Bogus Landlord Conned £1,600 Out of Tenant in Airbnb Scam

A bogus landlord has conned a prospective tenant out of £1,600 by pretending an Airbnb property was hit to let.

Bogus Landlord Conned £1,600 Out of Tenant in Airbnb Scam

Detectives have released an image of the suspect in a bid to track him down.

The main suspect is believed to have posted an advertisement on Gumtree in September for a property in Haringey, north London.

A victim responded to the advert and was shown around the property by the bogus landlord.

The victim then transferred an advance rental payment of £1,600 to secure the property to a bank account, details of which were provided by the bogus landlord.

However, after he transferred all of the funds, all contact with the bogus landlord ceased, as he stopped replying to calls or texts.

It became apparent that access to the property had been obtained via a short-term let on Airbnb, and the bogus landlord had no authority to arrange for it to be rented out.

The tenant’s £1,600 rental payment was lost, having been paid to a mule account – controlled as a result of a stolen bank card – from which it had been withdrawn.

An investigation was then launched by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Falcon (Fraud and Linked Crime Online).

The police said: “Enquiries are ongoing to identify the person or persons who arranged or benefitted from this fraud. Officers are releasing an image of the man who showed the victim around the property at the initial viewing. This picture was taken at the property on 18^th September 2016.

“Anyone who recognises the man pictured, or has information that may assist the investigation, should call Op Falcon on 101 or contact the Met via Twitter @MetCC. To give information anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the crimestoppers-uk.org website.”

Are you aware of a bogus landlord operating in north London?