Woman allegedly scammed by Airbnb host with a listing that didn’t exist. But she digs out his name …and then his birth details

A viral TikTok video shows a woman confronting a man over the phone, accusing him of running a fake Airbnb listing. The clip, posted by the account @samjosells, has drawn over 21.9 million views after resurfacing on social media platforms in recent months. User @samjosells, who appears to be a friend of the woman, uploaded the clip.

In the video, the woman is seen walking through what appears to be a building lobby while on a phone call. An off-screen voice, said to belong to the Airbnb host, asks her, “Where do you live?” The woman replies, “Your parents’ house?” The man answers, “Uh, no.”

The woman then turns to face the camera and says the host’s name and birth details were exposed through the property’s Wi-Fi code. “Oh, that’s so sad because your name is on the Wi-Fi code. Mr. Tyler, born in May 1996,” she says in the video.

A follow-up video lays out the events that reportedly led to the confrontation

A second TikTok video, posted by the account @livvoogus and identified as the woman from the original clip, explains what allegedly happened before the phone call. According to her account, she and her friends booked the Airbnb about two months in advance to attend a music festival, and the host allegedly had “super host” status with positive reviews at the time of booking.

Liv said that while driving to Jacksonville, the host sent two different door codes and then stopped responding to questions about parking and building access. Upon arrival, she said, none of the codes worked. 

According to her, a neighbor at the building told the group that a similar incident had happened to another couple the night before, and claimed that the building’s actual leaseholder had been evicted for allegedly running unauthorized Airbnb listings that were never taken down.

Liv said that after failing to reach the host by phone, she searched for his personal information online and messaged him, asking whether they were meant to meet at what she said was his parents’ address. She claimed the man called her back almost immediately, though she said she does not fully remember the conversation because she was upset at the time.

In the follow-up video, she also said that no other Airbnb listings or hotel rooms were available within a 45-minute radius of the festival that night, partly because of a separate sporting event taking place at the same time. She said the group was ultimately able to stay at a friend’s Airbnb instead.

She also claimed that the host’s girlfriend later sent her a text message, though she did not disclose its contents in detail beyond saying she disagreed with its framing. According to her, she did not hear from either the host or his girlfriend again after replying to that message.

Liv said Airbnb refunded the cost of the original booking and covered part of the cost of a hotel room for the following night. Airbnb hosts and guests have separately reported disputes with the company over how it handles claims, including a separate Airbnb guest damage dispute in which a host said the company denied a payout after a rental was allegedly destroyed.

Neither the man identified in the videos as “Mr. Tyler” nor his girlfriend has publicly responded to the allegations. In the original clip, the woman delivers what she describes as an ultimatum to the host over the phone, saying, “And you’re either going to send us the $1,000 back or we’re going to have a sleepover with your parents.” The video ends before the outcome of that exchange is shown.

In the comments section of the original video, one user wrote that the woman “can act as my ‘Attorney’ anytime,” while another asked, “why not threaten the police to the girlfriend too,” suggesting she “go all the way with this.” Other commenters cautioned that Airbnb listings inside apartment complexes can carry added risk, with one noting that “many don’t allow running AirBnB in your unit” and advising others to avoid such bookings altogether.

On the follow-up video, one commenter questioned the host’s girlfriend’s reported reaction, writing, “The girlfriend acting like you were in the wrong?!?!?! Ma’am………” Another commenter argued in favor of legal action, writing, “For sure pursue a lawsuit. He knew what he was doing. Sounds like he’s well off enough being an (ex?)Airbnb host. Time to teach a lesson.”

Other guests have described comparable problems with long-term Airbnb bookings, including a New Jersey Airbnb scam claim in which a traveler said she lost thousands of dollars after booking a 13-week stay that involved unsafe wiring.