Three bogus inquiries a scam?

[Charlesie-And-Tedd0]

Hello community of hosts.

We have received over the last 30 days 3 inquiries from 3 different guests from 3 different countries. Two of the inquiries have been within the last week. The inquiries are all for the same dates and the words in the inquiry are exactly the same; "Hello, I like your house very much. Can I make a reservation?" 

Each of the potential guests has the same profile information which is nothing. No reviews, no information, nothing. I have contacted Airbnb but I dont have high hopes for a followup. 

I know I can just decline or request further information etc which of course puts the responsibility on me to try to determine what this is. But when Airbnb was first starting up there were more requirements which meant more protections of hosts based on Airbnb having verified information. 

So has anyone else experienced this? What is the point of it? It appears to be a robot type thing but to what end? What is Airbnb doing about such things? Is this directed at Airbnb or to the "Host" community?

Thanks in advance for any information you might be able to share. 

[Linda108]

Anyone can send an inquiry without a completed profile, right, @Charlesie-And-Tedd0?  I agree with you that is appears robotic.  I am aware that more and more municipalities are cracking down on Air BNB listings that are not in compliance with the regulations of that municipalities.  I wonder if such inquiries would be part of the strategy to identify such listings.  My city has contracted with a company to mine internet data to identify listings that are not registered with the City and not paying proper occupancy tax.  What do you think?