Ugh - I need some help please

[Tamara682]

Everything I do is in good faith. Given that, I try not to cross over platforms or anything like that and I do not take platform bookings and try to convert them to private bookings to save a few bucks. That's just now how I work. But I am on 2 platforms because for the first month, I didn't get any bookings.
What that has gotten me is one scam on ABB to 5 scams on VRBO.

My 1st and only booking from VRBO is this weekend. They seem like lovely people. They are also family and the biggest booking I've ever had. We'll see what the condition of my place is when they leave. But I love the family vibe.

Anyway, out of the blue VRBO sent me a prepaid, IB for end of June through all of July from a guy who said it's him and his daughter working on a project where I work and she's interning before going back to college.

I look him up, he's the CEO of a what appears to be a solid company that won a contract from a federal agency with which I'm very familiar. 
Here's the sketch:

He's only acknowledging a couple of my questions and his answers are really brief (fine, engineers and scientists - especially ones who are mucky mucks can be very arrogant). BTW he didn't tell me who he was, I found it from his email address. His profile is simply new in 2022 and VRBO doesn't allow hosts to see guests' reviews (I don't get that at all).

Anyway, so he half (if that) responds to my ?s (and there are like 3 questions seriously) on the IB chain. Then on an inquiry chain he starts asking about bedroom windows, which I assure him I just put in brand new windows to bring it up to code and for emergency exits. Then, on the same inquiry he asks for pictures inside and out. By now I'm starting to catch on to the difference between the threads.
I return to the IB thread and tell him everything he wants to know he can find on my ABB profile (because VRBO simply limits info & esp pics way more than ABB). I also told him I was extremely uncomfortable with the difference in threads and therefore, please scan and send me his ID.

Lastly, I told him I require this because I am concerned the CEO of this company or me or both could be getting scammed.

I mean his questions make no sense. I get asking about the windows, as someone whose grown up in real estate and managed properties it's a big deal legally for what you can all a bedroom. But for a scientist/engineer, owner of a growing company, what? Beyond safety, wth? Plus he asked for pics of the inside AND outside of the windows. That just doesn't even make sense. Why would anyone care about both sides of my windows.

I'm so upset that this is a much bigger scam then the 'my company pays for my vacation'. This one actually says he's prepaid for 34 days (and I have a 28 day limit or so I thought). In the meantime, the hottest dates of the year are blocked.

Help please? Who does that?

[Tamara682]

IDK why anyone touts VRBO. I'm quickly deciding they are worse than BS, they cost me $. Of course that will change if anything positive or profitable comes out of them in the 2 reservations I have. But honestly, today they just feel like scum. That and my first scam (thanks VRBO) cost me 3 one-night reservations. Fool me once...but this is huge for me.

[Helen744]

@Tamara682, send the same message on line thru the app as you send over text. Explain that you require ID 'of all guests .plus vax certificates for the safety of everyone staying . then make arrangements about the longer trip . just deal with the ids and beginning to communicate first . rules cannot be used or reinforced if they are not on the page . its okay ,you can handle this but insist on ID . first rule .H

[Helen744]

Tamara , there is always a phone number . Leave the messages a day or so and then call the person . you can cancel if you have to but be sure there is an issue before you do that, dont just freak out . All the best . not sure how you have so many issues right now as you have your rapper / No ?H

[Helen744]

Sorry Tamara I think you should ring the police and ask for some advice as well. H

[Tamara682]

@Helen744 - lol on my rapper (after many conversation, I am now feeling very good about my rapper's reservation). The insight everyone has offered I took and added to our conversations to make sure transparency and boundaries are well established and agreed to.

I have reached out via linkedin to this person's IM. I am waiting for a response now.

[Helen744]

@Tamara682 Try not to think of it as losing a lucrative booking but as preventing a big problem sucessfully . Rules are useful for those times when we maybe would otherwise give in to our good natures . They protect you,your house and your bank account all the best H

[Inna22]

Sounds like a very bizarre exchange. I agree, pick up the phone and give him a call and see how the conversation goes

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Inna22  @Tamara682 

I'd not phone the person, as there is no record of the conversation. I'd conduct everything through the platform, which means to use "message" exclusively. Whether or not there is suspicion, I use that system, so I can refer to the thread of conversation for details. If there is any potential for issues, double emphasis on having this record. 

[Inna22]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 I think at this point they need to clear the air. In situations like these, I go back to the conversation and summarize with something like “as we discussed on the phone just now…”

[Helen744]

@Kitty and Creek after looking at Tamaras listing I can only say that maybe someone with a semi disabled person wants to stay until the fireworks on fourth of july or a photographer but you need to find out .the phone number is supplied to hosts "after booking' for a reason people. Use it if necessary . It often reveals a perfectly ordinairy person on the other end,or not ,or no one.Send the same message via the platform at the same time. some people use email exclusively . I never use it .Otherwise I cannot comprehend any reason for this unusual exchange about windows. I suspect someone has wanted to book around the fireworks and has put in the wrong start date .I am supicious by nature and believe that you are feeling unsafe in this situation so try to get to the bottom of it or as I mentioned ring and ask your local community police officer what they think this type of enquiry means and if others have had any burglary per instance incidents start in this way. H

[Helen744]

@Kitty-and Creek to  conduct through  message exclusively is 'before 'bookin. If you check the ruling . H 

[Z-2]

@Tamara682 is this a confirmed booking? If yes, I don’t think it is a scam. Also what your cancellation policy? If it is strict. I don’t really worry about it. VRBO guests mostly are middle age to older people, they usually don’t like communication too much and don’t want to give out too much personal information. If you do want him to show his ID to you, you can insist it, and give him to timeline. If he still not reply, text him. If he still not show ID. You can cancel the reservation. VRBO have no really penalty to host cancel it. But to me, I never ask guests show their ID to me. I think I will ask them show ID only if I am not comfortable with them and might cancel it.

[Tamara682]

@Z-2 It is prepaid. My cancellation policy gives him a 50% refund if he cancels today, but after that, no refund (although I have a feeling I may have to be flexible on that). I did look up the company which is legit and I have IM'd him on his linkedin account.
If I do not hear back from him today, I think a phone call is probably be in order. I will send him a pic of the egress windows from the inside (later), but he's not going to get both. A very weird part of me feels like it's the beginning of asking for how many ways can we access your home when we're not guests - it just feels weird.
You are correct about some people not wanting to give much info - I imagine especially if they've paid in advance (why should I care right? the check is paid) and he a CEO so he's probably not used to getting a lot of questions.
Lastly, I am going to modify the reservation to 4 and ask him to change it to 28 days and then whatever the remaining days are separately. I really do not want to get caught up in landlord/tenant laws vs the ones for STR.
Thank you again for your insight. I really appreciate all the input I've received on this.

[Z-2]

Yes. You can ask him to change to 28 days. I have set the maximum to 28 days too. My longer stay almost all come from VRBO. Even though they talk less but never had problems before. I never checked their ID but so far so good. But on the other hand, if guests from Airbnb not talking, most of time, it means no good, either they are not satisfied the house or they are not good, I mean not follow the house rules.