She rented an Airbnb in London that did not exist

Rental scam · Instagram · United Kingdom

I found the place through a link sent on Instagram after I posted that I was looking for a short stay in London. The account looked clean, not spammy, and the person answered quickly with photos, reviews and a very normal explanation about why the booking was cheaper outside official platforms.

That was the trap.

She kept saying Airbnb was taking too much commission and that if I sent the deposit directly, she would block the dates for me. The photos looked real, the messages were calm and she never pushed too hard, which actually made it feel safer. I paid the deposit. Two days later the listing was gone, the account had changed name and the “host” stopped answering completely.

I later found the same apartment photos on a real property site under a totally different agency. So it was never her flat, never her listing and probably not even her identity.