The Airbnb Bamboozler with Lamar Woods

Summary

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Scam Goddess - Episode Summary

Episode Title: The Airbnb Bamboozler with Lamar Woods

Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Lamar Woods
Date: November 12, 2019

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Episode Overview

In this lively and hilarious episode of Scam Goddess, host Laci Mosley welcomes comedian and writer Lamar Woods for a deep dive into scams they've encountered, culminating in a juicy breakdown of a nationwide Airbnb scam that shocked the internet. The episode is a blend of personal scam tales, witty cultural commentary, and a meticulous unwinding of how scammers exploit peer-to-peer platforms like Airbnb, all with the unique "Scam Goddess" comedic twist. It’s both a cautionary tale for would-be renters and a celebration of petty, clever cons.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Meet the Guest & Personal Scam Experiences

• Introduction to Lamar Woods and his comedy background—writer for hit TV shows; member of the "White Women" improv troupe.
• Early banter about historically Black colleges and embracing the show's "too urban" reviews.
• Lamar's History as a Scam Victim/Mark:
  • Pyramid schemes pitched to him while working at JCPenney.
  • “Every time, I just looked too trusting—you know, we’re at the mall, you want more outta life, and the next thing you know, I’m getting sold on some credit card scheme out of someone’s house.” (Lamar, 04:00)
  • Being recruited for “marketing” gigs off Craigslist: “Everything would seem legit...and then you’d get to their house.” (Lamar, 06:30)
  • Selling car wax at gas stations, going up to strangers and demonstrating products.

2. Hot and Fraud: Viral Wedding Scam

• The “Hot and Fraud” segment (09:15):
  • Laci explains how viral content—like a recent "wedding money fund" scandal—can itself be a scam, manufactured to drive traffic.
  • The viral story: A bride cancels her wedding after raising $30,000, promising to spend it on a honeymoon and asking for more gifts.
  • “Can you believe we have raised over $30,000? Unbelievable. Don’t worry, the money you’ve donated will not be spent in vain, but rather used for a honeymoon...” (Laci, 10:04)
  • Outraged guests confronting the bride in the comments: “You have the motherfucking Christ on a bike’s audacity to request more gifts.” (Laci quoting an angry guest, 15:00)
  • Discussion on the ethics and escalation of GoFundMe misuse—how easy and impersonal it’s become to ask for money.

3. Historic Hoodwink: The Airbnb Switcheroo

• Introduction to the Airbnb Scam Story (20:47):

  • Laci recounts a viral Vice investigation by journalist Allie Conti about an organized Airbnb bait-and-switch ring affecting multiple cities.

• How the Scam Worked (25:14):

  • 10 minutes before guests’ check-in, host claims plumbing/flooding issue, offers an alternate “bigger, better” property nearby—actually an unkempt flop house.
  • Plausible excuses (“A previous guest flooded the unit”) paired with urgent time constraints to prevent guests from backing out.
  • When guests arrive: incorrect addresses, grimy apartments, only a single bottle of soy sauce in the pantry, “overstock.com” barstools, holes in the wall.
  • Compounding the scam: fake positive reviews (hosts reviewing each other, identical language, stolen photos), cross-listing the same property under multiple host names.
  • Guests pressured to leave five-star reviews to keep up appearances, deter negative press, and maintain access to other rentals.

• Personal Anecdotes on Airbnb Scams

  • Lamar’s own Airbnb disaster: advertised as a chic artist loft, turned out to be a tiny room in “the hood” with a bald cat and a host who never left. (21:47)
  • Laci's party-venue Airbnb hosts acting as unwelcome chaperones, racist neighbors, and intimidation to prevent bad public reviews. (39:20)
  • The “race and Airbnb” problem: Black guests sometimes changing profile pictures or using white friends’ accounts to secure bookings. (43:58)

4. The Investigation Unfolds

• Allie Conti’s Investigative Reporting (54:17):

  • She identifies a network (e.g., “Abbott Pacific LLC”) with fake host profiles controlling at least 94 listings in 8 cities.
  • Traces phone numbers, LinkedIn accounts, and calls out the cyclical nature of the scammers’ (non)responses.
  • Scrambling after Vice story breaks: websites and listings vanish.

• Airbnb’s Lax Response & Systemic Loopholes

  • Airbnb only refunds a partial amount.
  • Platform policies make it hard for customers to leave honest feedback—mutual review intimidation keeps ratings artificially high.
  • “They’re just a middleman... You’re staying at a stranger’s house, and if you try to contact the seller directly, Airbnb will black out your message.” (Laci, 48:47)
  • Comparison to other peer-to-peer startups (Uber, Lyft): “We just put all the scammers in one place for you. Buyer beware.” (Laci, 28:59)

• The Lesson

  • Sometimes, just book a hotel!
  • “You don’t have to worry about there being a woman there, a cat, three rats, someone who breaks you into the Airbnb... an elusive bottle of soy sauce!” (Laci, 50:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Laci (about Airbnb hosts):
  “May the buyer beware. I wonder... if this was a scam.” (29:09)
• Lamar, on scam susceptibility:
  “I’m probably the victim. I believe in the good in all people. So, I’m always giving people the benefit of the doubt. That’s probably something I shouldn’t put out there.” (04:54)
• Laci, on fake wedding fund emails:
  “You have the motherfucking Christ on a bike’s audacity to request more gifts.” (15:00)
• On duress and urgency in scams:
  “You need duress, ‘cause if people are in their right, their despo-meter is low… but if you got ‘em on the brink of homelessness, flavor tastes just right.” (27:40)
• Lamar, on his loft scam:
  “I get inside, they have one of those cats… but this was the one that doesn’t have any hair. It was like all bald and… Dr. Evil cat!” (22:36)
• On mutual review intimidation:
  “Airbnbs have better reviews than hotels and TripAdvisor, just because people are so afraid—if you tank my rating, I’ll tank yours.” (42:18)
• On “scam homies”:
  “I gotta get some homies with vocational skills. All my homies are creative—we ain’t got no skills!” (43:22)
• Laci, on identifying scam names:
  “Every Matthew is a scam. Every Becky is also a scam. Add Becky to the list of scam names.” (45:49)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:26 — Lamar’s first scam experience & why he’s a “mark”
• 09:15 — "Hot and Fraud": The viral wedding money fund ruse
• 20:47 — Intro to the Airbnb nationwide scam story
• 25:14 — Step-by-step of the Airbnb bait & switch con
• 29:09 — Discussion of peer-to-peer platforms as inherently “scammy”
• 39:20 — Laci’s personal horror story with an Airbnb host at her party
• 43:58 — Race, bias, and using a “whiteface” profile for bookings
• 48:47 — Airbnb’s reluctance to let hosts/guests communicate directly
• 54:17 — Allie Conti’s investigation & contacting “Joel”
• 58:48 — FBI now investigating; wrap-up and lessons learned

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode is high-energy, irreverent, and insightful—a comedic exploration of con artistry with sharp social commentary. Laci’s quick wit and Lamar’s self-deprecating honesty keep the discussion engaging, even as they explore serious issues like digital-era fraud, racial bias in tech, and the failures of the “gig economy.”

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Takeaways

• Peer-to-peer platforms are a breeding ground for creative scams.
• Scammers leverage legitimate grievances (“plumbing issues”) as plausible cover stories.
• Mutual review intimidation keeps problematic hosts afloat.
• Investigative work and internet sleuthing can expose systemic scams—but platforms may be slow to act.
• Never underestimate the power of a reviewer’s attention to detail—or the depths of a scammer’s creativity.

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In Laci’s Words:

“Stay schemin’, congregation!” (End of episode, 59:55)

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Transcript

[A]

Scams Cos, Robbery and frauds. Scams cos, Robbery and frauds. Scam Goddess. What is up, congregation? It's ya girl, Lacey Mosley. And we're back for another installment of Scam Goddess. Did I say my name? It's Lacey Moseley. Sometimes I don't say my name, so I just have to check. Guys, I'm so, so stoked for this guest today. You have seen his work everywhere. You've seen. He has a movie called It's a Party. It's a Party. The film. Which is on Showtime, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. Which is super cool. He's a writer. He's been written for the New Girl for Single Parents. He's written for so many amazing TV shows and he's so hilarious. He's a part of an amazing comedy team called White Women Impro. Lamar Woods.

[B]

Yeah. What up, Lacey? What's good?

[A]

Oh, my God. What's poppin? It's so good to have you.

[B]

I know. I couldn't wait. As soon as I saw the poster for this podcast, I was like, I gotta do this show, so. Cause that shit look tight.

[A]

Listen, organized religion is a scam. My mama said I gotta stop saying that on air.

[B]

Oh, on air or on the podcast?

[A]

Well, in general, she was like, please do not say this anymore. We're a Christian family.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

She worried I'm embarrassing her. Cause her church friends be trying to listen to my podcast. I'm like, mama, this is not for, you know, Christianity.

[B]

There's a lot of scams.

[A]

We talking heathen shit on here.

[B]

Yeah, I like religion. I studied religion in college, so I'm all about. Oh, wow.

[A]

What school did you go to?

[B]

I went to Georgia State.

[A]

Oh, okay. That's a very black school.

[B]

Yeah, it is. How'd you know that? A lot of people don't know that.

[A]

Oh, because my cousin went to Morehouse. So all the Georgia schools I was very familiar with, because I would go down there. That's where I would get my HBCU experience. Because I went to a predominantly white institution. We call them PWIs. But I would go to, like, Atlanta Homecoming. I was twerking on stage with Gucci Mane. This is before he went to prison, unfortunately. So not the Stevie Fine. Yeah.

[B]

Sometimes that twerk don't count if it's pre Gucci prison twerk.

[A]

He was still making good music then.

[B]

No, he was great.

[A]

He did not. His glow up had not happened yet.

[B]

He was like, nah, I know what you mean. Well, I always wanted to go to the hbc. Like, the, you know, Morehouse and down there. But then I was like, you know, I only got intercepted to Georgia State, so I was kind of bummed out. But then I got there and I was like, oh, there's hella black people down there. That was great. Yeah, it was dope.

[A]

I love it. We try to get as many black people on this podcast as possible. Apparently, we started to get some reviews that the podcast is too urban. So we made it. Yes. Nickalicious.

[B]

Oh, man, I would love to get that review.

[A]

Right? I was like, we made it, guys. I was like, we started with Paul F. Tompkins, and it was touch and go. I love Paul F. I love Paul. But everybody's like, what is this show?

[B]

They was like, everybody was like, oh, shit, that's my boy, Paul F. Tompkins. And then it just got real black.

[A]

They came for the Paul.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And they were like, wait a minute, Negro.

[B]

That's how I see Paul. He's kind of a good fish for. You know. It's like you put Paul out there and then you get a bunch of black baits.

[A]

Right, right, Exactly. Paul is dapper as hell, too. And the blacks love Paul. The blacks love him. Shout out to a king.

[B]

Word.

[A]

They do shout out to a king. But, Lamar, what's your relationship with scams?

[B]

My relationship with skams. I think mostly it's like pyramid schemes. Cause I feel like that has your scam of choice. No, I just. I feel like I kept getting involved in them when I was younger because I used to work in the mall when I was a kid, when I was in high school.

[A]

Right place for scams.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Then. Then I would wear nice clothes. Cause I worked at JCPenney's. And then I would sit in the mall at lunch, you know, eating the. What's the free hour at the food court? Is that what that's called?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then I feel like. I don't know, I feel like I just look like this helpless young black man, you know?

[A]

So were you wearing like a suit and.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they would come up to me, be like, hey, man, let me sit down. Talk to you, brother. And then start asking me questions. And, you know, I'm trying to be nice. And then they start, you know, they say, you know, do you want more out of life? Because they know I ain't making no money at J.C. penney's. And then they would, you know, get me to come to this house. I went to this house that night, and it was like all these people there. And then I'M like, this ain't no real company. And it was like we were selling credit cards, but it was, like, not no major credit card. It was weird.

[A]

So is the credit card company being run out of a house? Yeah, you ain't supposed to call nobody landline.

[B]

It was a customer service, but that was my first introduction to scams, and it never really left. I felt like I kept getting approached, and then for some reason, I was.

[A]

You were going pretty far along with it. If you made it to the house where they were they doing the credit card.

[B]

I was actually scared because to come on his podcast, I'm probably the person who's the most. I don't know if you have, like, scammers come on, but I'm definitely, like, the victim.

[A]

You're a mark.

[B]

Yeah, I'm a mark. Is that what they call it? Yeah, because I'm so. I believe in the good in all people. So, like, I'm always giving people the benefit of doubt. So the guy's like, you know, we're going to get you some work and get you a better opportunity. I'm just assuming that he's gonna do that for me.

[A]

You don't know how excited I am.

[B]

What's gonna happen?

[A]

We haven't. Listen, I got a credit card company, and it is run out of my house.

[B]

Oh, well, okay. I don't know. We work this. Wait a minute.

[A]

We work in the garage. We got great benefits.

[B]

Okay. I don't know. I don't know about all that.

[A]

We haven't had a mark yet. We've had a lot of scammers and a lot of people who say that they aren't scammers. And then by the end, they're like, oh, my God, I'm a charlatan.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

But I haven't had a genuine mark yet. You have this beautiful glow in your eyes. Oh, yeah.

[B]

I'm too trusting. Like, I got. I was doing one where we're selling, like, car wax at the gas station. You ever see those people? They sell car wax at the gas station, and it's like. You're like, what is this? It's like, first of all, why are we selling. Why are we independently selling this, like, item and then at a place that sells it inside the gas station? And then we have to go up to strangers in the car and then do tests. You have to, like, test it. Have you ever seen this? You know what I'm talking about.

[A]

We sell it. So y' all was selling it for cheaper? Yeah, this is.

[B]

But then we had to do the demonstration in front of them. And then we would keep how many, depending on how much we sold. We would keep the.

[A]

You know, how much would you demonstrate? Like, could I get my whole car waxed as a demonstration?

[B]

See, that would be. See how scammy you are? You just flipped it on those guys. Yeah.

[A]

How do you get involved in that job? Is it in the Craigslist ad? Is it on a newspaper? It's on Craigslist.

[B]

Well, basically that was when I moved to la, but basically, like, you know, you come out here and you need a job. I would go on Craigslist and they would say marketing because I had a business degree or. Well, actually I had a associate's degree in business. And then I would go on the. You know, on the Craigslist and it would say marketing. And I'm like, that's what I want to do. You know what I mean? Or like, you know, something specific to business. So then I would call them and then they would. Everything would seem legit and set up like a real.

[A]

Right. And then you would get to the house and then like, whose house is this?

[B]

Yeah. And people are like, where you going? Lamar's like, I gotta go to this residential area for work.

[A]

Look, that's just what wework is. Wework is just like one house where everybody get a bedroom and do whatever cons that they work at.

[B]

Yeah. Is we work a scam.

[A]

We work is a scam. They just got bought out because that shit wasn't working no more. They said, we work.

[B]

We don't work.

[A]

We don't work, actually.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Kind of like that's a scammy ass name too. They was like, we work. That'll make people feel.

[B]

Yeah. Cause at best, it make you feel like you're a part of it. You know, I went to a WeWork and I'm like, wait, this don't make. I can do this at home.

[A]

You can, but we working. Okay. That's why at home you home.

[B]

Yeah, but. Yeah, so I'm pretty, like, susceptible to scams, but I probably shouldn't put that out there. Like, that's probably something I shouldn't do.

[A]

In my congregation, there's a lot of scammers. They will hit you up.

[B]

Oh, no. Is it a real like.

[A]

Yes, they will hit you up and they will try to run scams on you, Lamar. So just be careful. If anybody hits you up talking about they need some milk for they baby or, you know, anything. Susan,

[B]

I'm gonna call you. How about you be my scam like guru, like I'll call you and like you let me know. All right, this is a scam.

[A]

Okay, cool. Yeah, because I don't want you getting scammed. I just want you getting involved in my scams. Right? So which actually brings us to the first segment, Hot and Fraud, which is where we warn our listeners about hot new scams on the street and then we see if we want to get them involved in ours. So this is actually a scam that. Okay, guys, on the Internet, you know, we all see like a juicy gossip story. It goes viral on Reddit. We're all talking about it. I have recently learned that these are scams. So sometimes people will make up viral content, like especially on Facebook, and then get it on Reddit, get it everywhere and put it in a private group so nobody can actually tell the origin of where it all came from for real. Just to drive traffic to like a new website, new business, a page or anything like that. And one of the most recent ones that everybody was really talking about and kept tagging me in is the wedding scam. Okay, okay. But the story is still fun, so I'm still gonna read it to you guys.

[B]

Yeah, read it.

