AirBnB Rental Roulette
How AI is Fueling Fake Vacation Rentals in London
London is one of the cities with the most expensive hotels on the planet. Sadly, scams on online apartment rental platforms like Booking.com or Airbnb are abundant. But are online booking platforms doing everything to protect consumers and verify the legitimacy of these addresses?
Report by Clément Bürge, produced by RTS Radio Television Suisse
“The listing has been removed from Airbnb, and the host received no payment for any bookings. Airbnb retains all payments made on the platform for up to 24 hours after check-in, meaning there’s recourse in the rare event of an issue on arrival. We use sophisticated technology to detect fake listings before they ever go live, and in 2023, we blocked 157,000 fake listings from joining the platform. As long as users stay on Airbnb and only pay and communicate through Airbnb, they will be protected by our secure processes, refund and support policies.” – Statement from Airbnb Spokesperson