowingly spiked by her neighbour Meynard Murambakanda. When she next opened her eyes, Murambakanda raped her twice after spiking her tea and after the horrific attack, he stole money out of her bank account. Murambakanda, 34, was sentenced to eight years and now Juanita has waived her right to anonymity to share her story. Juanita, a retiree who used to work as a barmaid, says: 'When I was invited to Meynard's BBQ I was excited as I didn't usually socialise or leave the house. 'It was a beautiful sunny day with all the neighbours but it turned into the worst day of my life. 'I am now haunted by the memory of accepting that cup of tea, and how stupid I'd been. 'But I now know none of it was my fault. He's a monster who preyed on me.' In 2020, Juanita, from Manchester, was 58 and living at home alone. She was retired and struggling with type 2 diabetes and a bad back. Her four children, all in their 30s and 40s, had left the nest years before. She says: 'Their dad and I divorced in 2003 and I'd been alone for the past 17 years. Moment violent Scots rapist caught lurking on CCTV before horror sex attack 'I barely left the house. I only left to get food from the shops. 'Every morning, I had a carer visit to give me my medication and help me with breakfast. 'My life had become very lonely.' In May that year, she got chatting to one of her neighbours, Murambakanda. They'd seen each-other but had never spoken. She says: 'I was sprawled out on my deck chair in my front garden when Meynard walked past again. 'This time he stopped and introduced himself. He told me he lived with his mother, around the corner. 'The next day, he came back and chatted again. He seemed very sweet. 'Admittedly, I never thought I'd find love again. But Meynard's attention made me feel good inside. It had been so long. 5 'The next day he came for a walk down the canal with me, my daughter, her partner and my granddaughter. 'I was glad to have made a new friend. 'But as Meynard was so interested in my life, I wondered if there was more between us. 'It had been years since I'd been with a man, I felt special.' Later that week, Murambakanda hosted a neighbourhood BBQ in his back-garden. To Juanita's delight, he invited her to join. She says: 'I was excited as I never left the house. He took me into the back garden and I recognised lots of my neighbours and locals. 'I sat with them and we all had a nice catch up. Whilst Meynard did the BBQ and kept disappearing inside. 'Due to my diabetes meds, I hadn't drank alcohol for nine years. So I stuck to water.' After a few hours, Murambakanda ran out of meat for the BBQ and Juanita kindly offered to walk to Lidl to get more. Murambakanda insisted on joining her, and as she paid for the extra steaks and sausages, he helped her with her bags. Juanita says: 'Back at the BBQ, Meynard offered me a cup of tea, my thought was, 'how sweet of him.' 'I thanked him, and he made me a nice brew.' But just an hour after drinking her tea, Juanita began to feel woozy. 'I told him I felt very tired and my eyes were heavy,' she recalls. 'He told me I should have a lay down, before helping me out of the garden to go inside. 'My vision went very blurry, then everything went black. 'When I next opened my eyes, I was on Meynard's bed. He was on top of me, raping me. 'I pleaded with him to stop, but he laughed and continued. My eyes were still droopy and I drifted off again. 'When I next woke, he flipped me over and raped me from behind. I tried to stop him, but I lost consciousness again.' Juanita woke up again to Murambakanda holding a wet towel on her head, telling her that she was sweating. She fell unconscious again, and woke up in a silent house the next morning, realising Murambakanda and the neighbours were gone. Juanita says: 'I broke down in tears and rang my daughter. I begged her to come pick me up. 'Half an hour later she came with her partner. I was sobbing uncontrollably. I had agonising pain below, my daughter was horrified.' Back at Juanita's home, her daughter realised that her mum's bank card was missing. 'She went onto my banking app and saw £650 had been withdrawn,' Juanita says. 'I realised Meynard must've seen my pin number when I bought the meats at Lidl. He stole my money. 'I pulled down my top and showed my daughter my bruises. I told her he drugged me with a cup of tea and raped me. 'I was hysterical. I also felt like it was all my fault. I felt stupid.' Juanita's daughter helped her ring the police and 20 minutes later, two police officers arrived. Whilst Juanita was taken to the rape clinic to have swabs taken, police couldn't find Murambakanda. Two weeks later, they tracked him down at his house, and was arrested. Juanita says: 'He denied seeing me that day but police had CCTV footage of us together at the shops, and the bank confirmed he'd withdrawn the money. 'Although Meynard was charged, and remanded, I lived in fear every day after that. 'Every time I looked out my bedroom window, I thought I saw him in the bushes, watching me. 'I couldn't sleep. I ended up moving my bed from the window, and keeping my curtains shut. 'Months later my daughter gave birth to my second grandchild but I was so depressed I didn't meet her. 'Due to my PTSD, I missed the first year of my new granddaughter's life. I shut my family out. 'But, whenever I thought I could no longer live with such pain, I looked at photos of my grandkids. They kept me alive.' In March 2023, Meynard Murambakanda, now 34, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape against at Manchester Crown Court. Juanita says: 'I was too terrified to see him again, I stayed away from court. 'But my case officer visited me, to break the news of his eight year sentence. The court also ordered Meynard to be deported back to Africa after his sentence. 'I burst into tears. For such a long time, I lived in fear and shame. 'Meynard knew I was very vulnerable when we met and he targeted me, taking my kindness for weakness. 'Now, I'm trying to make it up to my kids and grandkids for lost time. And I'm getting my strength back, day by day. 'If you have been assaulted, please tell someone. There will be people there to help you. It's never your fault.' 5
