Someone copied my Airbnb listing - what do I do?
Capture evidence first: a full-page screenshot of the copy, a saved copy of the page, the URL, and today's date. Then get it removed: use the report form if it sits on a marketplace, or send a DMCA takedown notice to the domain's registrar and hosting provider if it has its own website. Finally, warn your future guests that you never accept payment off-platform.
Why evidence comes first
Cloned listings disappear fast once reported - and with them, your proof. Before you touch any report button, save a full-page screenshot (with the URL bar visible), save the page itself (Ctrl+S in any browser), and note the date. If victims later contact you or a platform asks for documentation, this is what you'll need.
If the copy is on a marketplace or another platform
Every major platform has an intellectual-property or scam-report path. Use the specific IP-infringement form where one exists - photo theft is a copyright matter, and copyright reports are typically processed faster than generic "report this listing" flags. Include your original listing URL, the copy's URL, and your evidence.
If the copy is on its own website
- Look up the domain at rdap.org or lookup.icann.org - you'll find the registrar and usually the hosting provider, each with an abuse contact.
- Send both a DMCA takedown notice. The legal framework is Section 512 of the DMCA; the notice itself is a short letter identifying your original work, the infringing URL, a good-faith statement, and your signature. (Bikoosh subscribers get this pre-filled per match.)
- If the site shows ads or appears in search, you can also file with Google's removal tool.
Protect your guests while it's live
- Add a line to your real listing: "We never ask for payment outside this platform."
- Brief whoever answers your phone or messages.
- If a victim contacts you, point them to their bank's fraud-recall process immediately and to reportfraud.ftc.gov (US) or Action Fraud (UK).
Reduce the damage next time
Clones hurt in proportion to how long they live. Searching a distinctive sentence of your own description in quotes once a month catches word-for-word copies; continuous monitoring (photo fingerprints, text search, new-domain watching) catches them in days instead of months. That's the service half of what we build at Bikoosh - the free checker is the other half, open to everyone.
Related guides
- Your listing was cloned - the complete takedown playbook
- How property managers can monitor for stolen listings
- Is this Airbnb listing real? How to tell in five minutes
Worried about a specific listing? The free checker compares it against registered properties in about a minute. Property manager? Bikoosh watches your portfolio.