How did you become aware of the existence of a false advertisement on Leboncoin, which contains the characteristics of your property?
At the beginning of 2022, a customer contacted me on the Airbnb platform because he did not understand: the gîte was full on Airbnb but turned out to be available on Leboncoin…
How did you become aware of the existence of a false advertisement on Leboncoin, which contains the characteristics of your property?
At the beginning of 2022, a customer contacted me on the Airbnb platform because he did not understand: the gîte was full on Airbnb but turned out to be available on Leboncoin. He sent me the link. Then I noticed that there was a second ad posted on Leboncoin that matched mine with the exact same pictures. With the difference that on mine the description is very long, and it was a line and a half.
“The scam was very well put together, extremely well done, anyone could be fooled”
Was it some kind of blatant scam or did it “work”?
The scam was very well put together, extremely well done, anyone could be fooled. We pretended to be interested tenants to see and get directions. His posts were not misspelled or riddled with spelling mistakes. He also sent additional photos of the cottage he stole from other booking sites (the ad is on several platforms, Airbnb, Abritel, Leboncoin, etc., editor’s note). The contract had the exact coordinates of the property implying that he made a location on Google Earth as I never mentioned the exact address.
But there were a few more little things that could raise awareness. He messaged in the morning but said good evening. When we asked if the house was available, he answered yes, even though we had deliberately not put a date on it. He sent us additional photos when we didn’t ask. That may be why people contacted me as it didn’t seem quite clear to them.
Zélie Minvielle filed a complaint with the gendarmerie.
Isabelle Louvier/ “Southwest”
What were your measures to get this scam removed?
After the first warning, I immediately reported the announcement and tried to contact Leboncoin. They never contacted me but removed the ad. Except two weeks later this false announcement came back. And there, as much as I reported, reported… The announcement remained the same until mid-March. When you call the number 01 it is a voicemail explaining that the whole procedure is done online, you can never contact them. I lodged a complaint with the gendarmerie, who told me that they were handling several files on the same type of case. I haven’t heard from you since.
Did you feel a sense of powerlessness?
Terrible frustration. It’s from when I left a message on the Facebook group “Hossegor Crew”, to ask if other people had already encountered this kind of scam that the situation was unblocked. Media asked me to testify and miraculously the ad was removed after the broadcast on France 3 and France Bleu. But Leboncoin never contacted me. I’m really mad at them.
“My panic would be to see people disembark this summer because they would have booked at the time of the scam”
Have you still decided to leave your ad?
Some people said to me, “You have to take it off.” But on the contrary! When people see two similar ads, they will wonder. The scam announcement in mid-August brought a price to 1,750 euros per week for a 14-person gte. If you know the prices of the summer, it can put the flea in the ear. Especially since this scam offered the same prices in March and August. I left my ad warning big and bold in the description: “A fraudulent ad is circulating.”
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Have you had feedback from people who have been scammed?
