Faux landlord jailed for for Airbnb grift

A faux landlord has been convicted of fraud after reserving Airbnbs and promoting them on as long-term leases.

Samy Daim would promote the properties on Rightmove and Zoopla, asking for a yr’s lease upfront together with a 25% deposit.

He additionally used his personal London flat to hold out the rip-off whereas his landlord was making an attempt to evict him for failing to pay the lease.

Daim stole £10,730 to £19,800 per particular person, whereas his victims included teenage college students as younger as 18.

After making over  £200,000 from the grift, in addition to posting photos from unique places on social media, he was arrested at Heathrow when boarding a aircraft to Thailand.

Media studies from the court docket say that Decide Silas Reid informed Daim: “The entire victims suffered appreciable detrimental influence and the sum of money was vital.

“Two of the victims suffered critical detrimental results, considered one of them his spouse was pregnant they usually have been left in a scenario virtually unable to afford meals, and naturally they nonetheless wanted to safe lodging.

“One was not too long ago bereaved which meant your actions had a fair better influence. One sufferer suffered their hair falling out, disrupted sleep and one misplaced his job and had nowhere to dwell.”

Daim, who’s French, pleaded responsible at Inside London Crown Court docket to 11 counts of fraud by false illustration between 2023 and 2024.

He was jailed for 4 years and 4 months.