An accused Indo-American scammer has been indicted in a $7 million fraud scheme where he allegedly double-booked nearly 100 properties across the US — as well as properties that do not exist — and then refusing guests refunds. Shray Goel was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to an indictment filed Thursday. The alleged fraudster concocted a nationwide Airbnb scam in which he double-booked customers at nearly 100 rental properties across the country, raking in some $7 million in profits, Court Watch and 404 Media reported.
LOS ANGELES – An accused Indo-American scammer has been indicted in a $7 million fraud scheme where he allegedly double-booked nearly 100 properties across the US — as well as properties that do not exist — and then refusing guests refunds.
Shray Goel was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to an indictment filed Thursday.
The alleged fraudster concocted a nationwide Airbnb scam in which he double-booked customers at nearly 100 rental properties across the country, raking in some $7 million in profits, Court Watch and 404 Media reported.
Goel’s indictment alleges that between January 2018 and November 2019, he and others working under him would contact renters to inform them their property was unavailable, often mere minutes before they were set to check in.
Goel would then offer to rebook those guests to an upgraded property free of charge — before putting renters up in “inferior replacements.”
Prosecutors argued that Goel “profited from the scheme by running a secret bidding war to rent properties to the highest bidder.”
Goel is also accused of refusing refunds to guests who were entitled to them, using pseudonyms and taking on false identities to list his properties. At times, he would also book guests at rental properties that did not exist, according to the indictment, reported New York Post.
The alleged hoax mainly involved properties in Los Angeles, Malibu and Marina del Rey, as well as various locations across the US, including in Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The scammer also operated on Vrbo, according to prosecutors, who said he made $1.5 million on the platform before being banned in 2015.
A Vice investigation named Goel in the alleged scam in 2019, though a warrant for his arrest was only filed on Dec. 28, according to 404 Media.
Goel appeared to address the controversy on a since-deleted Twitter account, which had featured his name and a photo of Goel that Vice had previously used in an article about the scam.
“Yesterday was an incredibly tough day for me. While I can’t publicly speak about the circumstances — I was heading to my condo, feeling sorry for myself,” Goel wrote in the now-deleted post.
“This somber scene instantly put my own problems into perspective, reminding me of the deeper struggles others endure,” his message added, before concluding, “stay strong.”
Airbnb told the outlet in a statement, “Airbnb is built on trust, and bad actors have no place in our community. We supported the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI throughout their investigation to help ensure accountability, and we are thankful to them for their work,” reported New York Post.
Courtesy New York Post
