Guest with a fake name

[Kinga4]

Someone booked my place for 3 days. On the phone app I didn't see, but he is using an apparently fake name, meaning Tomi "Somebody" in Hungarian.

And then he makes xenophobic racist remarks about the refugees. He is coming in 3 days and I am not very happy about this. 

I was not aware that people can use a fake name here! As a host, I had to send a photo of my ID.

(Now I turned off the instant booking option, but it was on at the time.)

[Tim42]

Kinga,

This is unacceptable and you should be able to cancel without penalty and without your calendar blocked. I also have had problems with instant booking and I have turned it off.

Please call Airbnb customer service and ask them to cancel the booking because you do not feel safe with this guest. According to the new instant booking terms of service, the host can cancel "penalty-free" if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe with guest that made an instant booking.

The use of a fake name violates the terms of the Airbnb policy and it should be cancelled as this is in violation of the terms of trust and safety.

Keep us posted.

[Kinga4]

Hi, Tim,

Thanks a lot! I just cant seem to find a number to call airbnb... 

Do they have a number or direct e-mail?

Thank you

Kinga

[Marit-Anne0]

@Kinga4

Please use the search window above.

[Kinga4]

Yes, Marit Anne, I have been trying....

There is no customer service number in Hungary. 😞 I checked but there is no number in this country to call.

[Zenebe0]

Kinga,

Where are you calling from?   The following link has information, if you are still interested in contacting airbnb.   Sorry, I just saw this and wanted to share with you what I know.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact_us

Good luck,
Zenebe

[Annette33]

@Kinga4,

1.) in the search box above, type in " contact Airbnb a community help guide" , find Dave and Deb's post about it.

2.) scroll down to the phone numbers.

As It doesn't have a phone number for Hungary, go down to " how to get Airbn contact number if not listed above": it gives you several options, hope one will work for you. Good luck!

[Kinga4]

Thanks! 

Well, I just found that you must check the box "require verified ID" under booking requirements. I have checked that now, but I guess that is just for future reservations.

I also found the guy's facebook profile, and he didnt look that bad. It was under the same fake name. Also the girlfriend looked likeable.

Anyway, I have a guest book from the tax dpt bc the tax rules for airbnb are strict here. So I will need their passports for this guestbook anyway.

[Sandra126]

Maybe ''Somebody'' is his real name? I once met someone who was called Virgil Reality
(Virtual reality) and it was for real. On his licence... You will know once you take the passport details.

[Sharon404]

I just found out that even if there is a verified ID they dont have to use that name on their profile!!

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Contact AirBnB and get them to cancel it for you - keep IB turned off - it's exactly the reason why most hosts do not wish to use it.

However, it is quite acceptable to use nicknames on your profile. Lots of people do. It does not mean he is not verified - if you have that as a requirement, then he will have provided proof to AirBnB to show that he is who he says he is.

[Jeff114]

This is one of many things I don't like about Airbnb and not getting a damage deposit.  Everyone in the forum knows that if there's say $500 worth of damage Airbnb isn't going to do jack.  Here's my experience today and I probably dodged a bullet:  A guy named "Maui" is interested in my condo.  In today's world there is nothing terribly unusual about having the first name Maui.  Maui has been a member since July but has no reviews.  I look at Airbnb's security check or whatever it's called and Maui has been verified with a government ID, email, phone, and LinkedIn.  I thought okay cool and preapproved him for booking.  Maui books this morning and I expect at that time I'll get his full name and maybe even see his government ID or whatever - I'm fairly new with Airbnb.  So his full name is Maui Dreaming.  I then spent 45 minutes trying to figure out how to get his real name because that certainly is not a real name.  Couldn't do it.  So I sent Maui a polite email stating that we have a little speed bump because in order to rent I need to know the person's real name and address.  (I threw in the address at that point because of my suspicions).  Maui then cancels the reservation through Airbnb and I presume knowingly lost half the rental amount that he had paid plus his Airbnb fee.  He had paid around $600 and lost $300.  I have the $300 now.  This is because the reservation begins next week and my policy is 50% refund under a certain number of days.  So now I'm wondering what in the hell???  This guy prefers to lose $300 than to give a real name?  Anyway that's today's experience.  We'll see what tomorrow holds.  Maybe he'll realize he lost $300 and come after me for all I know.  This is what you get into with Airbnb.  

[Sharon404]

I just found out that Airbnb allows people to use fake names on their profile.  I cannot believe it. Their excuse is that THEY have verified them with the real name, so apparently that should be enough for me. REALLY?? These people are in my home while I am.  If they cannot reserve using their real name I am immediately suspect.  Because hosts never see the verification we may never know who was actually in our home. This exposes us to allot of risks.  Let's say something happens and we need to call an ambulance or the police..are we supposed to sit for the hour it often takes airbnb to answer to find out their names? This practice needs to change. If airbnb is verifying their profile then the profile should be under the proper name (fine if they want to withhold last names until reservation is confirmed but then it should be revealed.  I'm sorry I am outraged at this cavalier attitude for host's security.

[Amy2069]

I have a request to book with someone that is likely using a fake name. He's new to Airbnb since November with no reviews. I requested that he verify his name and wanted to make sure that he was not using an alias. No response from him in the past 12 hours. I contacted Airbnb Support and they said that I could request that he send me a copy of his government issued ID through the messaging, so I have done that. After reading several different threads on this, I do plan to update my rules that I will only rent to those that have provided their real names, etc. If I do not hear back from him, I will have no choice but to decline his request. 

[Huma0]

A guest recently contacted me telling me she was trying to instant book my listing but was unable to and didn't understand why. After reading her reviews, I realised it was because she had a really bad one (my settings only allow guests with positive reviews to IB) which mentioned, in addition to other problems, that the profile was being used by a number of different people.

There were several other red flags, and, even after I told her I was not willing to host her, the guest continued to bombard me with messages. I had to tell her no again very firmly.

Shortly afterwards, I got a request to book that had been flagged by Airbnb as suspect. At first, I couldn't figure out why. Then I realised it was for the same room and same dates from a guest of the same nationality and age. The wording was almost identical to the first guest's initial message. This time the request was from a profile with no reviews and the name translated as 'teenage girl'. The girl who messaged me before was 19. She also changed her profile name half way through our correspondence. 

I contacted Airbnb who checked the profile and told me I was right to be concerned (but wouldn't say why) and that I should block and report her. I still had to decline and it did lower my acceptance rate.

Both profiles are still active, including the one I was told to block and report and both are showing as verified. I have no idea how the second one can be verified, because I am 100% sure this is the same person (even the profile description is the same) using a fake name. Perhaps she set it up using her real name and then changed it, but she shouldn't be able to do that when she already has an Airbnb account.

The fake profile has been reported to Airbnb both via the website and directly to an Airbnb rep, but they haven't removed it weeks later. 

Anyway, if you get a request from a guest whose name translates to 'teenage girl', do not accept it!