Does anyone recognize this as a scam set-up?

[Michelle2578]

Hi,

Just had an odd guest.  Shouldn't have accepted; it had all the red flags - last minute (same day, after check-in time), local, new to airbnb, no history.  (It was greed, lol.)  Later in the evening, had misgivings and did some snooping - found a person with the same name in the same area had recently had a court eviction dismissed.  They didn't communicate at all during their stay, and didn't message when they vacated (requested in my instructions) or respond to messages asking if they were out.

When we arrived for cleaning, we found all the usual evidence of a stay.  The reservation included kids, and found evidence that kids had been there.  I kicked myself for overreacting.

However - went to leave a review and got an error message.  Their account has been deleted. 

So what do you think?  I have key code entry but there is a key left on site to access the back door and garage.  (That's going away now!  What a dumb idea.)  However, they wouldn't have known that from the listing. 

Should I be bracing myself for part 2 of some sort of scam?  Or maybe they were just trying to not pay for the stay?  Maybe it was a stolen credit card and trying to cover tracks?  (Payment is still processing, so we shall see.)

Thanks for any insight!

[Colleen253]

@Michelle2578  yes, there are so many reasons to avoid short notice bookings with the circumstances you describe. Always trust your instincts and don’t ignore red flags. You took this booking as you wanted the payout but you haven’t been paid, now it appears you have a high likelihood of not being paid, and risked all sorts of issues. The fact you haven’t received the payout yet and the account is deleted is concerning. Who knows, Airbnb may have terminated the account. Change your settings to require at least a days notice, preferably two days or more. 

[Laura2592]

@Michelle2578  sounds like a few of my relatives. In their case, substance abuse issues lead to job losses, lead to expenses in arrears and eviction/disappearing in the middle of the night. Your guests were probably evicted and had nowhere to go so they booked your place. I would be very doubtful if you get paid. People who can't pay rent typically have a difficult time making other obligations as the roof over one's head is of primary importance. They probably skipped out and don't have a valid card or any credit. ABB will never be able to collect. Sad that there are kids involved. Sorry this happened to you.

[Ute42]

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@Michelle2578  

You ask:

• Does anyone recognize this as a scam set-up?

Yes, we all do, even You do.

You came here to tell us that maybe it was a mistake to accept that reservation, You did accept the reservation anyway and we all think that was a mistake. There's a 100% agreement about everything amongst everybody.

Now, what can we do for You?