[A]

But it is a comm. So this is the first message that comes from the bride. Hi, invitees to this wedding. This is the bride. And then it has like the pertinent information blocked out. After much reflection and tear filled conversation with our closest family members, we've decided to cancel our upcoming winter wedding. We will further notify the group when we are in a better place to reschedule. We thank each and every one of you for your generous donations to our money fund. Can you believe we have raised over $30,000? Unbelievable. Don't worry, the money you've donated will not be spent in vain, but rather used towards a honeymoon in the coming months. After we regain financial stability and hold calm in our hearts. After our honeymoon, we will announce a new wedding date and reopen our money fund for any further gifts. Weddings are expensive. We are blessed to have generous family members with these large donations. Please stay tuned. And in the meantime, we'll be updating our gift registry on Amazon. If anyone would like to give us something to take on our honeymoon. If you have any ideas where we should go, please DM me and Edward.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

As mentioned, we'll keep you updated with the new money fund and the new wedding in the works. Don't be too sad. New wedding's gonna be a hit. Love you, Pam.

[B]

Pam. I knew Pam wasn't gonna get married. Man. Did it say weddings are expensive? Was it written that way? Or did you say that was written? Really believable, right?

[A]

But here's the crazy thing, though, that, like, there are crowd funds happening for weddings. This is not actually that bizarre. And if the wedding just didn't happen, I would probably be pissed if I gave you my fucking coins. And I'm expected to get a chicken or a fish plate, right? And I'mma dance, you know, and hopefully find, like, a bachelor there. I'mma find a man like you fucking up all my bags. I was supposed to come get a meal, get drunk, find a new love interest who's, like, all full of whimsy because he just watched 2N get married. Then we was going to at least make out. He was probably going to touch my boob. Now I'm not going to have none of that.

[B]

Yeah, that's a real shame.

[A]

I would be mad.

[B]

So I don't understand. So it's basically like we're all you were. Is it sent to people that were invited?

[A]

Like, people in the private Facebook group? Okay, now I'm telling y' all that I think this whole thing is a scam in itself, but I just thought the concept was so fascinating. And I get why these are so, like, we are so interested in them because, like, these do happen, and people use GoFundMe money for the wrong reason all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's like, no one can actually tell you what to do with the money.

[B]

Yeah. That's crazy that GoFundMe's been corrupted like that.

[A]

I mean, is it.

[B]

I don't know. I feel like you're right, though. It is like. Like, people be just texting you now, like, hey, man, I'm hurting. Like, you know, I gotta GoFundMe. I'm like, wait, how does, like, are you asking me for money? Just through this link, but I'm asking

[A]

through a website link so that it is less personal and more professional. And you also feel badly right now

[B]

I feel like I'm doing some good by sending it to.

[A]

Right. And also, it's crazy because it's a mass text for just hitting niggas up. Like, I remember when you had to, like, really grovel. You had to grovel for some coins. You'd have to text people or you had to call them, and you had to call them when they're vulnerable. Like, at 8pm Right after supper, you

[B]

had to call them. Yeah, I am vulnerable right there. Every time at 8pm I'm like, I hope no one asks me for Nothing. Cause I will give it to them.

[A]

Cause you're a little tired. You just ate. So you probably got the itis. And I know that you probably have a little empathy in your heart for me. You know what I mean?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So I call you up and be like, oh, you know, then I gotta tell you the long ass story. I gotta tell everybody the song sob story. How many times you have to tell. I know, but I felt I sound like a baby boomer right now. But I know baby boomers are mad about GoFundMe because now everybody can just look at your sob story. They can't look at the news. If you got some news clippings. Oh, bitch don't have a link to like a KTLA or ABC or something. Now you got some legitimacy or a video. People got videos.

[B]

Cause it's a wedding and you feel it tugs on your emotion because you know, weddings are so emotional. It really kind of like you feel sad, you know, it's like, damn, like the wedding, they're not gonna be able to have it. Like, what can I do to help? You know?

[A]

Right.

[B]

I feel bad that I just remembered I didn't get a wedding gift from a friend. Cause I was in the wedding. I didn't. I was supposed to donate to the honeymoon.

[A]

You got undercar lights. How you gonna not get your friend a gift to that wedding?

[B]

How you gonna put that out there like that? Just tell the world I got undercar lights.

[A]

This nigga got undercar lights and he over here skimping on n weddings.

[B]

No, I forgot. But I will do it today. I will do it today. Even though I think they already came back from the honeymoon. So I will donate. I will give them some.

[A]

A gift is a gift. Okay, so this goes on a little bit. People start to respond to this. And one person says, I took off a week of work, donated $100, and now you're telling me that you're going to use 30,000 fucking dollars for a honeymoon before a wedding? Are you insane? You got your lump sum and you say hasta la visa to your family and friends. 30K is a financial. Like these are hot. Hasta vista hot, spicy white people angry words. Hasta la vis.

[B]

Oh yeah, they pulled the big guns out.

[A]

Wait till I hear malarkey. That's how you know.

[B]

That's how you know that's malarkey. Yeah, she took a week off. How'd she get to take a week off of work for a wedding? That's crazy.

[A]

Cause she was. I'm telling you, she was about to go get her life. She was gonna get her nails done, her hair did, everything did. She was about to get a. She was going to the bachelorette party, was going to probably see some sexy men wagging dick around there. Then she was gonna go to the. It was about to be a horned up week for this woman and she just fucked that all up.

[B]

Damn. Now she ain't getting no her horned up. Where's that horny energy go, right?

[A]

It's in his angry message. This is my favorite part of it. She says, you're gonna need a few months to regain financial stability. And then the cherry on the cake is you have the motherfucking Christ on a bike's audacity to request more gifts. Christ on a bike.

[B]

Christ on a bike. I love that. Oh, my gosh. There's nothing more audacious than Jesus Christ on a bike.

[A]

Nothing. The man can walk on water.

[B]

Yeah, I know.

[A]

He don't need no bike.

[B]

Yeah, he can turn water into wine, but he need a bike. Nah.

[A]

So this goes on and, like, people are like threatening her to, like, send us our money back, run me my coins. And then she's like, somebody put this on Reddit. And it blew up and now I had to go to the hospital. She goes, I had to go to the hospital.

[B]

Wait, who's saying that?

[A]

Who had to go to the hospital?

[B]

Oh, so she had to go to the hospital.

[A]

So after this goes viral, she's saying I had to go to the hospital because I had a panic attack and the hospital cost me $780. 700.

[B]

It sounds like scam part two.

[A]

She says, thank God you'll be forced to pay for that with a money fund. Then she's like, do not contact me. Then she goes, and you can foot. She says, I can't believe that I've had to endure all of this because of your slanderous attacks from my own family and friends. And now you can foot the $2,000 bill. I don't care. The bill went up in the second paragraph to 2000. It was 765 in the first paragraph.

[B]

That was CR.

[A]

And now it's 2000. And then by the end of this, she's like, in the meantime, please consider donating any spa personal care items to my home address if you care about me at all. We've lost close to $3,000 from the money fund due to medical expenses. So in the fourth paragraph, it's now $3,000.

[B]

Dang. So as you read it, you just Your pockets shrink as you keep going. So let me ask you a question, because, you know, I don't really know. That's a pretty good scam. What do you think? Is that, like, a good scam? Or is that. Would you see right through right away?

[A]

So it all kind of starts to look a little fishy when you look at the comments, the time frame, the. The way that things are written. And also the fact that there's, like, no likes or, like, angry faces on anybody's comments. There's no way for us to tell that there was any real interaction happening between the people, but it was just slowly being released by someone. Yeah. And then the whole story was the first story on this website's page ever. So it seems as though they were just trying to drive traffic with this fake story. It's a good one because I was entertained. Like, y', all, I like this scam.

[B]

Like, yeah, that was entertaining. I felt like I could see the wedding, too. I was. I mean, I was seeing everything. Like, the relationship and how it fell apart. And, like, her in the hospital. I was picturing that panic attack. Is this a heart attack? It's definitely a heart attack. And then the fiance's like, no, baby, this is a panic attack. And they don't even know what to agree on. And he's like, look, I'm just going to the hospital because I don't have.

[A]

Wait, but you have to take from the money fund, right?

[B]

But we can't think about it right now. Cause your heart rate is at 170.

[A]

It's okay. When we go to the hospital, then we'll tell everyone we went to the hospital and that they needed to donate more money or. And. Or spa supplies.

[B]

That's a good idea. And that's why I'm gonna marry you.

[A]

I love you. I love you so much.

[B]

I love you too.

