suspicious inquiries

[Roy4]

Hi all. We are new to hosting, and already we have had a couple inquiries for people with no references, wanting to stay for several months. Their pictures were blurry, perhaps "borrowed"? Is this a common thing? What would the risk be? What could they be thinking, if indeed it is suspicious? Or am I paranoid? Thanks, Roy

[Chris23]

Hi @Roy4 it could be anything really.  From scammers leading you down a path to go outside of Airbnb to new airbnb customers not setting themselves up properly.  I can only recommend that (as you are new) look for guests that have past good reviews and do not use instant book.

[Andrea9]

@Roy4 @Chris23

On this forum there are countless posts by newbie hosts reporting such inquiries. Seems suspicious since such inquiries by guests with dodgy profiles and/or reasons to book tend to target the inexperienced with a booking request for over several months. Also often attempting to negociate much lower rental fees.

It would be important for you to inquire about the laws in your area regarding automatic renters' rights. Do they automatically have these after 30 days, thus needing to be evicted through the judicial system if they decide not to leave.

Advice by seasoned hosts has also been to limit the maximum rental period of the listing to several days less than a month. 

You might also want to stick to shorter booking periods in the beginning to get more experience in hosting. That also lets you get more reviews.

[Clare0]

@Roy4 I would advise 2 things;

1. Read this Airbnb article about Long Term Stays:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/805/what-are-some-things-i-should-consider-before-hosting-long-t...

Keep in mind that Airbnb does not do background checks nor credit checks which normally would be a prerequisite for Long Term Stays. 

2. Set Verified ID as a requirement for making reservations.  It's to the left on the Manage Listing page. 

[Kara15]

I am new to the Airbnb scene. I got super excited because I got several inquiries right off the bat, but no one seems to follow through with the requests. They ask questions and I pre-approve them, but they never actually book. Is this normal?

[Clare0]

Yes, @Kara15, this is normal. Airbnb encourages guests to send inquiries to multiple hosts.  The guest then sits back and waits to see who sends them Pre-Approvals and / or Special Offers and then make their choice. Oftentimes the guests don't get back to each host to tell them they have selected another listing.  Don't worry, it's all part of the process!

[Kara15]

Thank you! I was beginning to worry!

[Julie158]

Had my first suspicious enquiry today and declined it. 

Who should I report this to? And how do I do it?

[Paula204]

Hello,

don't know exactly where to post this question so I post it here and need some help

We received a suspicious booking inquiry this morning directing us to open a link starting with www1., which we unfortunately did and it asked us to enter the password etc as usually when logging into our Airbnb account.

Later we changed the password but still not sure if the account has been 'stolen'.

I've heard from another host it happened to him the same.

Can sby pls direct us on what to do?

Is Airbnb looking into these suspicious inquieries?

Thank you,

Paula

[Clare0]

@Paula204 The best thing to do is to verify all your account settings:

Email

Phone number

Payout Preference

Notification Settings

Also, under Security, check the box that says "Turn on Log In Notifications"

Make any changes as necessary, then change password. 

You probably caught this in time, but please re-verify your information.

This is a common scam tactic since hosts are curious about their listing being on another site and they click on the scam link.

I'm very sorry this happened to you but if you do the above, this should block any unauthorized access to your account.  If you notice anything unusual on your account contact Airbnb immediately. 

I hope this helps!

[Paula204]

Thank you

How can I contact Airbnb?

It all seems to go throught community center

If you have some direct email to Airbnb to look into this matter, I would appreciate it

thanks

[Clare0]

@Paula204 There are many ways to contact Airbnb.  Here's a link to see all they ways you can do it including phone numbers: 

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide

[Julie158]

This link is not working.

[Clare0]

@Julie158 Go to the home page of the Community Center and then click on Get Support.  You will see links for various topics, one of them is Contact Airbnb.  

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M1876...

[Lizzie]

Great advice here @Clare0 🙂 I hope you got this sorted @Julie158 and @Paula204, and you are feeling more reassured.