A TEEN was left in tears after working endless overtime to pay almost £1,000 for her dream home on ‘Airbnb’ – but it was all a scam.
Courtney Parker, 18, spotted the “perfect” one-bedroom studio on Facebook Marketplace – clicking on a link that appeared to take her to Airbnb.
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The 18-year-old was asked for £983 – made up of a £480 security deposit, £480 first month’s rent and £23 ‘Airbnb service charge’ – to secure the flat, which boasted a balcony with views across Leeds city centre skyline.
When the payment failed using the ‘Airbnb’ link, the scammer convinced her to bank transfer the cash to their ‘business account’ instead.
The pam.ent was then followed up with a “legitimate-looking Airbnb confirmation email.”
But when the doggy daycare assistant and her boyfriend Kaden Walker turned up at the apartment to see it for the first time and collect their keys, the ‘landlord’ never turned up.
A security guard for the building informed the young couple that they had likely been scammed – as he’d seen multiple people turn up for an apartment on the 16th floor to have the same thing happen to them.
With nowhere to live, the pair were forced to move back in with family members separately.
They are now speaking out to warn…
