Fraud Possibility

[Maura7]

I have accepted a $3500 reservation from someone in Russia. There are a number of things questionable about this reservation, such as:

1. the first communication I had from them was asking if their reservation was accepted. This communication did not have any property attached to it (I have 6 airbnb listings), there was a first name only and his picture was of half his head (odd!)

2. the second communication came with a request for one of our houses for 12 days. It is a 4 bedroom home, the reservation was for 2 persons only. This never happens, so I messaged him back asking to confirm it was just 2 persons and that they would not be inviting guests over (this is not a party house)

3. they replied to confirm 2 persons and no guests, so we accepted the reservation

4. our booking email did not have his last name, just a phone number, that has never happened either

We are concerned this is a fraudulant request....I flagged the first message to airbnb and asked them to tell me what happened (wasn't attached to any property), have not heard back. Do not know how to call them. How do I reach them? 

[Clare0]

@Maura7 Based on what you say, I wouldn't think it was a fraudulent inquiry.  Some people just don't know how to use the system.  What I recommend you do is set Verified ID as a Reservation Requirement, located to the left of your listing photo under Manage Listing.  

As for how to contact Airbnb, here's a helpful guide: 

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Tips-Tricks/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165/highligh...

[Donna15]

@Maura7, I don't want to sound an alarm, but to be honest, this sounds a bit 'iffy'. For one thing, Russians are arguably among the most computer-savvy people in the world. Many of the most famous 'hacks' have been their work. 

At the very least, I would take @Clare0's suggestion to require verified ID, and including a full-face photo, driver's licence, and other ID material. 

If your gut instinct is telling you to tread carefully, I would definitely pay attention. 🙂

UPDATE: Ah, I note you've already accepted the reservation. I'd be very curious to know what AirBnB has to say about it.