A Los Angeles-based Airbnb scammer has been accused of allegedly double-booking nearly 100 properties across the United States, as well as properties that don’t exist, and then denying refunds to guests.
Shray Goel was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to an indictment filed Thursday.
The alleged scammer concocted a nationwide Airbnb scam in which he double-booked clients at nearly 100 rental properties across the country, making about $7 million in profits, Court Watch and 404 Media reported.
Goel’s indictment alleges that between January 2018 and November 2019, he and others who worked for him contacted tenants to inform them that their property was unavailable, often just minutes before they were scheduled to check in.
Goel would then offer to rebook those guests into an upgraded property free of charge, before housing the tenants in “inferior replacements.”
Prosecutors argued that Goel “profited from the scheme by organizing a secret bidding war to rent properties to the highest bidder.”
Shray Goel was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. RightFramePhotoVideo – stock.adobe.com
Goel is also accused of denying refunds to guests who were entitled to them, using pseudonyms and adopting false identities to list his properties. He also sometimes booked guests at rental properties that didn’t exist, according to the indictment.
The alleged scam primarily involved properties in Los Angeles, Malibu and Marina del Rey, as well as several locations in the United States, including Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The scammer also operated on Vrbo, according to prosecutors, who said he made $1.5 million on the platform before being banned in 2015.
The scammer allegedly double-booked guests at nearly 100 rental properties across the United States. ink drop – stock.adobe.com The alleged scammer would reportedly cancel guests’ reservations minutes before their arrival. USDC Central District of California
A Vice investigation named Goel in the alleged scam in 2019, although an arrest warrant was not filed until Dec. 28, according to 404 Media.
Goel appeared to address the controversy in a since-deleted Twitter account, which featured his name and a photo of Goel that Vice had previously used in an article about the scam.
“Yesterday was an incredibly hard day for me. While I cannot speak publicly about the circumstances, I was heading to my condo feeling sorry for myself,” Goel wrote in the now-deleted post.
“This somber scene instantly put my own problems into perspective, reminding me of the deeper struggles others face,” his message added, before concluding: “stay strong.”
Airbnb told the outlet in a statement: “Airbnb is built on trust and bad actors have no place in our community. “We support the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI throughout their investigation to help ensure accountability, and we thank them for their work.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn