Firstly, back in Dec-15 I joined this forum to share a story about how my listing fell victim to Escorts and Pimps disguising under fake profiles. Upon posting I was immediately attacked by numerous members. I was called a liar, troll, anti-airbnb, etc. Some members refused to believe and demanded screenshot proof. As per their demand I uploaded screenshot. They still accused me of BS story and one particular member Ry aka E*n (who is a superhost in my city by the way) continued to discredit me on other unrelated threads I was robbed by my AirBnb guests, what now?.
*Tom (admin) deleted my post after I gave him consent to do whatever he wanted.
Secondly, my experience with Airbnb’s support team was different. Despite providing plenty of proof that the person who booked / and standing right outside of my condo with his ‘foreign gal’ was a pimp Airbnb still let his account remain active. (I did not let him in and he booked a hotel instead) Last time I checked his profile (using message history) he completed a few more stays after cancellation.
Thirdly, I still get inquiries from escorts (all via vrbo/homeaway because creating a traveller account requires zero identification check). Many attempted to book using credit cards NOT matching their names. (vrbo/ha allows your to see the name of credit card holder when booked). If you have suspicious last minute bookings make sure to check the name of credit card after booking is made.
Lastly, short term rentals have become a valuable source for Escorts. Property managers who manage Airbnb listings often use Escort-channel to fill in empty nights in exchange for cash/barter behind condo owners’ back. There was a listing used for Bukake-Run by a local escort who obviously didnt want to use her own space. Go check out your city’s escort-review forums (where men upload elaborate reviews on escorts they spent time with). Escorts rely on Airbnb for their ‘rental’ income as much as we do.