Airbnb urges holidaymakers to be vigilant amid AI-generated image scams
Airbnb has urged holidaymakers to be vigilant amid the potential for AI-generated images of holiday properties to be mistaken for the real thing.
Research from Airbnb and Get Safe Online said that scams related to booking holidays were among the most common types of fraud in the UK, just behind credit card fraud and phishing scams.
Alongside that, the holiday rental company said AI and social media were causing additional problems for consumers.
In a survey, 68% of those asked said they were confident they could spot a fake advert for a holiday.
This was despite the fact that nearly two-thirds were unable to spot AI-generated images of holiday properties when they were shown.
Airbnb said it was publishing the figures to coincide with what its data says is now the busiest window for booking Easter breaks.
In response, the property rental firm has issued a range of safety tips alongside Get Safe Online to help people avoid holiday scams.
Tips offered included urging users to never click on unexpected links, always report suspected scams and be wary of unusually cheap deals or high deposits.
It also encourages users to avoid paying for trips by direct bank transfer, stick to trusted platforms to book and pay and ensure their online accounts are secure with a strong password and multifactor authentication.
Amanda Cupples, general manager of UK and Northern Europe for Airbnb, said: 'As people look to plan their Easter break, holidaymakers should remain vigilant when browsing for their trips.
'New technologies are fast emerging and using trusted platforms to book, pay and communicate is the best way to beat potential fraudsters.
Recommended reading:
Rightmove reveals the two best months for people to put their home up for sale
This DIY mistake could ruin your home as Brits issued warning by home experts
The countries you can travel to with less than six months left on your passport
'We have safeguards in place to protect stays booked on Airbnb, including secure payment processes and support measures like AirCover.'
Get Safe Online chief executive, Tony Neate, said: 'As you seek out deals when securing your hard-earned break away, as the research shows, this year it's more important than ever to stay alert when it comes to booking a holiday.
'When it comes to payment, always pay on a trusted platform, which will provide better protection than parting with your money to someone you don't know. And trust your instincts – if a deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Atlantic
3 hours ago
- Atlantic
Where Is Barack Obama?
Last month, while Donald Trump was in the Middle East being gifted a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar, Barack Obama headed off on his own foreign excursion: a trip to Norway, in a much smaller and more tasteful jet, to visit the summer estate of his old friend King Harald V. Together, they would savor the genteel glories of Bygdøyveien in May. They chewed over global affairs and the freshest local salmon, which had been smoked on the premises and seasoned with herbs from the royal garden. Trump has begun his second term with a continuous spree of democracy-shaking, economy-quaking, norm-obliterating action. And Obama, true to form, has remained carefully above it all. He picks his spots, which seldom involve Trump. In March, he celebrated the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and posted his annual NCAA basketball brackets. In April, he sent out an Easter message and mourned the death of the pope. In May, he welcomed His Holiness Pope Leo XIV ('a fellow Chicagoan') and sent prayers to Joe Biden following his prostate-cancer diagnosis. No matter how brazen Trump becomes, the most effective communicator in the Democratic Party continues to opt for minimal communication. His 'audacity of hope' presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement. Obama occasionally dips into politics with brief and unmemorable statements, or sporadic fundraising emails (subject: 'Barack Obama wants to meet you. Yes you.'). He praised his law-school alma mater, Harvard, for 'rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt' by the White House 'to stifle academic freedom.' He criticized a Republican bill that would threaten health care for millions. He touted a liberal judge who was running for a crucial seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. When called upon, he can still deliver a top-notch campaign spiel, donor pitch, convention speech, or eulogy. Beyond that, Obama pops in with summer and year-end book, music, and film recommendations. He recently highlighted a few articles about AI and retweeted a promotional spot for Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds, a new Netflix documentary from his and Michelle's production company. (Michelle also has a fashion book coming out later this year: 'a celebration of confidence, identity, and authenticity,' she calls it.) Apparently, Barack is a devoted listener of The Ringer 's Bill Simmons Podcast, or so he told Jimmy Kimmel over dinner. In normal times, no one would deny Obama these diversions. He performed the world's most stressful job for eight years, served his country, made his history, and deserved to kick back and do the usual ex-president things: start a foundation, build a library, make unspeakable amounts of money. But the inevitable Trump-era counterpoint is that these are not normal times. And Obama's detachment feels jarringly incongruous with the desperation of his longtime admirers—even more so given Trump's assaults on what Obama achieved in office. It would be one thing if Obama had disappeared after leaving the White House, maybe taking up painting like George W. Bush. The problem is that Obama still very much has a public profile—one that screams comfort and nonchalance at a time when so many other Americans are terrified. 'There are many grandmas and Rachel Maddow viewers who have been more vocal in this moment than Barack Obama has,' Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, told me. 