[A]

And your rich uncle. We thought we could never get anything out of him. Cause there's one guy who's like, I paid for me and my whole family. And he donated $12,000. I was like, $12,000 is what it costs you and your whole family to go to the wedding. How many motherfucking family members you got?

[B]

That's so crazy.

[A]

Wow. But people are, like, very particular about that. One of my best friends is about to get married, and she was saying, I'm only giving plus ones to people who have been in a relationship for five years or more.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And I was like, damn. So I'm just about to bring my lonely ass to your wedding. Like by myself. Can I pay to bring a side dinner?

[B]

And five years is a long time. I mean, that's basically like, they should be getting married. I mean, they're on the verge of that.

[A]

They should be, like, married, or you have to be in a relationship for five years. So I either got to be Carrie fucking Bradshaw out here. Big breaking my heart and my back.

[B]

What if it's somebody you dated for five years, but y' all broke up, but then you hooking up and.

[A]

Right. Like, fucking right now.

[B]

Come on. He's like, no, y' all not committed. They say that don't work, but my cousin, she got. When she got married, she. She said the rule was they can't be if you bring a plus one. They just have had to have met them at one time. So if you're in their life, if they're in your life enough, they should have met you. So that means if you can't have enough people, you keep on the side and you're not bringing them around, but you don't bring them around. Your.

[A]

What if I pull him up on FaceTime

[B]

in the moment, like, at the wedding, you're like, this is him. He's on his way.

[A]

You're like, oh, technically, you've met. See, that's how I get around that scam. I'd be like, but he already here, y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Like, I get it. It's your wedding. You don't want to feed people. But also, I'm like, can there just be an option where I just slide you to $55 for they plate or something? Cause this is just like.

[B]

I know. Yeah, just give her that. I'll give you an extra money for a plate, right? That actually seems like a good idea.

[A]

But these are millennial problems. It's time for my favorite segment of this show. I say that every week. Historic hoodwinks. So this is where I'm gonna regale Lamar with a famous scam. And we're just gonna break it down and talk about it and make as much commentary as you want. This one, guys, okay? Y' all all tagged me in this on Twitter. I got tagged in this scam so many times on Twitter that I'm doing this episode early and releasing it early. You guys are killing me. I love you so much. Also, leave us five stars, guys. Cause angry white men are ruining my review. Don't let angry white men scam me out of a five star rating. Thank you so much, please. Right? I'm a black woman. Y' all gotta help me, okay? Trump is President and my life is too hard.

[B]

You know, Trump, that's the biggest scam

[A]

he is, and I can't even talk about him. He's. Oh, God. Oh. I could do like a 20 part episode on Trump, but I just can't praise him for that shit. Maybe when he's out of office.

[B]

Yeah, you should do like the A after he's out. Like a scam goddess Trump episode T.

[A]

Glizzy first day out. Yes. Okay, so this is a historic hoodwink, and it is about a nationwide Airbnb scam.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Have you ever used an Airbnb?

[B]

Yeah, I've used it.

[A]

Where? What city?

[B]

I've used it in actually. Spain. Actually, when I went to Spain. Oh, wow. We had an Airbnb in Barcelona.

[A]

In Barcelona.

[B]

Barcelona.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It was very nice. It was cool.

[A]

I feel like the Airbnbs that I've had abroad have been pretty nice, actually. I think I used one in Paris once and it ended up being a bed and breakfast. And, like, they had the best croissants, which is like the most American thing to say, but it was like.

[B]

So they had some good croissants in Paris. Listen, boy, them croissants in Paris, you would not believe. Tell me how Paris was, man. The croissants.

[A]

So they doing something different to them over there. Okay.

[B]

But yeah, I did an Airbnb there. And I did an Airbnb. That was. Why do I feel like that was the only time? I don't. Oh, I did one in New York one time in Brooklyn, too. So that. Yeah, that was a.

[A]

Two times. Okay. Brooklyn feels like that's where it would probably get a little scammery. You know what I mean?

[B]

Oh, it was. I don't want to stop you there, but I'll tell you what.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Did it end up shading?

[B]

Man, it was so whack. It was like. So in the picture, it said it was like an artist loft, right? And it was, like, all white and it looked beautiful. Like, you could see the whole city. And I was like, oh, I want to stay here. So then when I got there, it was definitely.

[A]

It was like a homeless man peeing in a box.

[B]

Oh, man. It was like that. It was like, first there was a person. The person was not leaving. I mean, I think that might be normal to New York Airbnbs, but, like, she was in there. And it was also. It was like completely in the hood and it was like. Like rats everywhere. I saw, like three rats when I walked in.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's the Rats, Neighborhood. Like, you stepped into their home. They were like, who is this thing?

[B]

It was.

[A]

So we told her, no subletters.

[B]

They were like, you're not supposed to do that. That's illegal. So then I get inside, and they have one of those cats. And I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm terrified of cats.

[A]

I thought you were gonna say allergic, not terrified.

[B]

But. So. But I can tolerate them. But. But this was the one that doesn't have any hair. It was, like, all bald and.

[A]

Dr. Evil Cat.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. It was disgusting. No offense if you like cats, but the.

[A]

We do love cats. I have a cat. I love cats.

[B]

I'm sorry.

[A]

It's okay.

[B]

It's okay. But just keep in mind, I was paying to be at this place, so it's like, I had to. It was like I was in a small room, and the cat was all over me, and then I had to get out of there.

[A]

It just was all over you? They didn't even just, like, put the cat in another room. They just let the cat roam.

[B]

They just let it like. She was like, okay, this is the place. And then left. And then left. And I was just sitting in the house in this apartment.

[A]

Lamar, you got scammed to watch this woman's cat?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then she scammed you into watching her cat.

[B]

But then I left. So that cat was alone. That cat was alone all night.

[A]

Oh, no.

[B]

So I got out of there. I was like, I'm out of here. And then I just got a hotel somewhere.

[A]

That's so bizarre that no one wants an Airbnb where there is another per. Like, I don't want a roommate on Airbnb.

[B]

Why would I do that?

[A]

I don't want a roommate in my own goddamn home. I don't want one on vacation.

[B]

That is so true, Lacey. That's exactly how I felt. And, like, I don't want to pay to be in around animals like that. I mean, like, even if I love cats or whatever, I don't want to go into an Airbnb and there be animals in there. That seems like.

[A]

I thought you should talk about it, so this should mention it. This Airbnb, very similar. Kind of like what we call a bait and switch in the scam game. The scam game? I said scam game. But we call this a bait and switch, which basically means, like, you're offered one thing and you get something else. Which is exactly like, what happened to your story in Brooklyn? Like, you were offered a beautiful loft, and what you got Was. Is a roommate and a cat.

[B]

Well, now it sounds like a cool deal. It's like, hey, I got you a

[A]

roommate and a cat and three rats.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. So basically, these two people decided that they were gonna go to a music festival. And this was a big story that was in Vice that everybody tagged me in on Twitter. So the scam came about 10 minutes before we were set to check into this Airbnb, this is in Chicago, he says. I was sitting at a brewery just around the corner from the rental on Northwood street, and the man on the other end of the line said that our planned visit wouldn't be possible. A previous guest had flushed something down the toilet, which had left the unit flooded with water, he explained. Apologetic, he promised to let us stay in another property. He managed until he could call a plumber. So I think that this scam is perfect. Cause, like, what's the one thing that could not be functioning at a place that you would be like, okay, I can't stay there. And that's like plumbing and. Or wash. Like, if you say you ain't got water, I'm gonna be like, okay, bet.

[B]

Like, yeah, that's like, you know, our biggest fear, like, with earthquakes, it's like water. Like, not having water in the place. Yeah. That's like an apocalyptic type of situation.

[A]

But then it's also one of those things of, like, it can be broken and it can be fixed real quick. It's not like you said, the bitch burnt down. Like, you can't come back from saying something burnt down. You can't be like, okay, you actually can't stay in this Airbnb.

[B]

Like, this kitchen is charred. But, you know, we can't do that in my house.

[A]

It actually burnt down. So you can't stay here. You can't call the next day and be like, you know what? We got everything back up and running.

[B]

Yeah, you're though. It's like plumbers are on deck constantly, right? I know plumbers ready to go. Everywhere I go, I see a plumber with a wrench ready to fix some shit. But they. You know, it would.

[A]

Clearly, they sleep like that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

They're like, bastards, plumber.

[A]

I was like, baby, please put the wrench down. I'm trying to make love. He was like, I never know when they gonna call me.

[B]

Damn, Lacey, how you fucking plumbers out here?

[A]

Plumbers make good money and they loyal. These men are not loyal.

