Airbnb scammers pose as hosts, redirect users to fake Tripadvisor site – Help Net Security

Scammers on Airbnb are faking technical issues and citing higher fees to get users to a spoofed Tripadvisor website and steal their money.

The Airbnb scam

Malwarebytes researchers came across the Airbnb scam when trying to book an apartment through the platform.

The owner/scammer noted in the listing that those interested in booking the property should contact him by email to check for availability.

The scammer replies to the victim’s email and tries to get the user to book the apartment via Tripadvisor.

Airbnb scam email. (Source: Malwarebytes)

To add credibility to the scam, the victim receives another email, ostensibly from Tripadvisor’s platform, urging them to complete the booking by following the shortened URLs in the first email.

Unfortunately, those links point to a spoofed Tripadvisor website that instructs the victim to sign up and enter payment card details.

“Further research based on the URL to the fake Tripadvisor website showed us that these scammers…