Airbnb host tries to charge guest £389 for a stained mattress, guest finds the image they used on years-old internet forum: 'Thought it was a bit fishy so reversed image searched'

Airbnb is one of the key inventions of our century. They've opened up the world for travel in important ways. They've allowed big groups of people to share a vacation home instead of having to pay a bunch of money for different hotel rooms. They've allowed guests to stay in places with regular home amenities that you don't always get on vacation, like a kitchen, a living room, and maybe even a private outdoor space.

Airbnb has also let millions of people make a little extra money on the side by opening up either their primary or secondary homes to strangers on the internet. But like anything involving strangers on the unternet, it definitely has its downsides. You never quite know what you're going to get in an Airbnb until you open up the doors. There have been plenty of places I've stayed in that have looked way different in real life. Plus, you're also dealing with somebody whom you may never meet if they have an automatic check-in system.

This can lead to a lack of accountability on both sides when it comes to maintaining the space. Like in this situation, where an Airbnb host tried to scam an innocent guest out of a couple of hundred bucks. But they got the perfect revenge in the end after some savvy Google searching. Read on to see what happened.
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Stayed in an Airbnb. Host claimed I damaged the mattress. Asking for money. Turns out they took an image from the Internet.

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Commenters had a lot say about this scam.

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