[B]

Every fucking. These plumbers. Cause my toilet stay work.

[A]

Listen, I ain't never had no Problems. Laying all the problems.

[B]

Actually, that makes sense. Cause, yeah, I mean, you date me, I probably can't never fix your toilet.

[A]

You can't fix my toilet?

[B]

Nah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

See, I offer a lot of things, but fixing plumbing is not one of them.

[A]

That's a shame, truly. So this is a good excuse, right? So they basically decide in a quick pinch that like one, we don't have enough time to get a hotel right now. There's a lot of people in town. The rates are very high. Obviously, like, if it's 10 minutes before you about to pull up at the joint, like, you really don't have a lot of options. So the Airbnb guy goes, don't worry, there's an upside here. He goes, I have another rental place that is available right now and it's in the area.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And he said that it's right off the blue line. It's spacious. And he says that this place,

[B]

it's right off the blue line, you know,

[A]

that means something to us. He says it's about three times bigger. And that's the good news. Now. As if she says. As if he could hear me calculating in my head how much of a hassle it would be to find a hotel and whatever, he's like, I don't have a lot of time. You have to decide immediately if you wanna change the reservation. She asked to talk in person. He said, I'm very busy at my job. Employment. At my employment and I cannot speak on the phone. And you have to hurry up and decide now. So also, he's put a time constraint on this thing.

[B]

Wow. That's real scammy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Time constraints.

[A]

Yeah. Cause you need duress. Cause if people are in their right, their despo meter is low, like they're not gonna be desperate enough to fall for the scam. But if you got em on the brink of homelessness.

[B]

Yeah. Then it's like, I gotta do. You gotta make a choice.

[A]

Flavor tastes just right.

[B]

Yeah, it's delicious.

[A]

Seasoned to perfection. Scam. So.

[B]

That was great.

[A]

I love your laughing part. Okay.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

So the bad news went unstated, obviously. And that was that they had unknowingly stumbled into a nationwide web of deception. This is what she calls that. Appeared to span eight cities and nearly 100 property listings. An undetected scam created by some person or organization that had figured out just how easy it was to exploit Airbnb's poorly written rules in order to collect thousands of dollars through phony listings, fake reviews and intimidation.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So considering Airbnb's lax enforcement of its own policies, this is how they started to turn up. Cause it's just like Uber and Lyft were like, yes, we are a company, but we're also a scam. Because this is just like niggas in their own cars picking you up.

[B]

Ye.

[A]

Or these are people's houses that you're staying in. It's a scam.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. It's like, wait, are you saying this is something I can't get on my own? You know what I mean? It's like they created a business out of something that you could just do on your own.

[A]

Right? Because now it's like, look, we put all the scammers in one place for you. Now we're hands off. That's all we need. May the buyer beware. I wonder.

[B]

Tell me if this was a scam. Cause one time. So I did a Airbnb up in. It was in for Thanksgiving. I rented a house. House. And then I couldn't get in. I guess I didn't really get scared, but I was like, they had like, a code to get the key. This. And so I. But the code. The code is wrong. So I was out there for, like, a long time because I kept calling the person, like, I'm stuck out here. I can't get in the house. And I had. And he had to come in and break the key, break the lock open to get me in there. So I don't even know.

[A]

So he renting out properties that aren't his.

[B]

That's what it. It could. Because I was like, it took him a long time. And I'm like, first of all, how come you don't know the password? Like, you should know the password to this lockbox. And I was out. But I was out there so long. Like, you're saying I was under so much duress. Yeah, it was out there. It was right around 8 o', clock, too. I thought I was real vulnerable.

[A]

Yes. You know what? It was nighttime. I'm guessing he probably heard your calls and was like, okay, I gotta wait till it's not too hot. I can't be breaking into my Airbnb.

[B]

Yeah. But we did have Thanksgiving in there. So at the very least, if somebody would have came in, they would have been, you know, thankful. That.

[A]

Right. I'm so thankful that you stole this apartment. I love it. Yeah, that sounds a little sketch. Lamar, anybody. Anytime somebody gotta break you into they home, you know, we're looking out.

[B]

Appreciate that.

[A]

So basically, they pop the address into the new Uber and They take off. But when the driver approached the drop off location, they noticed something odd. The exact address didn't exist. Great. You know when an address doesn't exist?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fantastic.

[B]

Yeah. If it's not on the map. So it's like these numbers don't are on the map.

[A]

I'm not sending us an address. Yeah. I'm sending you more of a vibe of where the house is.

[B]

That's like when you type it and then it does this thing where the map just like turns into like a big ass road.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It's like, I don't know what this is. It just breaks the map. The gps, Right.

[A]

Like don't drop a pin to the location. Like, tell, like, give me an address. Yeah, I love it. I truly love it. He's like, it's more of an essence. Like you'll know when you get to the house. You'll feel it, you'll feel it.

[B]

You'll know.

[A]

You'll be like, this is where we're staying.

[B]

You know what I mean? Exactly.

[A]

I can't explain it. So. So after walking up and down North Kenmore Avenue, they were able to find a guest house hidden in a back alley that had a keypad on the front door.

[B]

Keypad. Yeah.

[A]

So this is how, you know they're desperate because they just kept walking up and down this street at this point. They're like, I don't know, the backyards. Yeah, yeah, let's just go in other people's backyards.

[B]

I couldn't imagine what that must have been like. Just that feeling of like.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, these are white people. Because if these were black people, they wouldn't have shot on sight. Exactly. You can't be walking around in no neighborhood back and forth, looking lost as a. Yeah, I got too much melanin for that.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know how you would get through that, going through a backyard like that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, I would. They were absolutely. The cops would be called immediately and

[B]

they wouldn't believe the story either. They were like, we understand. They told me this address. Well, what's the address? I don't know.

[A]

I don't know the address. They told me it was a vibe. They told you the address was a vibe? Yes, that's what he said. We was supposed to be staying here. We were supposed to be staying at the other place, but the toilet burned down and now we here. You know what I mean? Yeah, it doesn't even exactly. They would be in jail, you know what I mean? And then you would have a place to stay and bread and water.

[B]

Oh, yeah. That's a true Airbnb prison. Yeah.

[A]

So they get in the house, and the pantry has. I don't know why this is the first detail they give about the house, but they say the pantry has a single bottle pantry.

[B]

Oh, yeah. They are white.

[A]

They are white.

[B]

The first thing is like, hey, let's go check out the pantry right away. All right.

[A]

So not the bedrooms. Not like any. Like, what is the.

[B]

What's the first place you check where you go into an Airbnb?

[A]

The bedroom.

[B]

Yeah, like, where am I gonna sleep?

[A]

Yeah, where am I gonna sleep? Especially if I'm going with other people. I have to Real housewives it and really make sure I nene leaks it and get the best room.

[B]

I think the pantry's the last place I got.

[A]

Yeah, I'm not expecting anything to be in there. What are.

[B]

They got fruit snacks in here, Right?

[A]

They're looking for, like, fresh persimmons. Like, what do you think this is, bruh?

[B]

We gotta make sure the right snack before we can.

[A]

So they go. The pantry housed a single bottle of soy sauce. Okay.

[B]

Oh, that is sketchy, though.

[A]

That is sketchy.

[B]

That's weird as fuck. Like, they took everything out.

[A]

Why is that the only thing in the pantry? It is weird. You know what I mean?

[B]

Maybe we should be looking at the pantry first. Cause that would have told me right away to get the hell out of there.

[A]

What kind of people are living there?

[B]

Right, Right.

[A]

You're right about that. Because if I open up and it's just soy sauce, I'm like, all these people order is Chinese takeout.

[B]

Was it a bottle of soy sauce or, like, packets? Cause that's. Packets is even sketchier.

[A]

Packets is even sketchier. Cause then why are you keeping them in the pantry?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I understand why they would be in a pantry, but I don't understand why they would be the only thing left in a pantry.

[A]

It was just a bottle of soy sauce. And it was. And I guess it just doesn't get old, but it is a bottle.

[B]

Okay, great.

[A]

They said the couch looked nothing like the one in the photos. The bedrooms were filled with a large number of bizarrely arranged beds.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Okay. The whole place felt grimy. And there was a hole punched in a wall. Ooh.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

The only decor was a giant wooden cross and a few pieces Chicago themed artwork. And the dining room was like, overstock.com barstools that looks like they would turn to dust if you sat on them.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Man.

[B]

This person's a really good writer.

