2 Indicted in $8.5 Million Nationwide Airbnb/Vrbo Scam that Allegedly Defrauded 1000s of Victims and Discriminated Against Renters 2024.1.4 ☑Attorney ☑U.S.,美国LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury has indicted two men on federal fraud charges that allege a double-booking, bait-and-switch scam run through online property rental platforms – primarily Airbnb – that brought in more than $8.5 million through misleading listings and fraudulently canceling reservations, which included discrimination against Black people, the Justice Department announced today.Shray Goel, 35, of Miami, and Shaunik Raheja, 34, of Denver, were charged Wednesday in a superseding indictment that accuses them of fraud in connection with more than 10,000 reservations linked to nearly 100 properties across 10 states.Goel was initially charged in an indictment returned on December 13. He was arrested in Florida on December 27 and was released on bond the following day. Raheja was added as a defendant in the superseding indictment. Both defendants are expected to be arraigned in United States District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.➤当局周四表示，一名迈阿密男子是因大规模短期租赁诈骗案被起诉的两人之一，该诈骗案诈骗了 10 个州的数千名受害者，骗取了超过 850 万美元。据美国加州中区检察官办公室称，35 岁的迈阿密人 Shray Goel（戈埃尔）和 34 岁的丹佛人 Shaunik Raheja（拉赫贾）周三被指控犯有多项欺诈罪，涉及近 100 处房产的 10,000 多个预订。检察官称，这两人及其员工通过在线房产租赁平台实施了“双重预订、诱饵和转换”骗局。他们通过误导性列表和欺诈性取消预订，其中包括对“被认为是黑人的客人”的歧视，在 Airbnb 上获得了约 700 万美元的付款，并通过 Vrbo 获得了约 150 万美元的预订。当局称，这些房产位于佛罗里达州的达文波特、洛杉矶和马里布、丹佛、芝加哥、萨凡纳、南本德、克利夫兰、纳什维尔、奥斯汀、达拉斯和密尔沃基等地。据称，Goel 和 Raheja 通过 Airbnb 和 Vrbo 上同一房屋的多个列表重复预订了房屋，然后“在最后一刻发明了虚假的借口 – 通常声称管道问题 – 取消超额预订的客人或诱骗他们搬到劣质的替代住宿，”美国检察官的声明称。与此同时，他们通过对房产进行秘密竞标战，在同一晚以不同的价格发布同一房产的多个列表，然后允许出价最高的人租用房产，然后取消或更换较低的房产，从而从该计划中获利。检察官称，他们向客人支付了该地区另一处房产的费用。检察官称，戈埃尔和拉赫贾甚至试图避免租房给他们认为是黑人的客人。起诉书称：“戈埃尔和拉赫贾决定保留哪些客人以及取消哪些客人，部分原因是他们的种族偏见和歧视。”➤老美检察官起诉书（29页）