Roami Busts Fraud Ring with Autohost's Advanced Detection
Implement powerful guest screening to protect your properties from fraudulent bookings while maintaining revenue and ensuring quality stays for legitimate guests.
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6 secs
average identity verification time
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220%
average ROI for Autohost clients
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330k+
fraud attempts prevented monthly
Roami operates short-term rentals in some of the most popular—and unfortunately, fraud-prone—markets in the United States, including South Florida and New Orleans. As Roami’s COO Brandreth Canaley puts it, “Florida is a sunny place full of shady people,” and they’ve encountered their fair share of sophisticated fraud attempts while managing their extensive property portfolio.
The Challenge
Operating in markets known for high fraud rates presented Roami with significant challenges in guest screening and verification. Traditional screening methods weren’t sufficient to catch increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts. Fraudsters would try different techniques to find weaknesses in their booking system, potentially leading to significant revenue loss, property damage, and negative experiences for legitimate guests staying at adjacent properties.
Brandreth Canaley
Chief Operations Officer at Roami
We’re in two like hotbed fraud markets. People really love their fraud in South Florida, and they say that Florida is a sunny place full of shady people—and we have seen a lot of that, especially in Miami. There is a reputation for a reason. And also, New Orleans is right up there with it.
Why Autohost?
Roami implemented Autohost for its advanced fraud detection capabilities and comprehensive screening process. The platform’s ability to flag suspicious bookings and identify connections between seemingly unrelated reservations proved invaluable. Autohost’s detailed risk assessments provided Roami’s guest experience team with the information they needed to investigate suspicious bookings more thoroughly, even when the initial red flags might have been subtle.
Brandreth Canaley
Chief Operations Officer at Roami
Last year, our director of guest experience noticed that there was someone flagged—something that indicated we should take a closer look at this guest. Because she saw that flag, she looked and noticed that there were all of these other flags that were related to this one name and was able to basically bust open a fraud ring. They had booked like a dozen units with us, and they were just trying different techniques to see what could work.
Results
Autohost’s advanced screening system helped Roami identify and prevent a major fraud incident before it could impact their business. In one significant case, Autohost’s flags led Roami’s team to discover a fraud ring that had attempted to book multiple properties using different techniques to bypass standard security measures.
By catching these fraudulent bookings early, Roami was able to:
- Clear the fraudulent reservations from their calendar before the stay dates
- Open the availability back up for legitimate bookings, preventing revenue loss
- Protect legitimate guests from potentially disruptive or unpleasant experiences
- Maintain the security and reputation of their properties
Brandreth Canaley
Chief Operations Officer at Roami
Autohost caught it all, and we were able to clear them out of the calendar before they stayed. It was enough time to open up that availability, so we didn’t lose any money. And obviously, the side that you might not think about is that it actually protected all of the other stays that were happening. These people were going to come—they were in communication—so we prevented our existing real guests from having a bad experience, because typically if you are committing that kind of fraud, you are not there to be a respectful, pleasant guest.
Roami
Roami is a property management company that operates short-term rentals in high-demand markets, including South Florida and New Orleans.
2014 year founded
51-200 employees employees
With Autohost since 2023