'It is heartbreaking,' he added, 'to see him sacrificing that megaphone when nobody else quite has it.' People who have worked with Obama since he left office say that he is extremely judicious about when he weighs in. 'We try to preserve his voice so that when he does speak, it has impact,' Eric Schultz, a close adviser to Obama in his post-presidency, told me. 'There is a dilution factor that we're very aware of.' 'The thing you don't want to do is, you don't want to regularize him,' former Attorney General Eric Holder, a close Obama friend and collaborator, told me. When I asked Holder what he meant by 'regularize,' he explained that there was a danger of turning Obama into just another hack commentator—' Tuesdays With Barack, or something like that,' Holder said. Like many of Obama's confidants, Holder bristles at suggestions that the former president has somehow deserted the Trump opposition. 'Should he do more? Everybody can have their opinions,' Holder said. 'The one thing that always kind of pisses me off is when people say he's not out there, or that he's not doing things, that he's just retired and we never hear from him. If you fucking look, folks, you would see that he's out there.' From the April 2016 issue: The Obama doctrine Obama's aides also say that he is loath to overshadow the next generation of Democratic leaders. They emphasize that he spends a great deal of time speaking privately with candidates and officials who seek his advice. But unfortunately for Democrats, they have not found their next fresh generational sensation since Obama was elected 17 years ago (Joe Biden obviously doesn't count). Until a new leader emerges, Obama could certainly take on a more vocal role without 'regularizing' himself in the lowlands of Trump-era politics. Obama remains the most popular Democrat alive at a time of historic unpopularity for his party. Unlike Biden, he appears not to have lost a step, or three. Unlike with Bill Clinton, his voice remains strong and his baggage minimal. Unlike both Biden and Clinton, he is relatively young and has a large constituency of Americans who still want to hear from him, including Black Americans, young voters, and other longtime Democratic blocs that gravitated toward Trump in November. 'Should Obama get out and do more? Yes, please,' Tracy Sefl, a Democratic media consultant in Chicago, told me. 'Help us,' she added. 'We're sinking over here.' Obama's conspicuous scarcity while Trump inflicts such damage isn't just a bad look. It's a dereliction of the message that he built his career on. When Obama first ran for president in 2008, his former life as a community organizer was central to his message. His campaign was not merely for him, but for civic action itself—the idea of Americans being invested in their own change. Throughout his time in the White House, he emphasized that 'citizen' was his most important title. After he left office in 2017, Obama said that he would work to inspire and develop the next cohort of leaders, which is essentially the mission of his foundation. It would seem a contradiction for him to say that he's devoting much of his post-presidency to promoting civic engagement when he himself seems so disengaged. To some degree, patience with Obama began wearing thin when he was still in office. His approval ratings sagged partway through his second term (before rebounding at the end). The rollout of the Affordable Care Act in 2013 was a fiasco, and the midterm elections of 2014 were a massacre. Obama looked powerless as Republicans in Congress ensured that he would pass no major legislation in his second term and blocked his nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. 'Obama, out,' the president said in the denouement of his last comedy routine at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, in 2016. In Obama lore, this mic-drop moment would instantly become famous—and prophetic. After Trump's first victory, Obama tried to reassure supporters that this was merely a setback. 'I don't believe in apocalyptic—until the apocalypse comes,' he said in an interview with The New Yorker. Insofar as Obama talked about how he imagined his post-presidency, he was inclined to disengage from day-to-day politics. At a press conference in November 2016, Obama said that he planned to 'take Michelle on vacation, get some rest, spend time with my girls, and do some writing, do some thinking.' He promised to give Trump the chance to do his job 'without somebody popping off in every instance.' But in that same press conference, he also allowed that if something arose that raised 'core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it's necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then I'll examine it when it comes.' That happened almost immediately. A few days after vowing in his inaugural address to end the 'American carnage' that he was inheriting, Trump signed an executive order banning foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The so-called Muslim travel ban would quickly be blocked by the courts, but not before sowing chaos at U.S. points of entry. Obama put out a brief statement through a spokesperson ('the president fundamentally disagrees with the notion of discriminating against individuals because of their faith or religion'), and went on vacation. Trump's early onslaught made clear that Obama's ex-presidency would prove far more complicated than previous ones. And Obama's taste for glamorous settings and famous company—Richard Branson, David Geffen, George Clooney—made for a grating contrast with the turmoil back home. 'Just tone it down with the kitesurfing pictures,' John Oliver, the host of HBO's Last Week Tonight, said of Obama in an interview with Seth Meyers less than a month after the president left office. 'America is on fire,' Oliver added. 'I know that people accused him of being out of touch with the American people during his presidency. I'm not sure he's ever been more out of touch than he is now.' Oliver's spasm foreshadowed a rolling annoyance that continued as Trump's presidency wore on: that Obama was squandering his power and influence. 