Airbnb and State Police Launch Crackdown on Summer Booking Scams

Airbnb and Italy’s State Police (Polizia di Stato) have renewed their partnership to launch a public awareness campaign aimed at preventing scams related to summer accommodation bookings. The initiative targets Italian travellers with seven practical tips for booking safely and an “offender profile”, with particular focus on the “ghost house” scam and the growing use of artificial intelligence to generate fake listings and content. The campaign is active ahead of the summer season and involves both law enforcement and Airbnb’s Italy operations team to encourage checks and prompt reporting.

The campaign outlines how fraud works, from listings using stolen photos and prices to requests for bank transfers or payments outside the platform, as well as the increasing use of deepfake profiles and videos that make it harder to distinguish real from fake offers. It says the most affected group is young people aged 18–24, while those over 65 account for less than 5% of cases. Suggested measures include verifying the URL, refusing suspicious links, paying only through official methods, and communicating exclusively via the platform; State Police Postale director Ivano Gabrielli urged users to stay cautious, while Airbnb Italy Country Manager Matteo Sarzana highlighted payment protections and monitoring that in 2024 led to the removal of more than 3,200 phishing domains worldwide.
Italian Version