Airbnb partners with IAFCI to combat travel scams

Airbnb has partnered with the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) to help consumers book safely online and avoid travel scams. This comes as new consumer research from YouGov shows Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to admit to having fallen for a scam with victims losing on average Rs 1,02,233.

The research, which was commissioned by Airbnb, also uncovers that amid the rising cost of living, finding deals has become increasingly important with nearly half of the Indian travellers willing to be less vigilant when booking a holiday if it meant saving a significant amount of money, while over 40 percent would take a risk to save money, even if they think a deal is too good to be true.

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. In 12 months, Airbnb detected and mitigated almost 2,500 third-party phishing domains globally.

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.”

Missy Coyne, International 1st Vice President at IAFCI, said: “Don’t let scammers get away with stealing what you’ve worked so hard towards. When in doubt, talk it out. If what they are asking you to do doesn’t make sense or seems too good to be true, talk to a trusted friend or family member before acting on the request.”