SureCloud Operations Director (Cybersecurity) Luke Potter feature on BBC’s Watchdog (Series 41, Episode 6) which aired on 05 June 2019 on BBC One.
Steph McGovern, Matt Allwright and Nikki Fox hold more big names to account for letting customers down. SureCloud’s Luke was there to discuss scammers targeting Airbnb users from a cybersecurity perspective.
The episode featured real-life victims of the scam such as…
John Otton, who booked a Skiing chalet using Airbnb for a family holiday, only realising they had been scammed when they arrived. The post was fake! The photos featured on the fraudulent post had been stolen from the local estate agents site. John and his family were conned out of a shocking €4,000, this didn’t include the extra €7,000 he had to pay for last minute alternative accommodation for him and his family of nine.
The episode also shows how scammers can target your own home, with crooks posting people’s homes as guesthouses. Abigail Jones had unsuspecting tourists turning up at her door, expecting a room for the night.
SureCloud’s Luke Potter discussed the problem with presenter Nikki Fox. Although users have to verify their identity using photo ID, they do not check the hosts’ identity. Here lies the route of the problem.