Scam requests?

[John1080]

Hello all, I have just listed my property and have gotten two requests, both seemingly scams.  Both interested parties have just joinied AirBnb, have nothing on their profile and one of them has an avatar for a picture.  They have no reviews, no information about themselves and no history.  

The first one asked if she could bring her dog (we do not allow pets) and said she knows someone living in the area. The second one, said she wanted to get married in the area and wanted to take pictures with our views in the background, but again, a new profile, one picture, but literally zero information on her profile.   I wasn't aware that AirBnb would allow people to have such scant profiles and I do not feel comfrotable allowing anyone to stay, who does not have reviews and information on their profile. 

For the first one, I told her we do not allow dogs nor guests without reviews.  Now that it has happened again, I'm certain the profile is fake as well, but there is that 1% that says possibly I am overreacting.  Has anyone else dealt with this and does anyone have any advice? I 

[Gordon0]

@John1080

Firstly, big wow; those views are something else! You have a great place there and you are rightly worried about iffy bookings.

However, I thought that my first ever guest was almost certainly going to murder me and my husband, probably the cats too, before torching the place. She didn't, obviously.

Each subsequent booking/guest saw my worries decrease (somewhat).  

But it is very much a learning process. My first tip would be to engage with the would-be guest. Tell them that they need a photo, suggest that they complete their bio etc. 

You'll get the hang of this very quickly. 

Back to your place; wow again. 

[John1080]

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@Gordon0wrote:

@John1080

Firstly, big wow; those views are something else! You have a great place there and you are rightly worried about iffy bookings.

However, I thought that my first ever guest was almost certainly going to murder me and my husband, probably the cats too, before torching the place. She didn't, obviously.

Each subsequent booking/guest saw my worries decrease (somewhat).  

But it is very much a learning process. My first tip would be to engage with the would-be guest. Tell them that they need a photo, suggest that they complete their bio etc. 

You'll get the hang of this very quickly. 

Back to your place; wow again. 

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Thank you Gordon, we love the place and yes, worried to begin with. I would prefer my first guest had a profile ha! 

In fact, I did just what you suggested and told her I'd prefer her to have a profile with more information and verifications such as email and goverment ID. She resopnded and has updated her profile with more information, enough that I was able to Google search, locate her and verify some of the information she put in her profile, so it seems she is a real person. 

I had neglected to mention in my post that she had also said she wasn't sure whether her fiance could get the days off, which again, taken together with the other concerns, I thought a big iffy. So, I responded, thanking her for more info and told her once they are sure of the dates, we can go ahead and confirm the booking.  

[Michael956]

@John1080 I get requests all the time from "first timers" who have no photo, no personal info in the profile, no verifications, etc.  I thank them for considering my listing, and then tell them I'll be happy to approve their reservation once they've uploaded a profile photo and added some I.D. verification "per Airbnb requirements".  So far everyone of them has complied, and I've not had a single problem with these kinds of first time Airbnb users. 

[John1080]

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@Michael956wrote:

@John1080 I get requests all the time from "first timers" who have no photo, no personal info in the profile, no verifications, etc.  I thank them for considering my listing, and then tell them I'll be happy to approve their reservation once they've uploaded a profile photo and added some I.D. verification "per Airbnb requirements".  So far everyone of them has complied, and I've not had a single problem with these kinds of first time Airbnb users. 

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Thank you Michael. I am interested in how the system works with regards to the verifications, as I have my settings set up to require verification, yet now two individauls have contacted me asking to book. One would think the system would filter such requests or searches somehow, but I assume it does not? 

Per the covnersation above, with the second request I got, I went ahead and asked her to get some verifcation and fill out her profile and get back to me, which she did very quickly.  We continued our covnersation and I asked her about her intentions, to which she said she wanted to have her wedding party at the cabin and that they both smoke! So, I had to tell her that I cannot accept the request per my policies and I explained to her that there are about 25 other properties in the area as well as some wedding venues and wished her good luck.