5 On Your Side

Airbnb sends out scam warning to UNC, Duke fans planning to travel for game

Catching the Final Four show down between Duke and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in person is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

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By
Keely Arthur
, WRAL 5 On Your Side reporter

Catching the Final Four show down between Duke and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in person is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Getting to New Orleans and a ticket to the game is one thing, but where do you stay?

Already, almost all hotels in New Orleans are booked on Saturday night. Head over to Airbnb and there will be more opportunities for lodging, but there's also more opportunities for so-called "bad actors."

"We've all just been talking about how cool it would be to go," said UNC-CH freshman Kabir Dewan. "It's kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - Coach K's last tim playing UNC - so I would 100 percent go."

Dewan entered his name into the student ticket lottery and is waiting to find out if he’ll snag a seat. If he does, he’ll drive to New Orleans and then they’ll be lodging to worry about.
With nearly every hotel booked for that night, Dewan said he plans on using Airbnb.

:I really like the experience of not staying in a traditional hotel," he said.

There are still a fair number of options on the site, but Airbnb is putting out a warning specifically to Duke and UNC-CH fans — knowing that scammers may capitalize on the interest of this game.

For those planning on booking an Airbnbn, make sure to book directly through the website, never pay via email or third-party site and make sure to use Airbnb's webiste or app. The company cites fake lookalikes, such as "Airbnbn24hours.com" as a scam.

While booking, look at the home’s cancelation policy, read reviews and ask relevant questions like, “Is there public transportation nearby?” and “How close is this to the Superdome?”

Keep in mind that similar rules apply when booking a traditional hotel room. If a deal seems too good to be true or something is off, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call the hotel directly. 

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