'Oh, Obama is still tweeting good tweets. That's very nice of him,' the anti-Trump writer Drew Magary wrote in a Medium column titled 'Where the Hell Is Barack Obama?' in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. 'I'm sick of Obama staying above the fray while that fray is swallowing us whole.' Obama did insert himself in the 2024 election, reportedly taking an aggressive behind-the-scenes role last summer in trying to nudge Biden out of the race. He delivered a showstopper speech at the Democratic National Convention and campaigned several times for Kamala Harris in the fall. But among longtime Obama admirers I've spoken with, frustration with the former president has built since Trump returned to office. While campaigning for Harris last year, Obama framed the stakes of the election in terms of a looming catastrophe. 'These aren't ordinary times, and these are not ordinary elections,' he said at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. Yet now that the impact is unfolding in the most pernicious ways, Obama seems to be resuming his ordinary chill and same old bits. Green, of the Progressive Change Institute, told me that when Obama put out his March Madness picks this year, he texted Schultz, the Obama adviser. 'Have I missed him speaking up in other places recently?' Green asked him. 'He did not respond to that.' (Schultz confirmed to me that he ignored the message but vowed to be 'more responsive to Adam Green's texts in the future.') Being a former president is inherently tricky: The role is ill-defined, and peripheral by definition. Part of the trickiness is how an ex-president can remain relevant, if he wants to. This is especially so given the current president. 'I don't know that anybody is relevant in the Trump era,' Mark Updegrove, a presidential historian and head of the LBJ Foundation, told me. Updegrove, who wrote a book called Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House, said that Trump has succeeded in creating a reality in which every president who came before is suspect. 'All the standard rules of being an ex-president are no longer applicable,' he said. Still, Obama never presented himself as a 'standard rules' leader. This was the idea that his political rise was predicated on—that change required bold, against-the-grain thinking and uncomfortable action. Clearly, Obama still views himself this way, or at least still wants to be perceived this way. (A few years ago, he hosted a podcast with Bruce Springsteen called Renegades.) From the July 1973 issue: The last days of the president Stepping into the current political melee would not be an easy or comfortable role for Obama. He represents a figure of the past, which seems more and more like the ancient past as the Trump era crushes on. He is a notably long-view guy, who has spent a great deal of time composing a meticulous account of his own narrative. 'We're part of a long-running story,' Obama said in 2014. 'We just try to get our paragraph right.' Or thousands of paragraphs, in his case: The first installment of Obama's presidential memoir, A Promised Land, covered 768 pages and 29 hours of audio. No release date has been set for the second volume. But this might be one of those times for Obama to take a break from the long arc of the moral universe and tend to the immediate crisis. Several Democrats I've spoken with said they wish that Obama would stop worrying so much about the 'dilution factor.' While Democrats struggle to find their next phenom, Obama could be their interim boss. He could engage regularly, pointing out Trump's latest abuses. He did so earlier this spring, during an onstage conversation at Hamilton College. He was thoughtful, funny, and sounded genuinely aghast, even angry. He could do these public dialogues much more often, and even make them thematic. Focus on Trump's serial violations of the Constitution one week (recall that Obama once taught constitutional law), the latest instance of Trump's naked corruption the next. Blast out the most scathing lines on social media. Yes, it might trigger Trump, and create more attention than Obama evidently wants. But Trump has shown that ubiquity can be a superpower, just as Biden showed that obscurity can be ruinous. People would notice. Democrats love nothing more than to hold up Obama as their monument to Republican bad faith. Can you imagine if Obama did this? some Democrat will inevitably say whenever Trump does something tacky, cruel, or blatantly unethical (usually before breakfast). Obama could lean into this hypocrisy—tape recurring five-minute video clips highlighting Trump's latest scurrilous act and title the series 'Can You Imagine If I Did This?' Or another idea—an admittedly far-fetched one. Trump has decreed that a massive military parade be held through the streets of Washington on June 14. This will ostensibly celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary, but it also happens to fall on Trump's 79th birthday. The parade will cost an estimated $45 million, including $16 million in damage to the streets. (Can you imagine if Obama did this?) The spectacle cries out for counterprogramming. Obama could hold his own event, in Washington or somewhere nearby. It would get tons of attention and drive Trump crazy, especially if it draws a bigger crowd. Better yet, make it a parade, or 'citizen's march,' something that builds momentum as it goes, the former president and community organizer leading on foot. This would be the renegade move. Few things would fire up Democrats like a head-to-head matchup between Trump and Obama. If nothing else, it would be fun to contemplate while Democrats keep casting about for their long-delayed future. 'The party needs new rising stars, and they need the room to figure out how to meet this moment, just like Obama figured out how to meet the moment 20 years ago,' Jon Favreau, a co-host of Pod Save America and former director of speechwriting for the 44th president, told me. 'Unless, of course, Trump tries to run for a third term, in which case I'll be begging Obama to come out of retirement.'
Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
Real estate investors say mid-term rentals are the 'sweet spot,' offering a way around Airbnb red tape and more cash flow than long-term rentals
When the COVID pandemic erased virtually all of Zeona McIntyre's Airbnb bookings, she found a solution in mid-term rentals. "I was really open to doing whatever I needed to get my properties rented," the Colorado-based property investor told Business Insider. She started listing her properties on Furnished Finder, which is geared toward traveling professionals and specializes in 30-day plus stays, and was surprised by the hit rate and relative ease of the process. "I realized there are tons of people looking all the time for longer stays — and longer stays are kind of awesome because people don't need as much from you. They're OK to go buy their own toilet paper and change the batteries because they're living there." What started as an attempt to combat Airbnb vacancies evolved into her preferred rental strategy. "My bread-and-butter is these mid-term rentals," said McIntyre, who is the author of " 30-Day Stay." "I want a longer tenant in there, and I don't want to have to think about it for three months." Massachusetts-based investor Dana Bull also pivoted to mid-term rentals, but for a different reason: to withstand rising interest rates. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate surged to 8% in 2023 and lingered in the 6s and 7s in 2024. Higher interest rates mean higher monthly payments, which can eat into an investor's cash flow. Bull has been renting to long-term tenants for more than a decade, but to make the numbers work on her most recent acquisition, a charming single-family home she found in 2023 and couldn't pass up, she turned to mid-term rentals, which she says are more time-intensive, but also more profitable. The 'sweet spot' of rentals Real estate investors tend to agree that, while long-term rentals can produce consistent, relatively passive income, these leases generate less revenue a month compared to short-term rentals. However, short-term rental properties present unique challenges, such as constant tenant turnover, managing multiple bookings, and ever-evolving country-specific rules and regulations. Then, there are mid-term rentals — or, the "sweet spot" of real-estate investing, according to McIntyre — which are properties listed for longer than 30 days but less than a year. In her experience, they're "a whole different vibe from short-term rentals and way less stressful." One major stressor she faced in hosting on Airbnb and VRBO was the evolving rules around permits and licenses. "Short-term rentals have been under scrutiny, and the ever-tightening regulations are constantly changing," she said. "But there is sort of this magic number that, as soon as a listing is over 30 days, these rentals get classified into a long-term rental bucket and then you don't have the extra taxes or have to have a short-term rental permit." That was a contributing factor in Manny Reyna's decision to incorporate mid-term rentals into his overall strategy. "Within San Antonio, you need an STR permit through the city," said Reyna, who rents two single-family homes and two tiny homes in the San Antonio metro. "The permit is $450 just to apply, and you have to pay county taxes and city taxes on the revenue. It's called a hotel tax, and it's really high." However, if you're listing a 30-day stay, "you don't necessarily have to worry about the STR taxes," said Reyna. "It's a little bit of a loophole, if you will. It's also a good middle ground, because the cash flow is higher than long-term rentals." That said, hosting mid-term stays will require upfront work. You're catering to a completely different customer, and leasing can be a challenge because mid-term rentals are less mainstream, explained Bull. "If you want a long-term rental, you know you're going to be on Zillow or work with a real-estate agent. If you want a short-term rental, you also have set channels: You have Airbnb, Vrbo." The equivalent for mid-term rentals is Furnished Finder, "but it's not very well known, and it's not nearly as big as something like Airbnb," she said. A hybrid approach While Reyna prefers mid-term tenants, he wants to cater to a broad customer base and still lists his properties on Airbnb, VRBO, Hipcamp, and Facebook Marketplace when there's a gap between mid-term tenants. "I try to do a shotgun approach to see who's going to bite first," he said. Seattle-based investor Peter Keane-Rivera also uses a hybrid model for his 70s-themed " Groovy Guest House," which he initially listed exclusively as a short-term vacation rental. He enjoys the work that goes into managing a short-term rental — "it does allow you to provide a unique service and really to have control over the quality of that service," he said — but offering 30-plus day stays will generate more consistent revenue during the slow season when people are traveling less. "In the summertime, it pulls in a lot — in June and July, I made almost $5,000 on a one-bedroom in the outskirts of Seattle," he said, referring to the Airbnb income. "But in the wintertime, there are lower margins. I'd rather get something closer to market rent rates, not have to worry about it for four to five months during the slowest seasons, and then spin it back up for spring, summer, and fall to maximize the return." Toggling between short- and mid-term rentals is "a real asset," he said, adding that if he expands to a second Airbnb unit, he'd use the same strategy. "For eight months out of the year, I'd run it as an Airbnb and then during the low season, run it as a mid-term rental."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
