Airbnb vacation rental scams are on the rise in Morocco. Among the victims, a good number of Moroccans living abroad (MRE).
I rented a furnished studio in Martil, Morocco for 3 days vacation at 1500 DH per night. When I got there, someone handed me the keys. In the studio, there was no toilet paper, no sheets, no blankets, no towels, no washing-up liquid, no tea towel and I’m on … , tells Hespress an MRE. She made a complaint, to no avail. “I made a complaint to Airbnb, they want proof of the absence of these elements … the worst part, right ??? therefore, they clear their customs, do not want to know anything. On the other hand, for invoicing, their service works perfectly, ”explains the vacationer.
Like her, there are many MREs who are victims of bad service from which the Airbnb site is supposed to protect them. To attract vacationers, some scammers post maddening discount announcements. Then, they ask customers to transfer the money through external, often insecure, platforms.
According to Airbnb, scams “are incredibly rare” among the 2 million people who book every day. But the testimonies nevertheless attest to the contrary.
