Lord Alan Sugar and an unsuspecting American family suffer Airbnb scam.
c.jermyn • October 25, 2019
Lord Alan Sugar's house used by Airbnb scammers
In the modern age, it is not uncommon to hear of people being scammed through the internet. However, in a recent tweet from Lord Alan Sugar, he confirmed the risks involved in renting properties online.
On Twitter, the Apprentice star wrote: "WARNING AIRBNB SCAM: Yesterday an American family of 6 turned up at one of my proprieties in London. They had been scammed to think they could rent it for 3 days. The scammers took a photo from an estate agents web site and stole over $600 from these poor people. BASTARDS.”
The fraudsters convinced the American family they were able to rent the property, belonging to Lord Sugar, for 3 nights, by unlawfully advertising the property as their own.
Airbnb responded to @Lord_Sugar, ‘We were disappointed to hear about this experience and are looking into the matter....’
It's not the first Airbnb scam, nor will it be the last. However, it begs the question: is it time for Airbnb owners to be licensed? If this was the case, only hosts with licences would then be allowed to advertise properties on the site. This should help avoid scams like this.
I can only imagine the disappointment for the American family....particularly as I am sure on arrival it looked like the perfect London holiday home!
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