I Sent ₺20,000 Outside Airbnb to a Host and Now She’s Gone Silent

I booked what I thought was a legitimate property through the Airbnb app and started talking to a woman named M* who claimed to be the host. Unfortunately, she convinced us to send money outside the Airbnb platform—₺8,000 as a deposit and another ₺12,000 for an invoice, totaling ₺20,000.

After we sent the payment, we found out the property actually belongs to someone else, and now we can’t reach her. We've tried calling the number she gave us, but there’s been no response. She’s completely disappeared.

Airbnb, we are urgently asking for your help. This scam happened in connection with a listing on your platform, and although the payment was made externally, your system connected us to this person. You have a responsibility to vet your hosts and protect your users from fraud like this.