Fraudulent Airbnb listings are on the rise with scammers using fake pictures in a bid to lure in unsuspecting tourists.

A typical example of this type of fraud was an advert of a luxurious six-bedroom property just a stone’s throw from Bondi Beach, Australia. However when checks were conducted through Google reverse image search, it revealed the property was actually located in Key Biscayne, Florida – more than 15,000km away.

There is absolutely no place for fake listings on our platform, and we have zero tolerance for this type of illegal behaviour,’ an Airbnb spokesman said.

‘More than 150 million guests have had safe, positive experiences on Airbnb and while incidents are incredibly rare, we take them very seriously and move fast to deal with them.

‘Our global Trust and Safety team works 24/7 to protect our community and prevent attempts at fraud, and while no industry has a 100 per cent safety record, that is what we strive for and we will keep working as hard as we can to achieve that goal.

‘Airbnb will never ask you to pay the cost of a reservation off-site or through email. The bottom line is when you book a reservation through our secure platform, you receive the benefits of Airbnb’s global trust and safety team and the 40 safety features that kick in long before a transaction can take even place.’