We received a request from a guest in the UK. It raised some flags for us so we asked for additional info like ages of people in group, professions, reason for visiting our town. We didn't get a reply right away but then received this message.
"Sorry my Air BnB account was hacked overnight and this was not an enquiry from me."
We commiserate with them and she replied,
"I've reported it to Air BnB and changed my password but from my new browsing history can see that someone has been in the account!"
This raised a flag on another inquiry that was a booking request we accepted a few days ago so I called Airbnb and have instigated a look into whether that person's account was hacked.
Flags for us have been:
1. Requests were both 4 adults
2. Although one inquiry was from the US and one from the UK, the written English is very poor and the inquiries are very short, for example, "Hello. We arrive tomorrow in Bern. Tell me, will our family be comfortable in your home? The photos are very decent and good house. We are waiting for the answer, thank you!"
We replied with a time delay tactic saying we will check our calendar and get back to you in the morning, which led to this weird reply, "Thanks, I'll decide later!"
Little clues exist and we need to share these clues in the forums. I don't think this will lead to major money scams but definitely lead to lost bookings and confidence shaking in the community.