Not all scammers operate on the internet, or by ringing you with a far-fetched story.
Some big corporations, and short-term accommodation hosts, are not above trying to gouge their customers.
Any sane person renting a car knows to take photos of the vehicle - inside and out - when picking up or dropping off.
There have been multiple reports of renters bring accused of damaging a vehicle, or not returning it at all. And then being charged large sums for their "errors".
It happened to me once in France. Eventually the rental company found the car and apologised.
Now there are increasing reports of Airbnb hosts trying to scam guests and/or their insurance companies.
Airbnb recently apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds’ worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations.
The London-based academic was refunded almost £4,300, and an internal review of how the case was dealt with has been launched at the short-term accommodation rental company.
The incident highlighted how cheap and easily available artificial intelligence software is now being used to manipulate images to give false evidence of what has happened in consumer complaints, according to one security expert.
Shortly after the woman checked out, the host told Airbnb that she had caused more than £12,000 worth of damage, and submitted pictures of an apparently cracked coffee table as part of his case.
His allegations included that she had stained a mattress with urine, and damaged a robot vacuum cleaner, a sofa, a microwave, a TV and an air conditioner.
The woman denied any damage had been done to the apartment, The Guardian newspaper reported. She said she left it in good condition and had only two visitors during the seven weeks she stayed.
“My concern is for future customers who may become victims of similar fraudulent claims and do not have the means to push back so much or give into paying out of fear of escalation,” the woman says.
“Given the ease with which such images can now be AI-generated and apparently accepted by Airbnb despite investigations, it should not be so easy for a host to get away with forging evidence in this way.”
Airbnb said the host had been warned for violating its terms and told he would be removed if there was another similar report.
It said there would be a review into how her case was handled. “We take damage claims seriously - our specialist team reviews all available evidence to reach proportionate outcomes for both parties, and to help ensure a fair approach, decisions can be appealed," it said.
Serpil Hall, the director of economic crime at the management consultants Baringa, told The Guardian that manipulating images and videos was now “easier than ever”, and software to do so was cheap, widely available and required little skill to use.
In one recent case an insurance company found there had been an increase in false claims on vehicles and home repairs using photos that had been manipulated.
“Recently, many companies have decided images can’t be taken at face value any more [during disputes], and there is a need for forensic tools and fraud intelligence models to validate them.”
So now with car rental companies I video and photo every square inch of a car at pickup and then at drop off.
Maybe we should all do the same when we stay at Airbnb or other rental properties, where hosts have been known to claim renters did not leave the keys, or caused excessive damage.
You need to have evidence of dropping the car off, the parking spot number where you left it etc. Or time-dated images that show you left an apartment in immaculate condition and showing you have left the keys behind when you exit.
The "missing" keys are reportedly a common scam.
The host claims you lost the keys and you get charged for new locks. Or their insurance company does.
.Also beware of demands for additional fees, deposits, local taxes, or other amounts not mentioned in the listing when you check into a short-term rental property.
Be careful out there folks.
Image: Ivan Naunov, Scop.io
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