Airbnb, the holiday rental and homestay marketplace, has announced its partnership with the International Association of Financial Crimes (IAFCI). This move is aimed at enabling customers to book safely and avoid travel scams.
This announcement comes in light of a new consumer research from YouGov which shows that Gen Z and Millennials are most likely to have fallen for a scam with victims losing on average INR 1.02 lakhs.
The research commissioned by Airbnb uncovers that amid the rising cost of living, finding deals has become vital to Indians. While booking a holiday, over 40% consumers are willing to be less vigilant, if it meant saving a significant amount of money.
The findings underscore the importance of using a recognised provider, especially when doing transactions online. Airbnb, as a company built on trust, has invested in measures to prevent financials scams on the platform. These measures include dedicated teams and systems aimed at proactively deterring scams through and on-platform messaging services. This, coupled with reminders across the site to stay on Airbnb to communicate, book and pay, and guest payment protections, like withholding payment for a stay until 24 hrs after check-in ensures a safer user experience.
As online scams become more sophisticated with the advent of technology like AI, fraudsters may try to take advantage of those searching for a travel deal by using fake websites, texts and emails or social media to trick people into believing they’re booking with a legitimate company. Airbnb encourages its users to report suspicious activity on the site and their dedicated team detected and mitigated almost 2,500 third-party phishing domains globally.
Commenting on this tie-up, Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for Airbnb India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said, “We want to ensure Indian travellers know what to look for when booking travel and the red flags to avoid. When it comes to booking on Airbnb, we encourage our guests to only communicate, book and pay on the platform, where we have secure processes and support like Aircover in place to help protect against scams and ensure issues are rare.”
How to avoid scams on holiday bookings?
- Don’t click on links in unexpected emails or texts - Travellers should stay alert for suspicious websites, texts and emails, and social media posts. If you’re unsure a message or post is from a legitimate company, do not engage with it or click on any links in it.
- Protect your passwords - Create strong unique passwords for your online accounts – long passwords (12 characters or more) are harder for scammers to guess. If you’re notified that someone tried to access one of your accounts and it wasn’t you, change your password right away. Enable multi- factor authentication for added security.
- Be wary of cheap deals and pressure tactics - Searching outside of trusted sites can increase the risk of encountering a scam. Take time to review the details and compare with other options, especially if you feel rushed into paying, and keep in mind that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Check the URL before you pay - Confirm you’re on the legitimate travel/services providers app or website before paying.
- Use a credit card for online payments - Credit cards can offer better consumer protection and if you fall for a scam, charges may be easier to dispute. If you’re asked to pay for a trip by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards, those are signs that it could be a scam.
