Fake - [email protected]

Unfortunately scammed today for over 3400 eur.
Everything looked genuine, through airbnb site, all the booking went automatically apart from the instructions for payment which was via wire. I even communicated with the "owner" via watsapp. Owner had great reviews etc.

When I received an email from the same "Edward" person below that my funds were not received, I thought that the emails was in bad English and very different font etc. Not very professional at all, I searched the name and found this site.

I called aibnb directly and they told me they don't have my registration, owner name (which was someone called "Ingrid", money, invoice, flat with the address I was supposed to rent for 2 months etc.

I watsapp the owner and I realized that she is gone from my list, so obviouslly blocked me before I could save the texts.

It s obvious that the scammers copied the site and changed the hyperlinks but now, what can we do.
I called the airbnb and the call center person didn't seem interested that someone is copying their site. So here we are.
Going to the bank tomorrow hoping for a trace of that bank in Italy. Below are the details in case someone else had the same.
Just terrible.
How can this still happen after the scam was exposed last year?

'''''''''''''''''''''''

Pay within 24 hours by Bank Transfer for we can validate your reservation. Pay within 24 hours by Bank Transfer for we can validate your reservation.
Use our Airbnb Broker account below so you can pay for your reservation. Airbnb has has financial headquarters in Italy, payment must be processed through our Italy Bank account.
1. Send the payment using the following broker details:
Account name – Angel Raul Baquero Angel Raul Baquero Bank address – Viale Fulvio Testi 250 20126 Milano, Italy Viale Fulvio Testi 250 20126 Milano, Italy Bank name – ING ING Bank Bank Account number / IBAN – IT21T0347501605CC0011743541 IT21T0347501605CC0011743541 BIC/SWIFT – INGBITD1XXX INGBITD1XXX
FOR FOR A A FAST FAST TRANSACTION TRANSACTION PAY PAY BY BY ONLINE ONLINE BANK BANK TRANSFER TRANSFER. . (noted MB)
We ask that you complete the above payment within the next 24 hours. Amount to be We ask that you complete the above payment within the next 24 hours. Amount to be sent – €3.540 sent – €3.540
2. After sending your transfer, scan or photograph a copy of transfer receipt and sent it to AIRBNB AIRBNB DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF OF PAYMENT PAYMENT ([email protected]) for we can validate your reservation. Please note that we must receive your email with receipt before we request confirmation from our local bank.
*When you rent a property using our services and the payment is made to our Bank Account or to one of our Airbnb Broker Agents you are fully covered by our Payment Protection Policy, such as cancellation policies and the Guests Refund Policy.

UPDATE!
We got the money back straight from the scammers. How and why, I have no idea but we did have return fees back on the account. They even sent a watsapp to ask if we got the money back.
I thought it was worth to let you know that it is possible.

[AlanJones]

Unfortunately you are likely to have more problems coming to you. Scammers never use their own money, so your "refund" was probably sent to you by another victim or from a hacked bank account. If that is the case then it will be your details that the other victim passes to the authorities.

Thank you.
I will check this immediately.
Interesting thing is that the original "landlady" still sends me watsapp messages asking if I want another flat.
Very strange.

[AlanJones]

The other possibility is that the transfer failed (or the account was frozen and your funds returned) and it was the banks that returned your money and the scammer is hoping to be able to carry on the scam.

Your bank should be able to tell you whether the money was returned due to a failed transfer or whether it was actually transferred into your account by someone else.

Thank you again.
The "landlady" has a fake profile on FB and Google+ and still asks if I want a flat and she will send me the "correct" link. And I know now that the landlady is not a landlady but a man called David George. I searched for this name here and I saw that some other people dealt with this person. So it appears that this is an organized operation.

Thanks.

The other possibility is that the transfer failed (or the account was frozen and your funds returned) and it was the banks that returned your money and the scammer is hoping to be able to carry on the scam.

Your bank should be able to tell you whether the money was returned due to a failed transfer or whether it was actually transferred into your account by someone else.

Thank you. Luckily, the bank had returned the money because the account in Italy is already under investigation so someone before us had reported it. But the "owners" are still contacting us and offering properties. Very strange, knowing that the money was intercepted. It is so difficult to trust any rental sites now.

Can you please forward to me the emails from the fake landlord?

Also any phone numbers.