[A]

I mean, she writes for Vice.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Excellent writer. What's her name? Shout out to a queen. Ali Conti.

[B]

Oh, what's up, Conti? Ally Conti.

[A]

What's up? What's Ms. Conti?

[B]

I like your descriptive words.

[A]

You better give us these adjectives. Come on.

[B]

Yeah. So Chicago. The artwork is interesting. I know. I think. I know. They're referring to those paintings that are like. There's just like, the skyline of Chicago. Yeah. That kind of basic shit.

[A]

But what's crazy is, like, why even make an attempt at decorating if it's already that bad?

[B]

Yeah. I mean, well, it's not much of a decoration if that's. If they're just putting up skylines.

[A]

They were like, let's go to Ross, get a couple Chicago paintings on set.

[B]

Them shits is probably like $10. I mean, I guess you could probably get them at the gas station.

[A]

Oh, yeah, you can get them at the gas station. You're right about that. See, I don't know, Lamar. You might be a scammer.

[B]

Maybe I am. I feel like I've become more scam, like, through this podcast.

[A]

That's what we want to happen. That's the goal.

[B]

I'm gonna walk out of here and

[A]

scam somebody and start doing fraud. I love it. I'd love to see it. Robbery and fraud. So with the first day of my vacation basically gone, I decided to let the whole thing slide because, like, what do you do at that point? Like, you just need a roof over your head. You're not gonna be.

[B]

Yeah. And they had been walking, right. Wait, so they didn't even call the guy? Call the person or. They don't have anything.

[A]

I said he couldn't be talking on the phone and that.

[B]

Cause he was at work.

[A]

He was at his employment. You know, the house that he works at making credit cards.

[B]

I'm at my employment right now.

[A]

I'm at my employment. Okay, I can't talk.

[B]

I'm at my employment. God damn it.

[A]

That's actually a joke from Florida girl. I'm currently at my employment right now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, God. That is how high my voice is on that show. Woo. God bless y'. All. Okay, so, okay, so they got a text from the man the next day who said that the plumbing at the original rental hadn't been fixed, but that new tenants were moving into our flop house the next day. So they weren't quite sure what to do, so they booked a hotel and decided to deal with getting a refund later. So.

[B]

Jesus, Jesus, what a nice.

[A]

You know what I think this man is doing now that I'm thinking about? This is a tight rotation. So you sign up to go to this nice place with all these pictures and shit, right? Either he's double booking it and he really owns this property, and he's just having like, the first wave come in, and he'll be like, the toilet is fucked up, but still secure the bag and then put them in this, like, flop house.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

Or he just keeps saying, the rentals available. And then 10 minutes before people try to go, he says the toilet's broken. Then he rotates them to the flop.

[B]

So maybe the flop house is the only house.

[A]

It's the only house that he got. And then he's just getting people in there for one night a piece, but they booking whole weekends.

[B]

Damn, that's smart.

[A]

Ooh,

[B]

Ooh.

[A]

I'm like moaning.

[B]

Oh, this is good. Oh, that's crazy.

[A]

That's what he's doing. Because that's how you gotta bounce out the next couple, right?

[B]

He's like, look, you know. Cause nobody's gonna say, fuck it, I'm gonna stay here if the plumb is not working, right? So everybody, he's almost guaranteed that they're gonna go to the other party.

[A]

But see, if he was fucking with me, though, I'd be like, that's cool. I'll shit outside. Give us the keys. I'll show the lawn.

[B]

Are you sure you wanna do that?

[A]

Yeah, I got Charmin. My hiney's clean. Okay, I'll shit outside, he said.

[B]

But the flop house has a toilet.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no. I really like the views so much.

[B]

I'm fucking a plumber, so. I know, right?

[A]

I tell him, look, I'm with the plumber that I'm fucking. He got a wrench?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. You guys are on staycation together. Come on, baby, let's get an Airbnb.

[A]

You know how hard it was to get his wrench through airport security? Okay, TSA wasn't.

[B]

I love plumbers that carry their tools everywhere, like through the airport.

[A]

Obviously, I've never met a plumber. Cause this is what I assume that they're doing.

[B]

Yeah, I wish I knew more plumbers. We don't know. I don't know any. I don't roll with no plumbers.

[A]

You don't roll with no plumbers?

[B]

I gotta. I think I. Back home, maybe back in Atlanta, you

[A]

gotta get you some homies with some vocational skills.

[B]

Yeah, all my homies are creative. They're too. Yeah, we Ain't got no skills. Yeah.

[A]

The car breakdown.

[B]

They know how to recite a poem, but. Yeah, not gonna be able to change the title.

[A]

They know how to rec.

[B]

Josiah poem. I have to get some more. Yeah, some more labor.

[A]

That's not gonna count.

[B]

Some blue collar homies.

[A]

Yeah, right? So the last time that they heard from Becky and Andrew, which is the name of the Airbnb host, they sent a strange message on Airbnb asking that I give them no less than a five star review since Airbnb had changed its algorithm and communicate all concerns privately. So now they're like, hey, we know we didn't let you stay in the place that we told you we have for you that doesn't exist.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Then we sent you to the H for a place that murderers live in. Then we kicked you out. Yeah, but go ahead and get that

[B]

five stars so they can keep the Sam scam going.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Man, that's real crazy. So what did they do? What happened next?

[A]

So on Airbnb, I'm on the edge of my seat. There's this.

[B]

What happened after that?

[A]

There's this intimidation factor. And I recently dealt with this when I threw my birthday party. I did rent an Airbnb out, but I rented one out that was four parties. Like a mansion, four parties. It specifically said that they did parties and music video shoots.

[B]

Yeah, I was trying to go to that.

[A]

Oh, my God. He started running it like the club. He had a gate clicker. He was at my party the entire time. He was drinking my food. He was eating. He was using the photo booth. It was crazy. It was in a creepy. It was just like a creepy white man. And he was taking pictures of me the whole time. And all my friends, obviously we're in an entertainment industry, so so many people were there who are on TV or working, you know, movie, television, film. He's taken unsolicited. Just imagine a party of just like a lot of cool Hollywood young people and this really old white man skulking around.

[B]

He probably was trying to kick it. He's probably like, this is my way to live.

[A]

I was trying to be welcoming because we definitely were over the guest quota, even though we were quiet and everyone was really just having a good time. But he was, like, really being stingy with how he would let people in and out of the house. So I was just trying to keep him happy. And he was so creepy and so racist. We had a food truck. The neighbors were like, that smells ethnic. Like, literally texted him and said that it smelled ethnic. They had not cooked anything yet. It was craziness.

[B]

How could you say that in la?

[A]

Like, because, you know, it was like, it's the hills. So it's like, racist, like, old school white people. And I could tell that they didn't even like that he would do these airbnb functions because they're all old and just, like, want the neighborhood to stay quiet and white. And he over here bringing in, you know, Negroes every other Thursday. And they're probably mad about it. Yeah. But it was crazy. But he intimidated me, basically, being like, you had too many people here. If you give me a negative review, I'll give you a really negative review. And, like, I like, please write a review. I'm like, be kind about it. Like, he was like, otherwise, I'm going to charge you more money for the extra people that you had. And I had tried to offer to pay him more money because I knew more people were coming. He wouldn't even take it.

[B]

So it seems crazy. Like, if the premise. He know, you know, he does parties here.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So it's like he. I mean, he. Of course he knows it's going to be more people coming. Like, he probably just was like, I

[A]

didn't even know he was going to be there.

[B]

He's probably like, I'm gonna stay here and see if a lot of people come in and charge us.

[A]

Well, he kept acting like he didn't live there, this lived in the house. That was one of those situations where you get there, you think you're gonna get the place. And, like, he lives there and is currently living there. He had been smoking cigarettes all through the house. I did a walk through once.

[B]

It was clean.

[A]

Then when I came back, he. It was like he was lighting cigarettes.

[B]

Like, he's like a bad roommate. He's like a bad stepdad. It's like this stepdad living there. Ruin everything. Ruin everything.

[A]

And taking. Ruining the party of my hot. He's in the photo booth and, you know, people are in swimsuits. It's the Fourth of July. He taking pictures of my hot friends. I'm like, they're like, who is this man? Lacey?

[B]

Yeah. Also, how come he doesn't have any Fourth of July plans either?

[A]

Creep on creep. But, yeah, he intimidated me into. I just never even wrote a review because I was so upset about it. I couldn't revisit it. But he wrote kind of like a weird review about me. So it is a thing of, like, you're forced. Like, basically, Airbnbs have better reviews than hotels and tripadvisor just because people are so afraid that if you tank my rating, I'll tank yours.

