Airbnb scam warning issued to Aussies, WA police refuse to investigate fraudster staying next door
A scammer who hacked into an Australian man’s Airbnb account and spent $1800 staying at a beachside villa has been arrested, but only after cops initially said they were too busy to go there – despite it being only 500 metres from the police station.
The Sydney executive, who only wanted to be known as ‘Andrew’, noticed his bank balance was lower than usual on Monday and found a credit card transaction for an Airbnb booking in Western Australia that he did not make.
After discovering the stranger had booked into a home advertised as a ‘Tropical Retreat Luxury Villa’ at Scarborough in Perth for seven nights, and would still be there, Andrew contacted the police station in the beachside suburb.
However Andrew was stunned by the reaction he received.
The persistence of an Australian businessman upset by police ignoring his Airbnb account being hacked has led to the arrest of an alleged identity thief
Andrew, a Sydney businessman, phoned Scarborough police on Monday after realising a stranger had hacked his Airbnb account and booked seven nights at a ‘tropical resort villa’ in Western Australia
‘I rang Scarborough Police Station, told them the full story and the fact the thieves were still at the place, gave them the address,’ Andrew told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I Googled the station, it was 500 metres from Scarborough police.
‘They said it’s a cyber crime issue, log a case online.’
Police directed him to the Australian Cyber Security website.
Unable to find a way to report the crime on that site, Andrew called Scarborough police a second time and ‘pleaded’.
On the second call he was told ‘I’ve got people waiting at the desk and we don’t have enough cars’.
Then was he hung up on by the female officer.
‘I felt fobbed off,’ he said. ‘It’s astonishing that a crime had been committed and it was actually still in progress and I was powerless to do a thing about it,’ Andrew said.
On the first of two calls Andrew made to Scarborough police – located 500 metres from the the Scarborough Tropical Retreat Luxury Villa – and he was told it wasn’t a matter for them
When Andrew range Scarborough police station a second time over the alleged Airbnb scam, they evidently went to investigate – and made an arrest
But evidently police did register what he had told them, as they found time to attend the scene and then made an arrest.
That then led them to search a home in Westborough Street at Scarborough – which is only 100m from the street where the Airbnb property is located.
There, police seized what they allege were 13 fraudulently altered driver’s licences, seven more WA driver’s licences, a NSW licence, a Medicare card and a bank debit card – none in the names of the alleged offender.
They arrested and charged a 26-year-old woman from Aubin Grove in southern Perth with possession of stolen good, drugs and drug paraphernalia.
He noticed his bank balance was lower than usual on Monday and found an $1,800 transaction from his credit card for an Airbnb booking, an a receipt on the app (pictured) that he did not make
As well as contacting police, Andrew also notified the property owner via the Airbnb in-app messaging that the guest claiming to be him was allegedly a scammer.
A screen shot of the in-app messages, shows the alleged scammer telling the host that ‘he’ was on a business trip and will be extending ‘his’ stay.
‘We’ve recently arrived and settling in, the place is lovely. Thank you for the thoughtful extras.’
Andrew also contacted the host directly by Facebook but did not receive a reply. There is no suggestion the host was at fault.
Andrew complained directly to Airbnb and only received an automated response requesting he verify his card numbers in an email.
‘I am really unhappy about the whole thing, Airbnb and the police let me down when I first spoke to them,’ Andrew said.
‘I am stressed that my Airbnb in-app messaging system was used by the thief, they pretended to be me and the fact it could be accessed by anyone else, what the hell?’
On Tuesday morning he received a notification that the mystery person claiming to be him had cancelled the booking.
He also contacted his bank Commonwealth refund the transaction.
Scamwatch, part of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said the hacking of Airbnb accounts appeared to be a new scam.
A screen shot from Andrew’s Airbnb account shows the alleged scammer corresponding with the host before he alerts them
It urged all Airbnb users to keep a close eye on notifications and bank transactions and be especially aware of any coming from outside of the official app.
The woman charged is due to appear before the Perth Magistrates Court on 13 September 2022.
Daily Mail Australia approached Airbnb and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for comment.
