Charlotte woman sends entrepreneur $5,000 for Houston Airbnb. Then she tries to move in and realizes she was bamboozled: ‘She gotta strategy alright’

Joileceia (@joileciabriana), a Charlotte, North Carolina, woman, says she invested $5,000 in Veonce Dasilva’s Airbnb Strategy, a Houston-based coaching service that promised to shepherd her into the short-term rental business—only to be delivered a pamphlet and radio silence.

“Every time I try to support a [expletive], I’m always [expletive] getting scammed,” she said. “Do not book with Airbnb Strategy. She’s a [expletive] scam.”

How Did She Lose $5,000 on an Airbnb Coaching Course?

Joileceia said she had wanted to break into Airbnb for a long time. After finding Dasilva on TikTok (@airbnbstrategy) and Instagram (@buildwithstrategy_ ), she said she got on a Zoom call, saw her face, and felt assured enough to commit. She said she began payments in November 2024 and completed the $5,000 balance by May 2025.

The trouble mounted swiftly. Beyond the coaching fee, she owed the first month’s rent and a nonrefundable deposit of an equal amount. She said she told Dasilva she wanted a two-bedroom in Houston at $1,600 a month and sent the money. According to her, Dasilva informed her that two-bedrooms were unavailable and only three-bedrooms (at $1,800) remained.

The promised step-by-step guidance did not come, Joileceia said. No LLC was formed. No business credit was established. She said Dasilva sent over a pamphlet and left her to figure it out alone. She added that communication went weeks and months between replies, and the replies didn’t amount to much when they did speak. At one point, Dasilva even changed her phone number without a mention of it, Joileceia said.

“She don’t accept no accountability. She don’t apologize,” Joileceia said. “She’s very, very unprofessional.”

Joileceia said that when a unit and landlord were finally identified, and a March 1 move-in date was established, Dasilva went dark for two weeks. According to Joileceia, Dasilva didn’t honor Joileceia’s stated preferences or prior conversations between the two.

Dasilva has turned off all comments on her TikTok, suggesting the possibility of bad business.

“If you don’t send me my money, I’m continuing with the process,” Joileceia said. “You finna get sued.”

This perhaps would not be the first time. But first, let’s see what the people had to say.

‘You Were the Strategy Love’

In the comments section, viewers said Joileceia should have known better than to fork over such a large sum to a stranger from the internet, especially when it doesn’t take a course to start Airbnb hosting.

“No shade sista, you had $5k you could’ve started the Airbnb on your own that’s a good amount,” said one person.

“$5000 sounded ok to you?” asked another person, positing a reasonable question given the situation.

“I started Airbnb arbitrage 2 years ago I didn’t purchase an e-book or pay anyone to show me,” said one person. “We have to learn to start researching ourselves! You don’t have to pay anyone to teach you.”

There was one common thread: “It starts with common sense,” noted another commenter. “A lot of things sound way too outrageous. Forking over $5,000 just like that is just foolish. People need to start doing their research. If it sounds too good, normally it is. Gotta do better.”

But it doesn’t necessarily mean Joileceia wasn’t scammed.

Red Flags Everywhere

A quick Google search probably should have turned on some red lights.

For one, Dasilva’s digital footprint is thin for someone charging five figures. A LinkedIn profile lists her as a cashier in New York City, a claim confirmed by throwback photos on her social media pages. A Voyage Houston magazine feature appears to be the only significant web presence with her photo. But the publication operates on open submissions with minimal editorial vetting. Not for nothing, a quick search for Harris County court records reveals one eviction lawsuit filed against a Veonce Dasilva just two years ago—an unsettling footnote.

Joileceia’s situation may or may not be a scam, but the broader pattern isn’t particularly new. The FTC reported in December 2025 that consumers had lost $65 million to rental scams with setups similar to this one. Half of these scams started on social media. Dasilva shows off a flashy lifestyle. Consumers see an opportunity to come up in short order. They sideline proper vetting and neglect to do basic research.

AllHipHop reached out to Joileceia and Dasilva via TikTok direct messages and comments. We will update this story if either responds.

@joileceiabriana

♬ original sound – JoileceiaBriana