Spam or not spam?

[Brian3625]

Hello, I would like to know if Airbnb is connected with the area code 205, I'm new here and most of the messages i have received from potential clients are from area code 205 Alabama. As of right now i assume they are spam, Right or wrong?  Looking for advice of protocol when receiving inquiry on our property. I have been told a lot of calls coming from Alabama maybe  smishing.

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0]

@Brian3625 Great question, and it’s smart of you to be cautious — welcome to hosting!

📍Area code 205 is indeed from Alabama, but Airbnb does not route inquiries based on specific area codes. If you're consistently getting inquiries from that area without confirmed bookings or the messages seem off (asking to pay off-platform, share personal info, etc.), it’s wise to be cautious.

Here’s a quick protocol to follow:
✅ Always reply through the Airbnb messaging system only
✅ Never share personal contact info (email, phone, etc.) outside the platform
✅ If a message feels off, click “Report” or “Flag” it directly in the message thread
✅ If someone asks to pay in cash or move the conversation off-platform, it's likely a scam

Airbnb uses hidden phone numbers until booking is confirmed, so you shouldn’t be getting direct calls unless something unusual is happening.

If in doubt, contact Airbnb directly for support:
🔗 https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact_us

Stay safe and keep everything on-platform — that’s your best protection. 🙌

[Brian3625]

Unfortunately, my question is still not answered,  let me try again . does Airbnb uses phone # 205 851-4558 or 56 when sending an inquiry to a host? When i receive an inquiry from Airbnb, it will usually comes in an email, message on the platform and also a text showing the phone number listed above. So far all my inquiries have all had 205 area  codes. Is this normal, do Airbnb  uses these numbers to protect the Customers number from the host? If you try calling these numbers the Verizon response will be "the call can't be competed as dial  please check the number again". None of the request as yet try to communicate outside of the platform . Can i response back to the text? will they receive the text? EX. Airbnb: NAME request to stay Feb 7-21 for $1116.86 ai.... What is the standard protocol when receiving a new inquiry via text , email and on the platform? Thank You

[Nate-And-Steph-Goode0]

Yes it’s air bnb 

[Marlon135]

According to Airbnb customer service the 205 number is not Airbnb. They were not able to give me any information because they seemed it just as confused as I am by the whole thing. Also the name Caddis cabin is associated with the 205 number as an Airbnb rental in Arkansas, the area code is Alabama. Airbnb customer service said they would get back to me after researching it further. I suppose we can help but in the 6 years that we've been hosting we have never seen this name pop up and we have never seen this number before. 

[Tom-and-Adina0]

@Brian3625 We have hey Google Voice number for our business line used for our Airbnb account. Every time there's a booking we get notified by both Airbnb as well as our PMS, OwnerRez. We also get a text to our Google Voice number from "Caddis Cabin" at that same phone number **. Consistently happens for every listing in the last couple weeks.  While I'm in no position to say definitively that it's Airbnb, anecdotally I'm pretty confident that it is

**[Phone number hidden due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines]

[Marlon135]

Started happening to us a couple of months ago and no idea about it, just got off the phone with Airbnb customer service and they say it is not them so I have no idea. Airbnb agreed with me that it sounds more like a hack than anything else. They were unable to answer any of my questions about it and said they would have to research it further and then get back to me. 

The 205 number I also found associated with Caddis cabin in Arkansas though the 205 is in Alabama area code. Airbnb customer service says they do not know what this number is and could not give me any further information about it or Caddis cabin or why it's showing up as a number that is apparently also receiving my notifications.  

[Fang129]

Yes it is AirBnb. I received text messages that matched those in app at my Google voice number all the time.

[Marlon135]

I've been doing this for 6 years and never had that 205 number or the name Caddis cabin associated with any text messages I received from Airbnb over the years literally every single time I get a new reservation. Just got off the phone with customer service a little while ago and they were not able to give me any information whatsoever other than to say that the 205 number is not them and they have no idea. They said they would research it further and get back to me. The only definitive answer I got was for customer service to tell me that this is not coming from Airbnb

[Marlon135]

I'm having the exact same issue now where is this never happened before until maybe two or three months ago. Unfortunately just got off the phone with Airbnb customer service and they were not able to help me. They claim to not know that 205 number. I get messages through the app which is fine, but I also have it set up to text me. In the past the text messages just said Airbnb but now all of a sudden it says Caddis Cabin and gives the number 205-851-4558. Airbnb was not able to tell me what that number is or who it's related to other than to say they don't see it on my account anywhere we should be obvious because I never added that number. I tried changing from a Google voice number to my regular cellular service number and it still shows up the same way so it is definitely not on my end which they tried to say that it was. So I still have no idea why this other number is receiving my notifications. This is through text messages. That's the way I set it up originally 6 years ago and this is the first time I'm dealing with this issue. I want to say it started in September and I've been working on trying to figure it out since then. I think if notifications come from Airbnb it should say Airbnb and not whatever the heck Caddis Cabin is. Which if you look it up shows as an Airbnb rental in Arkansas but the number I believe the area code is in Alabama. Customer service said they would research it further and get back to me so we'll see if that happens.

[Shelley159 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Brian3625 

You don't get calls from Airbnb - enquiries come through as messages on the app.

It's likely that the calls you have been getting are not related to Airbnb, as your number is not given to prospective guests who do not already have a confirmed booking.

When you do get Airbnb messages, you should only respond to messages inside the mobile app or on the Airbnb website. New hosts are unfortunately a target for scammers, so keep everything inside the app as far as possible (and do not agree to go off platform to send videos or accept payments).

[Tanja476]

@Shelley159 And what happens if you click on the link in the text regarding a reservation that isn't booked yet? Should I be worried about some type of phishing?

[Shelley159]

Hi @Tanja476 

If you're concerned at all, ignore the link and open the Airbnb website or the app manually.

Go to the Messages tab: there you'll see all the messages received through the Airbnb sytem (although hosts should still not comply with requests for videos or meetings).

Let us know if this doesn't answer your question or if something still bothers you about a message or booking.

Your profile shows as a guest, so I'm not sure about the type of message you received.

[Emilie]

Thanks @Shelley159 for the advice!

@Tanja476 Did this help you understand how to proceed better? I wanted to add a handy Airbnb article as well regarding security: How to check if an Airbnb email or website is authentic 🙂

[Marlon135]

I'm having the same issue but it does not show up through Airbnb messages it shows up when Airbnb sends me a text message. I've always had it set up for Airbnb to also send me a text whenever I get a new reservation or a cancellation or anything like that. But for the past couple of months suddenly this 205 number is showing up associated with something called Caddis Cabin. I just got off the phone with Airbnb customer service and they said they do not recognize that 205 number nor the name Caddis cabin, but you can look the cabin up and see that it is listed as an Airbnb rental in Arkansas. No idea why suddenly this would start showing up now after having done this for 6 years. It's very weird, suspicious whatever you want to call it. Customer service said they would look into it further and get back to me so we'll see if that really happens. In the meantime it looks like I'm receiving notifications and somebody else who I don't know and have no association with and whose number is apparently not in any way associated with my Airbnb account is also receiving my notifications. Yeah their number is nowhere associated with my account, it is not a number in my contacts, and when I try to call the number it just tells me it can't go through. It's very strange and suspicious especially since it has never been this way before.