Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is available for police forces on their response to complaints from consumers who find out that accommodation booked and paid for through Airbnb does not exist.

The type of fraud committed in this scenario is rental fraud; if an individual thinks they have fallen victim to any type of fraud or cyber crime they should immediately report it to Action Fraud. Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for all frauds and cyber crimes; following receipt of a crime report it will then pass it to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) who will assess it for viable leads. Where there is enough evidence available and a viable lead, NFIB will disseminate a crime package to the most appropriate force to launch an investigatory response.