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‘Airbnb Hopping’: How Hunted Hackers Stay on the Run From Kidnappers

Hackers are using false identities to book Airbnbs after being doxed and hunted by violent criminals.
An Airbnb sign saying "Dark Mode. Camping Category Airbnb."
Image: Airbnb.

Hackers are renting Airbnbs under false identities after they’ve been doxed in a now common practice known as “Airbnb hopping,” according to multiple chat logs and screenshots reviewed by 404 Media. The hackers are constantly changing locations to stay one step ahead of violent criminals who hunt out targets to rob or physically assault.

The practice highlights the sharp increase of violence in the digital underground, with young criminals often hiring accomplices to steal cryptocurrency from one another, throw bricks or shoot weapons at targets’ homes, or even kidnap them. It also shows how the multibillion dollar accommodation giant Airbnb has become an unwitting piece of infrastructure for serious criminals.

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