WARNING to all HOSTS! FRAUD, THEFT & DRUG USERS

WARNING to ALL HOSTS!!! FRAUD by DRUGGIES - AGAIN!!!
We have - again - fallen victim to drug users / traffickers using and abusing our property.
I am a Co-Host for my neighbour. She has a beautiful factory style warehouse apartment in Melbourne’s inner suburb in Fitzroy.
We have now experienced multiple cases of the apartment being used by Fraudsters / Drug Users for criminal purposes.

For example, just this week when the last guest checked out, I found the tell-tale signs of my neighbour’s home being used for criminal activity including drug use, Fraud and Theft.
Here is typically what we find that is indicative of what is happening:

  1. Drug paraphernalia (e.g. syringes, crystal methamphetamine glass ware, and other similar items)
  2. Stolen mail from all around the neighbourhood
  3. Dozens of cigarette butts scattered through the entire apartment
  4. Multiple pages of hand written notes detailing dozens of stolen credit card numbers
  5. Multiple pages of hand written notes detailing information about other property addresses “on their hit list” (no doubt many of YOUR HOMES are on this list!!!)
  6. The whole apartment in an absolutely filthy state (including smears across every wall and surface, blood and faeces, general filth)

On all occasions, the apartment was so appallingly dirty, it takes me days to clean.
On this occasion, cleaning took me two days to undertake.
The state of the apartment after a 4 day stay looked like an apartment not cleaned in 2 years!!
Fortunately, the apartment is robust, so there is no damage.

Here is my WARNING LIST to watch out for:

  1. No profile Photo
  2. A Profile Photo taken from a Photo ID (stolen ID that is not theirs)
  3. New to AirBNB
  4. No Previous Reviews
  5. Poor communication prior to arrival
  6. Unreachable or is difficult to reach on the phone prior to arrival

OTHER BEHAVIOURS

    • Loses * their key (they actually keep it to access the property again later)
  1. Makes a copy of your key

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • AirBNB needs to support us hosts - to mitigate risk and to protect us and our homes.
    I advocate that to do this, ….
  1. AirBNB should require Identification in Compliance with Australian AUSTRAC Standards (100 Points of ID)
  2. Home Owners are provided with material educating on the risks and mitigation strategies to minimise risk
  3. Every Guest Profile should have a minimum of 2 photos
  4. One photo should comply with International Passport Photo standards so that faces are clearly identifiable
  5. None of the photos are permitted to be extracted from ID documents

I am eager to hear from other Hosts on:

  1. Their experiences
  2. Those who would like to join me in petitioning AirBNB to implement more stringent practices that are aligned sound safety standards.

Thanks from David

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