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04-04-15, 01:14
http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/sunday/premium/news/story/woman-duped-paying-3k-bungalow-rental-airbnb-20150329
Woman duped into paying $3k for 'bungalow rental' on Airbnb
Published on Mar 29, 2015 2:35 AM
By Lim Yi Han
When Ms P. G. Ang decided to take a staycation during Chinese New Year, she flipped through the popular Airbnb portal, which hooked up landlords with prospective tenants.
A bungalow near the Botanic Gardens caught her eye.
She got in touch with the person who had put up the post in November last year, paid $3,000 for a five-day stay - only to realise later that she had been duped. The person who had uploaded the advertisement, and whom she paid the money to, had nothing to do with the bungalow.
Things started unravelling just before she was about to start her staycation last month.
"The host told me that his wife had passed away, and if I could postpone my stay," said Ms Ang, a financial planner, in her 30s. "I said it was all right and moved it to March."
On March 15, she decided to visit the bungalow near Bukit Timah Road.
To her shock, the owner said she had never put the property up for rent on Airbnb, and that Ms Ang was the fourth person to make such enquiries.
"That was when I realised it was a scam," Ms Ang told The Sunday Times. She made a police report.
The owner of the house, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that in January, when the first group of unexpected guests showed up, she contacted Airbnb, which then took down the posting, and went to the police.
"I'm a very private person, and it makes me very uncomfortable that my home has been publicly listed. I haven't been ripped off but, somehow, I feel violated just by having somebody use me as a platform for fraud," the owner said.
The police confirmed that reports have been made and that they are investigating.
Ms Ang said she was partly to blame for her predicament. She said she should have suspected something was amiss when the "host" asked that they conduct business outside of Airbnb's platform.
"It's my fault because even when the host asked me to communicate on WeChat instead of Airbnb, and asked for my credit card details, I did not find it suspicious," said Ms Ang.
"But I'm also questioning why Airbnb did not conduct checks and verify if the hosts are the actual owners," she added.
There are more than 1,000 Singapore properties listed on Airbnb, which is based in San Francisco.
Users are required to submit identification, such as their driver's licence or passport, before they are considered as having been "verified". But the website says that this is "not an endorsement or guarantee of someone's identity".
An Airbnb spokesman said guests should make payments on its platform, where "they are 100 per cent secure".
"Airbnb protects hosts and guests by handling all transactions through our secure payment system," she added.
The spokesman said the company has refunded Ms Ang's money out of goodwill. Ms Ang said she has not got all her money back.
According to Urban Redevelopment Authority rules, private residential properties are not allowed to be rented out for less than six months at a time.
This is to ensure neighbours and other residents are not adversely affected by the frequent turnover of transient occupants.
Earlier this year, URA said it is looking into enhancing its enforcement powers against the unauthorised use of private homes.
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Woman duped into paying $3k for 'bungalow rental' on Airbnb
Published on Mar 29, 2015 2:35 AM
By Lim Yi Han
When Ms P. G. Ang decided to take a staycation during Chinese New Year, she flipped through the popular Airbnb portal, which hooked up landlords with prospective tenants.
A bungalow near the Botanic Gardens caught her eye.
She got in touch with the person who had put up the post in November last year, paid $3,000 for a five-day stay - only to realise later that she had been duped. The person who had uploaded the advertisement, and whom she paid the money to, had nothing to do with the bungalow.
Things started unravelling just before she was about to start her staycation last month.
"The host told me that his wife had passed away, and if I could postpone my stay," said Ms Ang, a financial planner, in her 30s. "I said it was all right and moved it to March."
On March 15, she decided to visit the bungalow near Bukit Timah Road.
To her shock, the owner said she had never put the property up for rent on Airbnb, and that Ms Ang was the fourth person to make such enquiries.
"That was when I realised it was a scam," Ms Ang told The Sunday Times. She made a police report.
The owner of the house, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that in January, when the first group of unexpected guests showed up, she contacted Airbnb, which then took down the posting, and went to the police.
"I'm a very private person, and it makes me very uncomfortable that my home has been publicly listed. I haven't been ripped off but, somehow, I feel violated just by having somebody use me as a platform for fraud," the owner said.
The police confirmed that reports have been made and that they are investigating.
Ms Ang said she was partly to blame for her predicament. She said she should have suspected something was amiss when the "host" asked that they conduct business outside of Airbnb's platform.
"It's my fault because even when the host asked me to communicate on WeChat instead of Airbnb, and asked for my credit card details, I did not find it suspicious," said Ms Ang.
"But I'm also questioning why Airbnb did not conduct checks and verify if the hosts are the actual owners," she added.
There are more than 1,000 Singapore properties listed on Airbnb, which is based in San Francisco.
Users are required to submit identification, such as their driver's licence or passport, before they are considered as having been "verified". But the website says that this is "not an endorsement or guarantee of someone's identity".
An Airbnb spokesman said guests should make payments on its platform, where "they are 100 per cent secure".
"Airbnb protects hosts and guests by handling all transactions through our secure payment system," she added.
The spokesman said the company has refunded Ms Ang's money out of goodwill. Ms Ang said she has not got all her money back.
According to Urban Redevelopment Authority rules, private residential properties are not allowed to be rented out for less than six months at a time.
This is to ensure neighbours and other residents are not adversely affected by the frequent turnover of transient occupants.
Earlier this year, URA said it is looking into enhancing its enforcement powers against the unauthorised use of private homes.
[email protected]