Tourists scammed into renting "ghost" Airbnb apartments in Ibiza.

The "VIP" apartment they paid for for two weeks was described as having a Turkish-style bathroom with a hot tub, a king-size bed, and a private elevator, located on the top floor of the Las Boas complex. Additionally, the apartment had a private marble terrace. It was also dog-friendly, making it ideal for the Feltham family as they were on holiday with their two Yorkshire Terriers.

The images were taken from various apartments being sold or rented on the Las Boas luxury resort website. Mr. Feltham was skeptical about the "unbelievably beautiful" apartment before his trip, as the rental company, Lux Travel Collectible, provided very little information and remained silent for several days before check-in. When the Feltham family tried calling Las Boas, an employee said there were no apartments matching that description.

Mr. Feltham contacted Airbnb and was passed from one person to another, then refused a refund, stating that customers would only receive a refund if they went to the property and were unable to enter. So, on September 16th, the couple flew to Ibiza and were unable to check in. They and their two dogs had to travel another 40 minutes by car to the nearest animal-friendly hotel, paying nearly $250 extra per night for a room.

For his part, Ian Feltham expressed extreme dissatisfaction with how Airbnb handled the incident, even though Airbnb later contacted the customer to apologize. They promised to refund $11,800 to the traveler, but did not offer any additional compensation. The rental apartment was also suspended from the website pending the results of the investigation.

Huong Thao