Hands-Free Automation sold 'no-risk' Airbnb arbitrage; investors sued

Hands-Free Automation, run by Anthony Agyeman, pitched investors on Airbnb 'arbitrage': taking listings from hotel-booking and short-term rental sites and relisting them on Airbnb at higher prices, pocketing the spread. Entry cost $20,000-$30,000, marketed as 'a minimal to no risk path to extra income' with a guaranteed return in three to six months, 'then pure profit after'. Agyeman claimed HFA held '5-year exclusivity contracts' with thousands of property owners — the same playbook he had used selling passive virtual storefronts on Amazon and Shopify.

Airbnb has explicitly banned the practice since at least 2021: 'Using a 3rd party to book a hotel or 3rd party accommodation and listing it on Airbnb at an inflated rate is not allowed.' Daryn Carr, who invested money tied to his late mother's pension, put $19,497 into HFA and says it vanished; he is one of 12 investors suing for at least $624,000, alleging HFA falsely claimed relationships with the properties and that its service violated Airbnb's terms. The suit, filed in February 2023, was still proceeding; HFA's attorney said client money went only to the business.

A former sales employee said the defendants kept selling under a new company, Wealthway, with a team targeting more than $3.5 million in monthly sales. Airbnb — which told CNBC it had blocked more than 216,000 suspicious listings as of September — said it was unaware of any regulator contact regarding HFA; neither HFA nor Agyeman has been charged by the DOJ or FTC, which have pursued similar 'passive income' schemes.

12 investors seek at least $624,000; the operators moved on to a new firm, Wealthway, targeting $3.5M monthly sales

The business model itself broke Airbnb's terms, so every listing lived at the platform's discretion.

Investors were sold guaranteed returns on a practice the platform labels prohibited.

The claimed '5-year exclusivity contracts' were alleged to be false; one property owner said his listings were uploaded without permission.

The same operator had recycled the pitch across Amazon and Shopify before Airbnb.

Arbitrage on someone else's marketplace is a business built on a term of service you don't control — one policy update erases it.

The investors' suit continued against Agyeman and other defendants while HFA kept operating; its attorney said the firm honors its fiduciary obligations and described clients as 'flat fee' customers rather than investors. The team moved to a new vehicle, Wealthway, with a $3.5M monthly sales target.