Bad Guests make a new profile?

How easy is it for guests who have bad reviews to just make a new profile?
Do all guests need to provide some sort of identification?

It probably is not hard to create a new profile; but yes everyone has to supply a minimum set of “bonafides” including credit card and other IDs, and be vetted by The System.

“Bad Guests” who are maliciously destroying/damaging listings are, I would imagine to be pretty darn rare, even though Air claims they have 3 million hosts.

I don’t think most guests even look at the reviews we give them, and smart hosts faced with writing a “bad” review do so in a matter-of-fact, non-confrontational manner.

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If they are a couple, or a group, then they could use another person in the group to make their reservations if there’s been a negative review. So the miscreant could still sneak back undetected into your property or another host’s place.

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@J_Wang, but that can only last for so long, correct? AirBNB puts a huge value to social media. If you don’t connect your account to Facebook or LinkedIn or one of the others, you have to upload a video and jump through several more hoops. I think creating a second account is not that easy.

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I think you’re correct. However it can be done–but it’s still not a guarantee that you’ll throw off your checkered past. Your pic is still going to be there.

@J_Wang I think you are limited to the number of times you can pull this off. How many fake Facebook accounts can you create?

Probably as many as you can come up with by creating aliases, which would entail creating lots of alter egos with corresponding Google/FB/etc. accounts. Who could keep track of it all, though? And why? …maybe to use Airbnb?

On a related note, I just got a request from a girl for a one night stay. She doesn’t have any reviews; is coming from North Carolina, stopping in Long Beach and then going to Ramona, of all places. I didn’t accept yet. I’m dying to know why she’s going to Ramona.

I asked because occasionally guests will request to book (I’m assuming that they cannot instant book) who are not verified and their account was recently made. On top of that their profile picture isn’t the most reassuring. So my first thought is, is this a fake account? Why are they not verified?

If a guest has not yet gone for the verification process, you simply respond to them that when they do you will be happy to pre-approve them. This way you’re not turning them away, but just letting them know how the Airbnb culture works. I’ve had many guests with no reviews, and a few inquiries before verification, and all of them booked after the verification process was completed, and were wonderful. Part of what we do is to educate guests on how to use the Airbnb platform.

That’s what I ended up doing, this recent fellow had a somewhat disturbing profile picture which made me wonder if he was avoidng verification because this was a new Airbnb account.
It looked like a picture you would use on those hook up aps. He was shirtless making a duck face. lol.

(What’s a duck face?)

It might just be me but I don’t see why they would bother unless they were scammers. Having an account on Airbnb and being allowed to stay in rentals isn’t the be all and end all of life. And scammers will always find a way if they are determined.

Like those kissy faces that people usually take in their bathrooms.

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“kissy faces”…that made me laugh…thanks!

So here is the thing:

(since we are on the subject of scammers) My BF had another guest recently book who had a brand new profile. She showed up with her boyfriend and didn’t read the house rules (where the door code is located).

She was at the front of the house and her boyfriend at the back. They arrived fairly late I want to say around 6:30pm the boyfriend after knocking on the window to be let in asked what the door code was, I told him. He quickly went to the front door and unlocked it for his girlfriend (front door is more for decoration- always to be kept locked). The girl friend started walking around the house looking in all the rooms while the boyfriend practiced opening and locking the door code on the back door (very strange).

They quickly left the house and soon after the girlfriend requested her money back because “Host was not there” that’s all she wrote. -They were told that they could get their money back if they cancelled. They never did. My BF changed the door code and texted them that they were not allowed back in the house if they wanted a refund they would have to cancel.

(These people were very strange- clearly something weird was going on).

My BF put their possessions under their car. They arrived back at the house late and very drunk. My BF turned them away and after telling them several times they were not allowed back in the house they finally left. No further communication from them. They never cancelled and never were given a refund.

I think they were scammers casing the place to come back later and rob the house. I think they were caught in their game when my BF re-locked the front door and changed the door code and kicked them out. That’s why we haven’t heard from them. - This was a week ago.