The rental platform Airbnb was tricked by popular YouTube duo Josh Pieters and Archie Manners. Men placed an advertisement for a dazzling 18th century mansion, but this one was, in fact, a disappointment. One man was allowed to personally experience this. With the trick, Archie and Josh want to prove that Airbnb is vulnerable to fraud.
High ceilings, beautiful moldings, plush stairs, leather chairs, four poster beds, several fireplaces … the reservations poured in immediately, and in no time the boys had 2,500 euros in reservations in their account. Among those reservations was Simon, who wanted to spend the night at home with a co-worker.
However, upon Simon’s arrival, there was no shortening in the distance. Josh and Archie meet the men, and quickly tell them the truth: The house never existed. But where did these beautiful pictures come from? From a doll, it turns out.
Return the money
Furniture, fireplace, stairs …: everything in the photos is actually scaled down. With the false advertisement, Josh and Archie wanted to test whether Airbnb would notice it was a scam. The American company says it is doing its best to combat such practices. But the YouTuber doll, which was on a fake account of one of their mothers, managed to easily bypass all the security checks. However, they did hide some evidence in the photos. Compared to the proportions of the furniture, their giant faces could be seen in the mirror and they also put some “normal” things in the house, like a bottle of water. However, neither Airbnb nor the people who booked anything.
The duo received a dozen reservations, but in the end just let Simon come to the address (which was actually just one of the boys’ address). Seems mean, but that’s not far from the truth. In the video, you can see that Simon and his colleague not only get their money back, but are also offered a one-night stay in a five-star hotel. Josh and Archie also meticulously returned money from the other victims.
Check out the full story below.
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