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Now that I know Verified at Air BnB might not include the guest having submitted Picture ID I’m thinking of requiring that they let me take a photo of their ID when they show up.
Any thoughts on this?
I live at the home where my guests stay if that makes a difference.
If you plan to do this you should make it extremely clear to your guests. I wouldn’t mind showing my ID to a host, but I would not stay at a place where the host would take a photo of it. To me there is way too much risk of identity theft to let someone else keep a copy of my ID on their phone.
I make a photocopy of IDs. This has the advantage of (usually) containing all the necessary information, but it’s not a sufficiently accurate copy that it could be used for nefarious purposes. And, it doesn’t leave behind an electronic record which you have to be careful about keeping safe.
I don’t own an old style photocopier. Don’t think they even make them anymore. I was going to take a pic using my iPhone. Then delete it after they were gone.
Agreed – as a guest I might, at best let you make a photocopy of one side of any of my photo IDS. Photograph – no way – identity theft is a MAJOR issue, especially to you the first time some SOB steals your credit card number and buys mega-bucks worth of things in someplace you’ve never been!
I would not let you keep a photo of my ID and then hope you manage to delete it after I’m gone and before you lose your phone or someone steals it.
Not sure I’d trust Mother Theresa with my information…
Yes. They still make photocopiers; and cute little home versions too for about $100. Creating an electronic document would take me outside my comfort zone. Deleting an electronic document isn’t always actually deleting, and then I have to trust you to actually remember to delete, and to not be robbed while I am staying with you. How about creating a form that has the information that you feel that you need, and then you sit down with a pen, and fill it in using their ID to complete? This way you are only collecting what you need.
Now there’s an idea. Would be easy enough to have a form that I would fill it I. Front of them with their info from their ID.
More work than taking a quick pic though.
Hotels make me show ID but I’ve never paid attention to what they do with it.
You’re mistaken - they’re very common devices. And cheap. I have a multi-function Brother device which includes a printer, scanner, and copier. That’s a reasonable way to go, though the scanner isn’t the best quality.
It’s more work for you to fill out a form, but it doesn’t leave the guest as open to identity theft. Also, if I were you I would shred the forms once the guest left and you determined that there was no damage.
I have a sort of guest book where I record basic guest information, including permanent address, phone number, email address, and ID/passport number. A book is good - forms are easy to lose.
That’s what I do (and have to do as a legal requirement). Guests don’t seem surprised or annoyed. I also have to keep the forms on file for 6 months (until recently we had to bring them to the police station everyday !).
I have a multi function printer too that copies. But everything it copies is stored in its memory until it is cleared or becomes old and is deleted to make room for new stuff.
Oh. I’m not that familiar with printer technology, but this sounds unusual. Are these files accessible to a user?
I would definitely not want you to copy my ID with that printer. What is to stop other guests from accessing my ID while you are away?
Also, if I were you I would be concerned that if your copies of guests’ IDs get in to the wrong hands you could be held partially liable for the resulting identity fraud. I’m usually pretty casual about personal safety, but I’ve been the victim of identity fraud more than once.
When it copies it stores the data in its memory so that you can print multiple copies without having to scan it again each time.
Depending on the brand you can pull this up until it’s deleted to make room for newer stuff.
Mine stores it until it’s rebooted with an option to write it’s data to a connected computer.or I manually clear it.
The big ones that you pay to use store months worth of scans.
That isn’t a photocopier. That is a scanner. Again, electronic document…
That’s a fairly unusual kind of copier. Can you tell me the brand and model? In my copier, at least, there is no way to get ones hands on an electronic version of the document, even assuming it’s stored, which is probably isn’t. The documentation certainly makes no mention of it. And I think that’s typically of copiers.
Mine is an Epson multifunction wifi inkjet. It’s about 6 years old. Doesn’t say the model number on it but it takes Epson #69 cartridges. It faxes too but I don’t have a landline to hook it to anymore. But back when I did it had the option to print the faxes right away or to hold them or to send the file to my computer. It could also scan and then send the fax at night when long distance rates were cheaper,
That’s surprising. These machines usually have the model number printed at the back. Mine does.
Over here, I have to upload a scan of the guests’ passport to the website of the Tourism Department. That’s a legal requirement. No passport upload = guest is not allowed to stay by law.
So every guest has to send a passport copy to me in advance, it’s in the house rules.
No problems at all, nobody has ever discussed it.