"Customer of the Month" Program

[John1329]

I have received a text message from an AirBnB account (2991) congratulating me on winning a "500 NEW WORLD Giftcard" as a part of our Customer of the Month program.  The text contains a link to claim the "FREE Voucher".   There is no mention of such a promotion on AirBnB help pages.  The linked page does not reference AirBnB and asks for personal information that AirBnB will already have.

Is this a legitimate AirBnB promotion?

[Gordon0]

If it smells like a rat, it probably is a rat. 
Have you checked the email address (not friendly name) the message has been sent from?

[John1329]

It was an SMS text and the sending ID is one that AirBnB used for messaging from a recent booking of mine.    I agree this smells like a rat.  If so, then AirBnB's messaging system has been hacked.  Hope my sense of smell is wrong.

[Helen3]

Have you rung Airbnb and asked them. Very likely the system hasn't been hacked at all but it just appears to come from them.

[John1329]

I do not see anywhere a number that I can ring AirBnB on.  Their help system is not at all helpful for anything that does not impact their revenue stream.  There is no contact form for problems.  The feedback form I have used but their response was not to expect a response.  Hence my posting to the community.

[Sandra126]

I am wondering why you would be customer of the month, if there's such a thing. You are very new, one review??? Think it is dodgy but by all means, ring them.

[Marzena4]

What are they asking you to provide, @John1329?

[John1329]

Name, contact details (phone, address, email), age,...  No request for credit card numbers yet but I stopped at the contact details page.

[Sarah977]

Airbnb already has your contact details, they would not be asking for them again via SMS to send you something.

And yes, there are contact forms to reach support and phone numbers for airbnb, as well you can use twitter or facebook-contact info is pinned at the top of this Help Forum.

[Ange2 · Accepted solution]

@John1329   It's a scam, search "$500 New World giftcard as part of a Customer of the Month program" it's been going on for a few months, hundreds of different companies. But that doesn't mean any of the companies whose names they are using have been hacked.

[John1329]

Yes, a scam it is and not a legitimate AirBnB promotion.  My concerns then move on to the use of a text sending address that AirBnB has used with me.  It's like someone spoofing my email address to scam someone - I'd be very concerned and would want to know how to prevent it in the future.  In contrast, AirBnB do not seem in the least bit concerned.

[Sarah977]

@John1329  Yes, that is quite disconcerting. I think you need to phone airbnb, or message them on twitter, which apparently works quite well (as you said, feedback forms are not responded to). They should be very concerned that scammers are somehow using the airbnb notification numbers. Maybe an inside job from someone employed in their overseas call centers, is what immediately springs to my mind.

[Sarah977]

Phone numbers are pinned at the top of the Help forum.