[B]

Vice versa.

[A]

Versa. And then I can't rent at another place. It's like Uber. I give, like, every Uber five stars. Even if, like, one time I gave an Uber three stars because he smelled really bad. He smelled so fucking bad that I was like, I can't give you five stars. And then I put car smell. That was a thing you could put.

[B]

What did he smell?

[A]

It was a preset button.

[B]

Oh. Oh. It was like, this is the problem.

[A]

It was like, why are you giving three stars? And then it was like, is it car smell? And I was like, why? Yes. Wow.

[B]

So you're right, though. It's kind of like it cancels itself out because it's like, I don't want to get a bad. No one's going to pick me up. And then you give, and it's like, it is a double. Like, no one's being honest, so.

[A]

Right. And I had to learn, like, I tip sometimes. Like, if they do a really good job or if they, like, break a certain amount of traffic laws. Like, I had a Uber driver recently drive through a parking lot to avoid going through a light, and I was like, my nigga. Like. And so I tipped him because I was like, I would have did the same thing. I would have drove to this parking lot.

[B]

I always wonder when an Uber driver does that, if they're, like, thinking in their head, like, I wonder if this person's going to be cool with this. Because I'm like, I'm gonna do some crazy shit, some wild shit.

[A]

I love it.

[B]

Yeah. I'll be like, cool. Like, hell, yeah, let's do it. But then, you know, the wrong person might be like, I know, but I

[A]

moved from New York, so I'm used to the cabs just being illegal. I had a cab driver once, like, we smoked weed with him in the cab.

[B]

That's nice. So the. You know what I was thinking? So I. So you're. At least they let you do the party. Cause when I try to do a party like that and then. But I would tell them in the email that I was trying to do a party at the house and I would never get a receipt. I felt like they were being racist. Like, they wouldn't let me.

[A]

That's another big thing about airbnb is, like, they have kind of this insulation of racism, especially when it comes to black guests.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A lot of times if I'm going with a group, I'll have, like, the White person. Book the Airbnb or I'll, like, change my profile photo to, like, a white woman. Or like, it's gonna get harder now the more that I start working entertainment. But I've really been to trying. Trying to pretend that I was white a lot.

[B]

You just gotta put Paul F. Tompkins out there. Damn.

[A]

Paul F. Tompkins might be getting too close to black people. They'll be like, I don't know about Paul. He might bring some Negroes.

[B]

I love it. Paul just became like, it put his service out there. It's like, if you need to get a Airbnb, I'll do it for you. And then he got in trouble for doing it so much. They were like, no. That motherfucker always bringing black people everywhere.

[A]

Service called Whiteface.

[B]

He's like, do you need a white person? I told you, you can represent the black community. And he's.

[A]

I did. Yeah.

[B]

Lacy did. Yes.

[A]

I love you, Paul, so much for all the day. But, yeah, so I understand this. We've completely, like, diverged off of this, but back to it. So when I asked about the status of my refund, they ghosted. Makes sense. Like, you're asking for money, they are not gonna give it to you. Which led to me contacting Airbnb, though I had moved to the flop house and was told to leave early. Early. Airbnb only refunded me $399 of my $1,221 bill. And only after I badgered a number of case managers over the course of several days. Unable to shake the sense that there was more of a run out of the mill host kind of incident, I started to look into the red flags that I might have missed. So when she starts looking into it, she's like. Some of the positive reviews on Becky and Andrew's Chicago rental seemed odd, especially those left by other pairs of hosts, like Kelsey and Jean. For example, they said Becky and Andrew, which Becky just is not anybody's real name. I mean, your name is Rebecca, but, like, Becky is fake. Like I said. What do I say, guys? Every Matthew is a scam. Every Becky is also a scam. Add Becky to the list of scam names.

[B]

That's good to know.

[A]

So Becky and Andrew were awesome and communicative guests. They say Gene and Kelsey say that they stayed with Becky and Andrew.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But Gene and Kelsey own two properties in Chicago as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Basically meaning that they went on a staycation up the street to Becky and Andrews.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Why?

[B]

That don't make sense.

[A]

If you have your own Airbnb.

[B]

It was Chicago art in the flop house. So maybe, maybe, maybe things are coming together. Is that a coincidence? We better get Chicago art too.

[A]

We all live in Chicago, but we write reviews on other Chicago properties. That's mad weird. Like, I'm not gonna do a staycation at an Airbnb in Chicago if I have Airbnbs in Chicago. Unless, like, it's like la. Like if you have a mansion and I'm doing something special. But these are just regular houses, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that's already kind of weird. Even stranger, Kelsey and Jean's photo also had been cribbed from a travel site. And the language that they used to describe their home, West Loop, Six bed Getaway. Walk the city seemed familiar to that of Becky and Andrew, which was six bed downtown Wicker Park. Walk the city. The language is a little close. It wasn't long before I found what looked like an awful lot like the apartment that I originally had booked with Becky and Andrew. The one on north listed by Kelsey and Jean as well. There was no mistaking it. The couch, coffee table, dining room set, even the Chicago gas station wall. All the same.

[B]

Yeah. Wow.

[A]

So she said. I started to wonder.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So this is like a network of people who are doing this, and they're all running it from one business account.

[B]

Damn. We gotta take a them down.

[A]

Right? So I don't know.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Do we? Look, Airbnb is.

[B]

Let's take them down.

[A]

Airbnb has not said anything. They're about to go public. They were like, bitch, we don't have time for this. We trying to sell these shares.

[B]

Yeah, Airbnb.

[A]

We trying to sell these shares of other people's homes that we connect people to.

[B]

Yeah. Like what, What. What is their business? What? They're just. What are they?

[A]

They're just a middleman.

[B]

Yeah, they're just like. They're basically like. Like we were described earlier, like, I don't have a house, but I'm gonna take you to another house.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They're literally just this person.

[A]

The guy who broke into that house to give you the key is literally what Airbnb.

[B]

Airbnb was. Yeah. So I guess I didn't get scammed.

[A]

No, that's literally what Airbnb does. And it's crazy because if you use Airbnb, you know that if you try to contact the seller directly, like, Airbnb don't play that shit. Like, if you type in an email, Airbnb will snatch the. It'll like bleep out The.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Yeah, you can't type in an email because then they have a system that can tell if you've typed in any kind of contact info. And then they bleep that shit out. Because they're like, no, you have to communicate on our website. Cause they don't want you cutting out their fees and everything just because you've connected with the people. Which I thought was wild. And I was like, is there a way for me to get around this? Like, can I type sentence in, put my number in between each word? Like, two. What's up, y'? All? I really like this. This place. Five. If y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

Like, there has to be a way around this.

[B]

Wow, that's wild.

[A]

That's what my brain goes to. But, yeah. So Airbnb is just a fucking middleman. So it seems as if, like, one person or group had created numerous phony accounts to run a much larger Airbnb operation. If that proved true, admit Whoever ran the five accounts I'd located was controlling at least 94 properties in Asia. Eight different cities.

[B]

Wow. 90.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Damn. That's like, they probably really making some money then. Yeah, they probably making a lot of

[A]

money and probably very busy. When he was like. When she was like, can I talk to you on the phone? And he was like, I'm at my employment. Like, he's like, I'm scamming other people right now. Okay. I don't have time to talk to

[B]

you on the phone. I have 890 property. Yeah, it's like, I'm scamming. I'm too busy to help with the scam I'm doing currently, because I got so many scams.

[A]

Cause I'm running so many scams. This is a business.

[B]

It's an employment.

[A]

He was like, look, I have people about to show up to the place that I told you ain't working right now, so I gotta go let them down.

[B]

Do you. So is it better to just go to a hotel? Is that what I should do?

[A]

I think so. You can actually get discounts and upgrades. You don't have to worry about there being a woman there. A cat, three rats. Someone who breaks you into the Airbnb.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. Yeah. There's no pets in there.

[A]

An elusive bottle of soy sauce, a hole punched in a wall.

[B]

You know, it'd be crazy if I go to a hotel because I'm going out of town next month, and if there's, like, a bottle of soy sauce there sitting there, I'm gonna probably freak out.

[A]

That's the new get out.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Be like, no, but yeah, I'm gonna stick to hotels. I like hotels.

[A]

I do, too. I mean, look, everything's gross, but I feel like a hotel, at least, you know, someone is, like, competently cleaning it and everything. Like, Airbnb have cleaning services, but it just doesn't feel as legitimate. At least at a hotel, they have rules. They have a structured way that they clean things. There's like a routine.

