Abritel sentenced for deceptive marketing practices after failing to prevent scams

Abritel, the holiday rental specialist and subsidiary of the Expedia group, was condemned in mid-June by the Paris judicial court for misleading commercial practices. Like Booking and Airbnb, the platform, which is owned by an American group, appears to have failed to take adequate steps to stamp out the numerous scams and identity frauds. It will have to pay a penalty of €5,000 per day, unless it appeals. L'informé, an exclusive news website, reported on the case. This follows on from the numerous discrepancies that our magazine noted in its special report in the issue.

In 2021, the DGCCRF attacked the platform following numerous reports from customers who had fallen victim to fraudulent adverts. At the time, the company communicated extensively on the range of safeguards and guarantees that it said it was deploying to ensure the security of rentals: identity verification, reliability checks and payment security. But in reality, the scams continued, as reported by many customers: accommodation that did not match the photos in the adverts, property already rented or non-existent once you arrived, difficulties with refunds, etc.

A real discrepancy has been observed between what is stated by the platform on its website and its terms and conditions of use.

For example, to prevent identity theft, Abritel only checks email addresses with double authentication.

Abritel has been ordered to cease this misleading communication and will have to pay a penalty of €5,000 per day forty-five days after the decision is handed down.

The judgement, which the Informé has been able to consult. 
On 17 June, the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris ruled that Abritel's parent companies, EG Vacation Rentals Ireland Limited and VRBO Netherlands Holding Company, had engaged in deceptive marketing practices by using the terms ‘safe and secure platform’, ‘safest and most secure experience’, ‘in complete confidence’, ‘state-of-the-art technology’ and ‘anti-fraud measures’. All of this ‘was based on a presentation that was likely to mislead users as to the results of the checks carried out and the extent of the platform's commitments in terms of verifying the identity of users and the content of ads’.

Abritel has reportedly indicated its intention to appeal. When contacted, the DGCCRF did not confirm that it was in possession of the judgement or wish to comment on it.

In Saint-Denis, the house rented out on Booking by false owners.
Just yesterday on Linkedin, the daughter of a 91-year-old revealed that tenants had turned up at her father's home, claiming to have rented out his house. "This is not the case, as my father lives in this house in Seine Saint Denis. His identity had been stolen. Booking, which I contacted urgently two days ago, simply put me in touch with a chatbot, despite the seriousness and urgency of the situation and the fraud. Two people have been wronged: the tenants and ourselves. And the situation very nearly turned sour because the people had rented the house during the Paris Air Show, which they were due to attend.