“Be careful with this inquiry”...

[Claudia2495]

What does it mean if I get the above message from Airbnb with a new inquiry?

[Ricardo85]

What massage?

[Emiel1]

@Claudia2495 

It means there can be a potential for fraude with the account and/or somebody is sending you private contact information.

In most cases it also says you can report the profile with 1 click, then it will be investigated and you also do not need to answer the inquiry.

[Inna22]

@Claudia2495 i usually get that message when they asked me to call them or it really smells like a party

[Jason114]

@Claudia2495 it's usually because the prospective guest is trying to contact you outside of Airbnb. But it can also be from those who set off other red flags in Airbnb's algorithms (e.g.) they're sensing signals of fraudulent behavior, misidentification or possible intention of a party.

When someone is trying to share their personal information and Airbnb flags their message, in many cases it's just a new user who isn't aware of Airbnb's rules of sharing personal information in the marketplace. I kindly let them know that Airbnb is blocking their attempt to share their contact information and that we can only communicate over the app. I usually ask the user to share more information about themselves and what brings them to the area so that I can confirm they are legit. In many cases they're good and I've proceeded with the reservation, and they are nice first-time guest. In other cases it's definitely not someone you want to host. Either way, proceed with caution.

[Sere511]

Seems like I cannot go over the banner with this info. I can only pre-approve or decline. What's the way around it?

[Steve3489]

You have to acknowledge (click) on the banner, read their statement, then you will be able to reply.