Airbnb and Vacation Rental Scams
Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the FTC.
Quick Answer
Vacation rental scams, often involving fake listings or hosts demanding payment outside of secure platforms, resulted in consumers reporting approximately $65 million in losses to the FTC since 2020.
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How It Works
1
A scammer creates a fraudulent vacation rental listing on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, or social media sites like Facebook Marketplace. They often use stolen photos and descriptions from legitimate listings to make the property appear attractive and real.
2
The scammer pressures the interested renter to communicate and pay outside of the platform's secure payment system. They often offer a discount as an incentive to pay directly via wire transfer, cash apps like Zelle or Venmo, or gift cards, which are untraceable and non-refundable.
3
After the victim sends the payment, the scammer disappears and ceases all communication. The renter is left without a place to stay and with no way to recover their money, discovering the fraud only when they arrive at the non-existent or already-occupied property.
Red Flags
- The host insists on communicating or accepting payment outside of the official Airbnb or rental platform.
- The rental price is significantly lower than comparable properties in the same area.
- The host pressures you to make a quick decision and pay a deposit immediately.
- The listing has few or no reviews, or the reviews are vague and generic.
- The host has a new, unverified profile or is unresponsive to specific questions about the property.
- The listing photos appear in a reverse image search under a different address or for-sale listing.
- Payment is demanded via wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash payment apps, which offer no fraud protection.
What to Do If Targeted
- Immediately stop all communication with the suspected scammer.
- Contact your bank or credit card company to report the fraud and request a chargeback if possible. Payments made by credit card offer the most protection.
- Report the fraudulent listing and user profile directly to the vacation rental platform (e.g., Airbnb, Vrbo).
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- Report the incident to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
- If you shared sensitive personal information like a Social Security number, visit identitytheft.gov to create a recovery plan.
How to Report It
- FTC — Report fraud, scams, and bad business practices to the Federal Trade Commission.
- FBI IC3 — File a complaint about any online crime with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- AARP — Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline for free support from trained fraud specialists at 877-908-3360.
- FCC — File a complaint about phone scams, robocalls, or unwanted calls with the Federal Communications Commission.
Key Statistics
- Since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC, with total losses of approximately $65 million. — FTC 2025
- In 2023, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 9,521 real estate crime reports, which includes rental scams, resulting in over $145 million in victim losses. — AARP 2024
- A Better Business Bureau study found that 43% of online shoppers have encountered a fake rental listing, and more than 5 million consumers have lost money to these scams. — BBB 2019
- About half of the people who reported a rental scam in the 12 months ending in June 2025 said the scam started with a fake ad on Facebook. — FTC 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions
The most common vacation rental scam involves a fake host luring a renter off the secure rental platform (like Airbnb or Vrbo) to pay them directly. They offer a discount for paying via wire transfer, Zelle, or Venmo, and once the payment is sent, the scammer disappears, leaving the victim with no reservation and no way to get their money back.
Airbnb's protections, such as AirCover, only apply when all communication and payments are kept on the Airbnb platform. If you pay a host directly using an off-platform method like a wire transfer or cash app, you lose all of Airbnb's protections and they will not be able to help you recover your money.
To verify a listing, carefully read all reviews and check the host's profile for verification status and history. Use a reverse image search on the property photos to see if they appear elsewhere online under a different listing. Finally, search the property address online to confirm it exists and matches the description and photos provided.
Yes, according to the Federal Trade Commission, people ages 18 to 29 are three times more likely than other adults to report losing money to a rental scam. Many of these scams target young adults on social media sites and college housing groups.
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