[B]

Yeah. Like someone's checking, like, and they really be trying to clean. Cause when I be in hotels, they be like, even when I don't want them to come in, they're constantly trying to come in and clean.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

So they. You know, they at least trying to where the Airbnb. It's like, they'll clean when you done.

[A]

Yeah. No, the housekeeping is like, yeah, they'll

[B]

wake your ass up. Like, stop it.

[A]

Hello? No, we good. I had one just come in, and we was naked and it was like. And we didn't say nothing. So we thought if we didn't say nothing, she was gonna go, no.

[B]

That's their cue to come in. They're like, well, nobody's in here. Do, do, do, do, do. Oh, my God.

[A]

Naked girl. I know you gotta do your rounds, but shit.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

So this story continues. There's so many instances of, like, creepy, like, people who she contacted who were like, I had the same situation happen to me. Like, I came to the place. It wasn't how it was advertised. It was creepy and dirty, and the furniture looked like it had been picked up off the street. The couches were tattered and burned by some cigarettes.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

That killed me.

[B]

This image is killing me.

[A]

A cigarette on the couch and putting it out on the couch. You are a wild motherfucker. You are more wild as shit.

[B]

My mom would kill me. She won't even let me eat on the couch. Like, eat around it.

[A]

Around it. Not in the vicinity, the general area. I can't look at the couch while I'm eating. You know what I mean? For fear. But that's. That's. I just want to know the type of motherfucker who's out here putting cigarette butts out on a couch. Because that is just.

[B]

It's a certain type of person. I feel like I know that person.

[A]

You feel like, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. But, you know, I cut those. I cut that person out of my life. He cut off no more.

[A]

I'm very glad that you cut this person out of your life, Lamar. Cause if I Found if I saw you with a man who was smoking cigarettes and putting them out on furniture, I'd be concerned.

[B]

Oh, man. One day I'm gonna run into him, I'm gonna be like, how's it going? And he's gonna say, I quit smoking. And then we'll be friends again. Maybe so.

[A]

So this is just a very long article about how she continues to find people who have been a part of the scam. Airbnb is kind of at this standstill where they're refusing to do anything about it. She thinks that the scam is actually coming from a place called Abbott Pacific. And so she had contacted Abbott Pacific to see, because basically it was an upscale corporate rental company, but then some people were taking tours of it and all of the rentals were really like rundown properties that were at the same address that he had listed that the upscale properties were at. So she starts to think that she's onto the guy, right? She goes, I repeatedly tried to reach out to him on his cell phone to no avail. So I decided to call Abbott Pacific, the company he ran. According to to LinkedIn, the company's website only listed a Google number, which I called repeatedly. And on a Wednesday in October, before leaving a voicemail explaining that I needed to speak with Joel. The next day, I emailed Joelle on his personal Gmail. She is, listen, the petty levels here, this is peak petty. This is. She has taken on a full time job.

[B]

Yeah, that's her employment now she's doing

[A]

it, is drinking 12 cups of coffee a day. She's picked up a smoking habit. She's like, got so many papers and she's driving around like a Chevelle.

[B]

Yeah. Her car is filled with paperwork and

[A]

for some reason she lives in la, but everywhere she find a parking spot, right? She lives in la, but everywhere she goes, it's gray, cold and rainy. I don't know how. Just in her car, you know what I mean? Like, she's an intense.

[B]

She's really doing it. I'm really impressed. I could never do any. I could never go through all that.

[A]

So she emails him and she says, the man starts to pepper me with questions about this piece. So he goes, I googled you very briefly and it seems like you write generally negative things. So I'm trying to figure out how I can help. So now he's like, girl, I see you out here.

[B]

Yeah. Is there any chance that the company could. This someone could be doing this under the company and the company not know or is it. You think it goes all the way to the top.

[A]

But, like, a good scammer knows how to figure that out. So I don't know if it's just him. It says he runs this company, this llc. I mean, I have an llc. It's very easy to get an llc. So he very well could just be running this.

[B]

That's true. Yeah, that's true. Damn.

[A]

So recently, the FBI has reached out to our girl Allie. That's her name, right? Allie? Yeah. So the FBI has reached out to her about these scams, but she has yet to hear anything from Airbnb at this point.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

So after reaching out to Airbnb several times and really not getting any help, like, she still in contact with this guy. She offered to email him links to the Airbnb accounts that she was referring to that she thought were fraudulent, but he never gave her an email address saying that he had a pad and pen to take them down, which would presumably be first in human history. Like, who has ever written down a website? He's like, no, I got a pen and paper. Okay, what's website? Www.wait. the forward slash. Two forward slashes.

[B]

And you gotta mess up, and you

[A]

gotta make sure you have an eraser.com/.QRT110J2 bungalow apartment.

[B]

Like, what?

[A]

No one's wr this down. So then she says, oh, and I should tell you, this happened to me. Several seconds of silence pass before the man responds. This makes more sense now. After hanging up, I messaged Chris and Becky's account, the fake one, and asked for Joelle to call me because I was writing an article. It was around 3pm in New York City. Hi, Ali. Think you might be mistaken. They wrote back four hours later. Are you looking to book the home question? I told y' all already ran this scam.

[B]

I know. That's funny. That's how you know. Because, yeah, it's like they do so such scam mode that they, like, it's like, almost in a loop. Like, they just can't be scamming.

[A]

Also, I feel like that it must be Joel, because nobody responds to a question that they don't know the answer to. Like, I think you might be mistaken. I think I would just be like, who is Joel?

[B]

Like, yeah, like, yeah, I think you might be mistaken.

[A]

Joel was sitting over there typing, like, what's going to make it sound like this is magic?

[B]

Took 20 minutes to figure that out. All right, I'm going say you might be mistaken. And then. Then they'll. Then that's good. That's. Say that. Say that.

[A]

And then I'm going say, dude, are you looking to book the home? Because we legitimately are booking home.

[B]

Right. Because we call it homes. Like, anybody legit will call it a home. They wouldn't call it a.

[A]

Okay, I'm typing it right now.

[B]

A room.

[A]

So. So the man who called himself Patrick never got back to her. So this. So Joel is going by so many different names. Never got back to me with more information about the disconnect or put me in touch with Joel as he said he would. I again emailed. Basically, this goes on, and eventually she goes onto the website, the Pacific llc, and it's gone.

[B]

Wow. So she's probably scared them. And then they took it down.

[A]

Right, Right. They were like, we got to start deleting our paper trails. We are too easily.

[B]

First stop, website. Get rid of the website. That's the first thing we take.

[A]

Why do we even have a website for our scam company? That was stupid. Well, you told me we needed outreach. You said that social media was the future. Yeah, not for us, but we don't need outreach.

[B]

If it was real, if this was a real company, then we would need a website.

[A]

This is crazy. So, I mean, this is still a developing story, so if there is an update, we'll give you one. But the FBI is looking into this now and so fascinated to see.

[B]

Yeah, I can't wait to see what happens.

[A]

But shout out to. Absolutely. For being just petty and petty.

[B]

Hella thorough. Ali was keeping it real thorough.

[A]

Thirsty for the truth.

[B]

Attention to detail. That's my biggest weakness. Like when I was. When I was getting at my job and they did a review on me, they were like, you're good at a lot of things, but you don't have good attention to detail.

[A]

You turned everything half finished. Like, come on, there's coffee all over this.

[B]

I don't have attention to detail, but Ellie did.

[A]

But. All right, guys, that brings us to the end of this episode. I always ask people, where do you want to be found? Not where can people find you? Cause I don't want people pulling up unless you consent.

[B]

Oh, I just want to be found on. You can find me on. On. On the movie and show. Just watch my movie. It's a party on Showtime.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then you'll see every. You'll see me watch.

[A]

It's a party. Lamar is hilarious. So talented, guys, as always. You can find [e-mail] if you got some retired scams that you want to share with us, please do not blow your lid on your scam. You're still running. I'm not trying to fuck up your back. Okay, Retired scam zone. Or if you've been scammed, I'm so sorry. We will probably laugh about it, but please email it to us Anyway, guys, if you want to find me, I'm at D I V, A L A C I on all platforms. Diva Lacey that brings us to the end of the show. Congregation. Stay Scheming. Scam Goddess. Scam Goddess stars and is hosted by me, Lacey Moseley, AKA Scam Goddess. Our producer is Jessica Cisneros and our audio engineer is Rich Garcia. Research for the show is conducted by Kate and Doyle. Stay Scheming.