Hello Hosts,
Lately, I have received a few bookings (Instant Reservations) where Airbnb Account details are hacked and the "imposter" is either pretending to be original account holder or change phone number, name and photos on the original account. The first time I experienced this was in September 2016. The "guest" showed up but did not present a valid ID at the time of check-in. The argument got ugly and I had to threaten to call the cops to handle the situation. Since then I have had a few such cases. Common trends:
1. Last minute reservations and the guests have a sense of urgency to obtain keys
2. Last review/s are older than 12 months. So the account is not used frequently.
3. Multiple identity photos or unclear photos
4. Phone number is not reachable, and/or aren't willing to talk on the phone
5. Inconsistencies for the "purpose" of visit
The cases are increasing and "imposters" are getting smarter by covering many variables that hosts would check for validation.
Has anyone experienced this? How do you deal with "imposters"?