Prospective guest has just text me on my number linked to Airbnb account

[Leena12]

 I’m sure Airbnb don’t realise this but I have just had a prospective guest who has found my property on their website and has managed to get hold of my phone number somehow and has just text me directly asking to have the house outside of the Airbnb platform. I also noticed a few months back that addresses could be shared with prospective guests which never used to be allowed the system used to block addresses, which gave rise to a large number of guests trying to go outside of Airbnb and asking for the address. 

[Sarah977]

@Leena12 I don't see how a guest without a confirmed reservation could have gotten your phone number off the Airbnb site. But I once got an email from someone, on Airbnb letterhead, inviting me to a host meetup. I do think the meet-up was legitimate, but I don't know how they got my email address, and when I contacted Airbnb Trust and Safety to see if this person was able to obtain it from Airbnb, they assured me it wasn't possible, so I don't know what to think about that. You probably have your name and phone number somewhere else findable by Googling? I'd ask this person how they got my number, and then I would report them to Airbnb.

[Debra300]

@Sarah977,

Google isn't necessary. I just checked @Leena12's listings, and her phone number is written in the first sentence of one listing. 

[Gordon0]

Brilliant detective work, @Debra300. Not sure why @Leena12 is so surprised. 

[Anonymous]

@Leena12 Is this a joke? Your listing explicitly asks guests to contact you outside of the platform because Airbnb blocked your calendar. What did you think was going to happen? 

[Charles224]

@Leena12, your telephone number is in your listing, better fix that asap, the world can see it!

[Helen3]

That's because you have put your phone number in the opening paragraph of your listing to try and get around our Corona virus legislation @Leena12 

I can't believe that you have blatantly done this. And then complain that guests have obtained your phone number.

If you only wanted to let to legitimate key workers you wouldn't need to do this as obviously they could book through the UK keyworkers scheme on Airbnb and your calendar wouldn't be blocke

[Sarah977]

Ha, I never thought to check the listing- just never crossed my mind that a host would complain about guests calling when they've told them to do exactly that and provided the number themselves. Bizarre.

Reminds me of another post where a host complained that guests were always asking to borrow things she didn't provide in the guest unit, meaning she had to be without those things herself.  But in the first paragraph of her listing description she had stated something like "If there's anything you need and I might have to lend,  just ask."