Latest news with #securityexpert
The Guardian
02-08-2025
- The Guardian
Airbnb guest says images were altered in false £12,000 damage claim
Airbnb has apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations. The London-based academic was refunded almost £4,300, and an internal review of how the case was dealt with has been launched at the short-term accommodation rental company. The incident highlights how cheap and easily available artificial intelligence software is now being used to manipulate images to give false evidence of what has happened in consumer complaints, according to one security expert. The woman, who is based in London, had booked the one-bedroom apartment in New York's Manhattan for two-and-a-half months earlier this year to stay in while she was studying, but she decided to leave early after feeling unsafe in the area. Shortly after she left, the host told Airbnb that she had caused more than £12,000 worth of damage, and submitted pictures of an apparently cracked coffee table as part of his case. His allegations included that she had stained a mattress with urine, and damaged a robot vacuum cleaner, a sofa, a microwave, a TV and an air conditioner. The woman denied any damage had been done to the apartment. She said she left it in good condition and had only two visitors during the seven weeks she stayed. A close examination of two pictures of the coffee table appears to show differences in the damage, leading the woman to believe they were digitally manipulated or generated by AI. She says the host was retaliating because she ended her tenancy early. Airbnb initially told her 'after careful review of the photos', she would have to reimburse the host a total of £5,314. She appealed against the decision. 'I informed them that I can provide testimony from an eyewitness who was with me during checkout and can attest under oath to the condition in which the property was left: clean, undamaged, and in good order,' she says. 'I also clearly demonstrated visual discrepancies in images of the same object (wooden table) provided by the host that show clear signs of fabrication.' She adds: 'These inconsistencies are simply not possible in genuine, unedited photographs of the same object. This should have immediately raised red flags and discredited the host's claims if the evidence had been reviewed with even basic scrutiny, but Airbnb not only failed to identify this obvious manipulation, they entirely ignored my explanations and clear evidence that the material was fabricated.' Five days after Guardian Money raised questions about the case with Airbnb, the woman was told it had accepted her appeal and credited her account with £500. When she then said she was not going to rebook with Airbnb again, the company offered an £854 refund – a fifth of the cost of her booking. She refused to accept this and was refunded the full cost (£4,269) of her booking, and a negative review that the host had placed on her profile was taken down. 'My concern is for future customers who may become victims of similar fraudulent claims and do not have the means to push back so much or give into paying out of fear of escalation,' the woman says. 'Given the ease with which such images can now be AI-generated and apparently accepted by Airbnb despite investigations, it should not be so easy for a host to get away with forging evidence in this way.' The man who complained about her is listed as a 'superhost' on Airbnb, which the site says is someone who is experienced and highly rated. He did not respond to a request for comment. Airbnb said he had been warned for violating its terms and told he would be removed if there was another similar report. The company told him that it could not verify the images he submitted as part of his complaint. Airbnb apologised and said there would be a review into how her case was handled. 'We take damage claims seriously – our specialist team reviews all available evidence to reach proportionate outcomes for both parties, and to help ensure a fair approach, decisions can be appealed.' Serpil Hall, the director of economic crime at the management consultants Baringa, said that manipulating images and videos was now 'easier than ever', and software to do so was cheap, widely available and required little skill to use. In one recent case an insurance company found there had been an increase in false claims on vehicles and home repairs using photos that had been manipulated. 'Recently, many companies have decided images can't be taken at face value any more [during disputes], and there is a need for forensic tools and fraud intelligence models to validate them.'
