Airbnb host hit with Rs 1.25 lakh electricity bill after guests secretly mine Rs 84 lakh in cryptocurrency

The Airbnb host said guests mined cryptocurrency during their stay. (Representational)

An Airbnb host in North Carolina, US, has been forced to add an unusual rule to her listing: no cryptocurrency mining. The move follows an alarming incident that left the host, Ashley Class, facing an astronomical utility bill after a couple of guests, who initially seemed like model renters, left her blindsided with a staggering $1,500 (Rs 1.25 lakh) electricity charge after their three-week stay.

On July 30, Class shared her ordeal in a TikTok video, revealing how her Charlotte rental property became a makeshift crypto-mining hub. "It was cheaper for them to rent a house than to pay for that electricity," Class said in her video.

The episode began without any warning signs, she recalled. The guests, who had all the makings of responsible tenants, raised no red flags during their stay. However, the hefty utility bill that followed their departure forced Class to take a closer look. Surveillance footage from an outdoor camera revealed that the guests had smuggled in at least 10 computer rigs, later identified as equipment used for cryptocurrency mining.

Cryptocurrency mining, a process that involves solving complex mathematical problems to earn digital currency, demands significant computational power. This, in turn, requires vast amounts of electricity. The practice, known for its environmental and financial toll, has even led some regions in China to outlaw it altogether.

When Class confronted the guests about the exorbitant electric bill, she was met with resistance. It wasn’t until she involved Airbnb and presented the evidence that the guests agreed to cover the costs.

According to Class's TikTok comments, the guests had made $100,000 (Rs 83.91 lakh) during their stay. They then paid her the exorbitant bill.