Guest was blacklisted and they rebooked with new fake serial killer name

[Kristina371]

I had a booking last week fro a Travis Bundy from Mason City, IA which AirBnB immediately canceled due to "quality assurance" concerns stating AirBnB can " no longer support them as a member of our community." A day later a reservation was make by a profile with a similar profile photo, obviously the same people in the picture, same home city, same message about looking forward to the hot tub on Valentines Day. This guests profile name was Taylor Hickman. Bundy and Hickman. Both serial killer names. 

AirBnB canceled the suspicious instant book but now this person has my address. The help line was unable to divulge why the original profile was blacklisted. Any insight?

[Colleen253]

@Kristina371  Airbnb won't divulge details about any guest, no matter what the circumstances. Be glad they caught this one before it landed on your doorstep. You can tick the box that says your address won't be shared until after the free cancellation period is over, but you should more importantly consider turning IB off, or increase your requirements so you are less likely to get bookings from new profiles with no reviews or verifications. Note I say 'less likely'. This not foolproof. You might also think about rewording your title to remove 'weekend' and make it more clear closer to the top of your description, that this is a suite in the house you live in, to discourage this kind of person from trying to book. A lot of people don't read very far down a listing, and 'weekend suite with hot tub' hollers 'party place' a bit (I suspect that this is what you were in for with this booking). Just an outside observation, and only my opinion. 

[Kristina371]

I included "weekend" in the title because I only rent on the weekends and hadn't thought it sounded like a party place so that's a good insight. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Marie82]

@Kristina371 i think the guests who are trying to book with such a name are playing game or stupid, as none one in his right mind will choose Serial killer name if not for sick mind fun.

But at least i am glad to see Airbnb safety team spot it as safety risk

[Anonymous]

@Marie82   But at least i am glad to see Airbnb safety team spot it as safety risk

I doubt the choice of name was the reason behind their account being shut down. They don't have people going through and vetting this stuff; I see profiles with far more outrageous handles all the time. Unfortunately, the safety team would have likely received a pretty serious report from another host in order for this action to be taken.

@Kristina371  You're right to be concerned that a serial-killer enthusiast, or any rando from the internet, can get your address so easily. Airbnb does not have a vetting process for guests, and with Instant Book on, neither do you. You sure you're ok with that?

[Kristina371]

No I've shut down instant book for now, but in the future I will require Govt ID and good reviews and no bad reviews for instant book. 

[Colleen253]

@Kristina371  Please never rest easy in a guest having uploaded govt id. It means nothing, speaking from personal experience 😕 Just never trust any Airbnb process.

[Anonymous]

@Kristina371 I agree with @Colleen253. The government ID thing is a bit of a sham, no guarantee that the identity matches the name in the profile. And the most awful guests I've ever encountered have been positively reviewed - so many hosts are spineless when it comes to negative feedback. These filters are better than nothing but it would be naive to think they offer you any kind of security.