Possible Scam Guest in DC Metro Area

[Christopher1113]

Hello fellow hosts:

I write to warn about a possible scammer trying to stay for free.  Last month I hosted a guest that was a nightmare.  First, the reservation was booked by a male (first name Carter) for a party of one for two nights.  Subsequently, a female shows up at my home around 10:00 pm with self check-in.  The following day, the guest sends me a message via Airbnb stating that the bathroom is filthy.  I was shocked and immediately went to the bathroom.  The bathroom was sparkling clean and I have routine professional cleaning.  Then, I replied to the guest via Airbnb and asked her to come to the bathroom and show me what is filthy.  The guest declined and replied stating that there was hair everywhere.  There was absolutely no hair.  I live in a million dollar home and it is meticulously cleaned.  I then asked to see her government ID because the reservation was for a male without any guests.  The guest replied and stated that I'm only asking because she is a black woman and sent me a photo of a drivers license with name, "Marie".  I told her that the account is registered to a male named "Carter".  She then changes the name on the Airbnb account to match the drivers license.  I told her that I will ask Airbnb to cancel the reservation.  I notified Airbnb and it took around 8 hours to get her to leave.  I offered to refund one night (balance of her reservation).  However, the guest stated that unless she receives a full refund, she won't be leaving.  I informed her that I would call the police if necessary.  Finally, around 8:00 pm that night, the guest vacated my property.  Afterwards, she left me a 2-star review and stated that she was discriminated against based on the color of her skin.  I petitioned to have her review removed and Airbnb ruled in my favor.  

I was surprised that Airbnb seems to be ok with someone changing the name on the account during the stay.  Its almost like condoning identity theft and makes me wonder if they actually verify the identity of guests.  

[Sarah977]

@Christopher1113  Well, I'm glad to hear Airbnb sided with you on this and deleted the review. That's pretty funny (not haha funny) that she tried to accuse you of discrimination, when judging by the guest photos on your review page, looks like the majority of your guests have been black, brown, and Asian.

I put zero stock in Airbnb's so-called verifications. I think all a guest has to do is submit a driver's license or other govt. ID to be "verified". How they assure that is the ID of an account holder who isn't even required to have a clear face photo for their profile picture I have no idea and don't see how they could.

I don't use Instant Book and have accepted lots of guests who only listed a phone number and email address and no "verified" ID and have never had a bad guest.

Have you looked to see if this "guest's" account has been closed down? I sure hope so.