Are you being scammed in booking a stay for the Miami World Cup? What Airbnb says
With travelers heading to Miami for six more World Cup matches, Airbnb has warned fans to beware of online travel scams.
According to the market research company Ipsos, around 4 in 10 Americans have been scammed while booking places to stay online, and the losses average almost $2,000. Five percent of travelers reported losing over $10,000.
As the soccer matches at Hard Rock Stadium continue — the next one is Sunday, June 21 — Airbnb is offering tips to avoid scams and ensure safety when it comes to accommodations at World Cup host cities.
“Last year, Airbnb’s anti-fraud systems blocked over 250,000 suspicious listings before they went live and cut clicks on risky links by more than 20% following a new feature launch,” said Roger Kaiser, vice president of Airbnb Fraud and Safety Operations. “However, scammers don’t limit themselves to one platform, and neither can the response.”
Last year, the company launched a feature that reminds users to ensure all payments and communication occur on the Airbnb platform when external links are shared. According to Airbnb, the new feature decreased “user clicks on potentially risky links by more than 20%.”
In an effort to educate people about the dangers of these scams, Airbnb says it has partnered with the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators.
“In 2025 alone, this helped to prevent around 265,000 potentially suspicious listings from appearing on Airbnb,” Airbnb said in an announcement. “We also take down third-party phishing websites that attempt to impersonate Airbnb, making it harder for scammers to try to mislead travelers online.”
As for what travelers themselves can do to cut the risk of being scammed, Airbnb recommends several steps.
On the Airbnb website, every booking is covered with protections, offering rebooking options and sometimes refunds if the host doesn’t respond to communication, cancels last minute or lists the property inaccurately. So, Airbnb recommends booking, paying and communicating through its platform.
Reading reviews, questioning unusual details and taking your time choosing a booking is also recommended for travelers. This includes messaging the host to ask questions about the property, and being cautious of unrealistic pricing and countdown timers that urge travelers to rush into a decision.
“Take your time, especially when searching in popular destinations, like FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities, where high demand can make these tactics more common,” Airbnb said in its announcement.
Users should also pay by credit card, and if asked to pay by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards, do not do so. Treating suspicious calls and links with caution is also essential to protecting one’s account and payment information.
To further protect guest accounts, Airbnb urges users to utilize unique passwords and multi-factor authentication. If a guest receives a login alert that was not them, they should promptly change their password.
“Together, these steps help make it harder for scammers to try to access accounts,” Airbnb said.