IN PICTURES: A peek inside two of Cornwall's quirkiest homes currently for sale
Property website Rightmove has highlighted five unique homes that are up for sale, and among them are two different properties in Cornwall – one a futuristic underground coastal home, the other an entire miniature village complete with its own house. While there are plenty of properties of all shapes and sizes for sale in the UK right now, Rightmove has been 'stopped in its tracks' by several unique and widely different premises. Let's take a closer look at the two unique Cornish properties now on the market: The Hideout in Mawgan Porth is a home that must be seen to be believed. The Hideout, Mawgan Porth (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) Featuring a sea-view terrace and topped with a grass-covered roof garden, this unique four-bedroom and underground dwelling is on the market for £2,400,000. The ultimate space, the main lounge, is encased in glass, creating a bright, sunny hub with an unusually shaped ceiling that adds a touch of drama. The main lounge also features a wood-burning stove, and polished concrete floors run throughout. The stunning kitchen (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) The kitchen has wood panelling overhead, complemented by a separate utility room for convenience. However, the true secret of The Hideout is tucked away at the basement level. Here, a subterranean games room and separate cinema room create an oh-so-cool setting for hours of entertainment. The space features neon lights, exposed brickwork, a drinks fridge, and a pool table. Dining room/living room (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) The quirky design extends into the four bedrooms. The master suite offers ocean views directly from the bed and its hanging chair and features an industrial-style en-suite with a 'hidden' bathtub. Another double bedroom and family bathroom are located nearby, while a third en-suite double, complete with a raised sleeping area for one, is found up a small flight of stairs. Bedroom with patio doors (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) The fourth bedroom is perfect for young children with its own climbing wall and indoor slide, as well as an en-suite shower room. A bedroom perfect for young ones (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) Outside, the elevated roof garden looks out across rolling green hills and crashing waves below. For al fresco dining, the lower courtyard is the perfect spot, complete with a cedar-clad hot tub and a handy outdoor shower for those sandy returns from the beach. Perfect for those summer evenings (Image: Jackie Stanley Estate Agents) There is also undercover parking for three vehicles. To find out more about this stunning property, visit For the first time in many years, the Model Village in the heart of Polperro is on the market for £710,000. The intricate and impressive model village of Polperro includes dozens of houses, shops, its own harbour and even a mini model village. (Image: Carla Jones Estate Agents) This intricate and impressive model village, a 1/24 scale replica of Polperro itself, was originally constructed in the early 1950s by Jim Beddoes. It boasts dozens of houses, shops, a church, a scenic harbour, and even its own mini model village within the village. For more than 70 years, visitors and locals have enjoyed this quirky attraction in the South East Cornwall fishing village. The model village has been visited by guests for years (Image: Carla Jones Estate Agents) Alongside the model village is the 'Land of Legends', a miniature showcase where Cornish folklore is brought to life through lights, sound and animation. The sale includes a well-presented three-bedroom home, The Old Forge. The owner's accommodation features a downstairs shower room, with stairs leading to two bedrooms, both with clever mezzanine landings for extra space. The living room/dining/kitchen area (Image: Carla Jones Estate Agents) A large 22-foot dining and sitting room boasts a multi-fuel burner set in a stone fireplace, leading to an impressive kitchen with a vaulted ceiling. The master suite is a real treat with steps leading down to a private dressing room. From the dining room, a patio door opens onto a lovely sun terrace. Main bedroom (Image: Carla Jones Estate Agents) Other homes highlighted include a converted windmill in West End, Kirkbymoorside, a home with a soundproof garden in Hill Crescent, Surbiton, and a Grade II-listed windmill in Nottinghamshire. More information on this fascinating home can be found by visiting
