Many people like Airbnb because it is customizable. You can pick a place suited to your taste, whether it’s a cool Brooklyn loft or a cabin in the mountains near Denver, and enjoy your stay like a local. This flexibility, plus Airbnb’s focus on experience and stories, has helped it become a huge industry worth $87.34 billion, with over 275 million users around the globe.

But when things get this big, there are risks, especially since it’s built on trusting what you see online. Travelers pick Airbnb homes based on nice photos and reviews. Sadly, these can hide scams from fraudsters who seem real on the site, deceiving even seasoned users.

So, how do you stay safe? Here are the eight things to watch out for:

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The Ghost Listing

Here’s how it works: you get to the address and find out it doesn’t exist, is being built, or is someone’s house who doesn’t know anything about an Airbnb rental, which means the whole listing was a lie. No one wants that. So, always check your Airbnb’s address before you go. By doing this, you can see if it’s real, who owns it, and what the area is like. If something about it seems off, proceed with caution.

The Copycat Listing Scam

You find a perfect place—nice kitchen, view of the ocean, close to everything—and you book it. Then, the host cancels at the last second, saying there’s a plumbing issue (or anything else). You rush to book again, and you see the same place is still up, but with a different name and profile.

You’ve been hit by the copycat listing scam. This playbook involves cloning real listings and tweaking addresses a bit to trick people into booking outside of Airbnb or booking the same place with other users.

To avoid this scam, check the website address and see if other listings look exactly the same as the one you’re reviewing. If you find any of these, report it to Airbnb so they can get rid of them.

The Pay-Me-Directly Trick

This one is old but still works too well. A host offers you a great deal if you pay them directly, through channels like PayPal or a bank transfer. It sounds okay, right? Maybe they say Airbnb charges too much, or they want to skip taxes. But if you send them money, you might not hear from them again.

So, never pay or talk to any host outside of Airbnb because that’s where the protection stops. If something goes wrong, Airbnb can’t help you if the payment wasn’t through their site.

The Switcheroo

A good listing with a pocket-friendly price sounds great, but watch out. The place might not look anything like the photos. That cool loft might just be a basement with no windows. If you’ve traveled far, you might be stuck with a terrible place and a bad memory. You can’t turn back or get a refund.

In some cases, the host will tell you the original place is “unavailable” and take you to a worse place. At that point, you’ll be too worn out to start over. If this happens, contact Airbnb right away. You might get some sort of compensation.

The Fake Review Scam

Do you ever see listings with tons of super positive reviews that all sound practically the same? Those are likely fake reviews, especially if the listing is new. Some scammers make fake accounts to leave good reviews on their own listings to look more trustworthy. These reviews are often too perfect and don’t say anything specific about the stay. That’s a clue.

The “You Broke Something” Lie

Some hosts just want to get more money out of you. One way they do it is by saying you broke something after you leave. If you accidentally leave the water running, they will blame you for water damage and charge you for cleaning. They’ve also already told Airbnb.

Accidents happen, and some claims are real, but others are just scams. These hosts know you probably didn’t take photos before you left, so it’s your word against theirs. The fix? Take photos or a video of the place before you leave. It’s the easiest way to protect yourself.

The Identity Swap

Imagine getting to a place and the person who greets you doesn’t look like the host in the photos. They might say, “Oh, that’s my business partner” or “I’m managing it for my cousin.” You believe them, even if the real host doesn’t exist.

This is a scam, a risky one, because that place might be run by someone who isn’t accountable to Airbnb. They could steal your things, get your information, or hurt you. If the host of an Airbnb home you’ve rented doesn’t match the photos, just leave.

The Overbooking Trick

Some hosts book too many people, hoping some will cancel. The reason most of them do so is so that their homes could always have a guest, no matter what. And that means consistent cash flow, either during on- or off-peak seasons. But the problem here is that if no one cancels, you could be left without a place.

In such situations, they may offer a refund or try to move you somewhere else, often much worse. If this happens, ask Airbnb for help. They have rules to protect you, and you might get money back or a free hotel.

Conclusion

Airbnb can be great, no doubt. Some of the best travel stories from seasoned and newbie travelers alike start with a last-minute find that ends up better than any hotel. Still, don’t just trust what you see on the platform. Be on the lookout for signs that distinguish genuine listings from their fake counterparts, some of which this guide has discussed exhaustively.

Check the host, read the reviews, and confirm the address. Be nice but also be careful, because you deserve more than just a place to stay. You deserve to feel safe.