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Liverpool parade police have ‘questions to answer' over how car breached roadblock and ploughed into fans
Police have 'a lot of questions to answer' after a car is believed to have tailgated an ambulance through a roadblock at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade and ploughed into a crowd of fans, injuring 65 people. A top security expert has warned the horrifying incident should never have happened as officials faced tough questions about safety measures at Monday's event, which saw up to one million fans flock to the city's streets. A 53-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving was still being quizzed by police on Tuesday night as police scoured CCTV to work out how the car was able to breach road closures. Eleven people remain in hospital after a Ford Galaxy struck fans on Water Street, off the main parade route on The Strand, at around 6pm, leaving some trapped under the vehicle. Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said there was a roadblock in place but it was temporarily lifted for an ambulance to reach a man suffering a suspected heart attack. The people carrier is believed to have followed it inside the perimeter and onto the packed street as fans made their way to catch trains, buses and taxis home. A security expert said the horrifying incident 'could easily have been prevented' as he questioned why enhanced measures, such as anti-vehicle security barriers, were not in place. The road is understood to have been blocked by a flat-bed truck as part of council-run rolling road closures. Lee Doddridge, who has trained the UK's counter terrorism security advisors at National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and planned major events including the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010, told The Independent: 'It could have easily been prevented. 'Regardless of the circumstances, the vehicle shouldn't have been anywhere within that cordon.' He said Merseyside Police have 'a lot of questions to answer' over the incident, which is not being treated as terror-related. The force has said there were 'robust' traffic management measures in place for the parade. However, Mr Doddridge added: 'Merseyside Police commented that they had a well-managed traffic plan, but clearly it wasn't that well planned because a vehicle was able to get so close.' 'Clearly, they deployed the wrong tactics,' he added. 'They had police snipers on the rooftops, but you wouldn't have taken a shot into a crowd of tens of thousands of people, plus the area was covered in smoke from fireworks and flares. 'What they should have been doing was making sure that the area was safe for people to gather.' Liverpool City Council confirmed the road was closed to vehicles under a rolling road block, and 'Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures' were in place. Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also demanded answers to 'legitimate' questions about how the car was able to enter the area. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, AC Sims defended the policing operation during the 10-mile parade, saying they had planned for "all contingencies" - including road closures and an armed police presence. She added: "There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place." There have so far been 65 confirmed casualties, and officers are trying to identify others. Within hours of the crash, police revealed the suspect was a white British man from West Derby in Liverpool, in a move that has been described as a 'complete step change' from the response to the Southport attack, as police worked quickly to quash online disinformation about their identity. Det Chf Supt Jaundrill added: 'Our detectives are speaking to many witnesses, including those injured, witnesses at the scene and emergency responders, as we seek to get a full picture of exactly what happened. 'In addition, extensive CCTV inquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car before the incident took place.' Traumatised witness Natasha Rimaldi, 31, was watching the parade from her friend's flat on Water Street, Liverpool, when she heard 'desperate screams' from below. 'We rushed over to the window and saw injured people all over the floor,' she told The Independent. 'We heard so many screams. I will never forget seeing a woman stuck under the car. It was so distressing. She was the last person to be rescued.' Ms Rinaldi, a Liverpool FC fan for 12 years, said the collision, which injured 65 people, including four children, had 'destroyed' what was supposed to be a 'very happy day'. 'The first thing I thought was how did the driver get in,' she added. 'The roads were blocked; it was hard even to get inside as someone walking. I just don't understand how the car ended up there. 'A group of people were trying to break into the driver's car and were shouting 'get him!' It was so shocking and took us a while to understand what had happened.' Donna Skeldon, 51, and her partner Chris Wilson, 52, from the Isle of Wight, fled into a side street in terror as the car ploughed through the crowd. "I was just running in a panic," she said. "We weren't sure what was happening, but when you see so many people running, you just run for your life because you don't know what's happening.' Sir Keir Starmer said the whole country 'stands with Liverpool' as he paid tribute to victims and first responders, adding that 'scenes of joy turned to utter horror and devastation'. Princess Anne visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where 11 people remain in a stable condition. Staff who treated the wounded said they were "very, very fortunate" that there were no more injuries. Consultant Jay Rathore said: "Most of the injuries were limb injuries. No life-threatening, we were able to manage them."
