Airbnb scams: 5 tips to avoid getting scammed

© Pixabay/Instagram FOTOGRAFIN Peggy

Airbnb is an ultra-popular brand among the general public. The price of fame is that his image is massively used to carry out various online scams. Payment scams, phishing and various fraud attempts, the platform serves as a pretext for malicious actors to take action.

Airbnb has commissioned a very interesting study on this subject in the United Kingdom in order to see things more clearly. It reveals a major surprise. Indeed, users aged 18-34 are much more affected by these scams than other age groups. And it ends up costing them dearly with losses estimated at 1,350 euros on average.

If this generation Z often falls into the trap, it is also because its members have a greater need to get good deals than their elders, because they have less purchasing power. They therefore become ideal prey for scammers.

How not to fall for it ?

Surprisingly, young people also tend to be more lax than babies -boomers, in particular because they neglect certain basic cybersecurity measures. The example of using the same password on several services is cited in the survey.

Based on this alarming observation, Airbnb is providing valuable advice to Internet users& ;nbsp;:

1. Never click on links or open attachments in emails or Text messages received unexpectedly. They often link to sites that convincingly imitate the rental platform in order to retrieve your personal and banking data.
2. To rent, go directly through the Airbnb website or app, it's the safest way to never make a mistake. You can also report anyone who offers to leave the service to make payment.
3. Offers that seem a little too good to be true should alert you. This is the case with advertisements which are far below market prices which are probably false.
4. Do not pay for your stay via a direct bank transfer. Instead, opt for paying by credit card if necessary, as it offers more security.
5. Consider using different passwords on each service. Multi-factor authentication is also an additional guarantee of security which will complicate the task of malicious actors.

We hope these tips will be useful to you. If you have been scammed, don't panic. You must notify your bank if your banking details have been compromised. Also consider filing a complaint. Finally, you can report the scam on the Pharos platform, which will help protect other internet users.

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