What are some known Guest Scams?

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Anthony608
Level 10
Silver Spring, MD

What are some known Guest Scams?

I have been hosting for two years now and have seen my share of shady and suspicious guests.  I am wondering what actual scams other hosts have seen committed by potential guests.

 

The most serious scam I ever saw was what I believed to be a key-copying scam.  A man in Boston booked my room, then on the first night of the reservation, an unknown woman came to the residence and was knocking on the door, apparently unaware that the door had a keycode entry. She did not have any of the check-in instructions and had only been sent on her phone a screenshot of the home’s address. Once in the residence, the woman began asking repeatedly to be given an actual key. After several minutes of explanations, she finally understood that there was no key but rather a keycode for the door which would expire at the end of the stay. This clearly upset her a bit and she became visible nervous. She then went outside and was on her cellphone for a minute before walking away towards the local bus stop. She did not return to the residence on the first night, but closed the door to the room and left the lights on as to give the appearance that someone was in the room. Upon checkout, the room was found to be undisturbed and it did not look like anyone had slept in the beds.

 

Another, more complicated scam, involved a guest who was trying to gather information about the property without actually booking.  Over the course of six months, I received  three pre-approval booking inquiries - they all said the same thing - mainly that a guest wanted to book the room for a large number of days, was "moving into an apartment" and needed the room right away. The first of these I agreed to, since I thought I had a good opportunity for a booking and there were no real warning signs. However, the pre-approvals would then expire, and then the guest began sending numerous messages through AirBNB asking for extensive details about the house. More messages followed, asking details about did I live alone in the house, who else would be there, and also they wanted the specific street address prior to booking so they could come and see the house before booking. When I explained this was against AirBNB policy, the messages suddenly stopped. Then, several weeks later - pre-approval request again, asking about the room, moving into an apartment, need it right away, etc, etc. An obvious script which was being repeated.

 

To a lesser degree, I have received numerous questionable messages about same day bookings.  Typically strange vague messages, speaking about emergencies and needing the room right away.  Of those I've approved,  20% of them never show up and of those that do about 30% don't stay the night.  Obviously something going on.

 

What scams have other hosts seen?

1 Best Answer
Robyn401
Level 3
Imperial Beach, CA

Yes, I’ve had many of those.  No history with AirBnB yet wanting to book an expensive property for months rather than monthly.  No photo and just joined.  And always Chinese.

 

But I’ve also had at least 4 who book, then cancel straight away.  So I wonder if this is a money washing thing.  If it is booked with a pre-paid credit card, there is no room to go back and recover damages from the guest. And money goes off and on  the card - from Chinese to US dollars - within 24 hrs.

 

I had one married couple, new to Air bnb, school teachers (or so they said), who said they had a young child for which our property (they said) was perfect,  who booked and cancelled within 24 hrs BECAUSE they could not get vacation time together.  Highly suspicious given that their vacation time is set in stone.

 

I don’t want to do instant book because I’ve been stuck with that before when I had a private booking (friend needing accommod) and could not get to the air bnb calendar in time to block out those dates.  Penalty to me.  Won’t do that again.  So now I only get enquiries from those who, for the most part,  just now joined air bnb.

 

Air BNB needs to screen these people better.  Just one ID is insuffient. What ID?. Address verified?  Last year these false applications were so bad that I removed the listing entirely for this property for most of the year, and then when those applications started up again, as described above, I had to remove the listing again or be accused by AirBnB of not responding.  I spent more time fending the applicants off or requesting further info and then having to justify that request, than I had time to attend to.

 

 

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112 Replies 112

It sounds to me that airbnb needs to publish this data so that it is measured. Only then can guests, hosts, and airbnb alike can be all be held accountable. I am not on the FB group discussing this, so perhaps you can float the idea there and see what other hosts think.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

It's starting to sound like anytime a guest makes a complaint to Airbnb, the response is to suspend the host's listing. This is completely unacceptable.

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

I am surprised nobody mentioned the good old "bedbugs" and "hair-on-the-sheet" refund scam. The good thing is, it seems Airbnb doesn't accept it anymore so the fraudsters will have to be more creative in the future 🙂

 

I mean, how difficult it is to place a hair and a few crumbs on the sheet and take a photo? Anyone can do that and demand a full refund. I am surprised these scams lasted at Airbnb for so many years.

I am hoping more hosts catch on to photographing their places (including detailed photos of the beds being made) with time- and date-stamped photos.  Not only do they go far in proving someone is trying to scam you, but when someone damages something, they are all but irrefutable proof that it was THIS particular guest who did it.

AirBNB replaced my bedroom rug under the Host Guarantee after a guest ruined it and refused to pay.  The local 5* rug cleaning place that is certified to clean Oriental rugs could not get the stain out.
Time and Date Stamped rug photo before guest arrivedTime and Date Stamped rug photo before guest arrivedShowing damage after guest left.Showing damage after guest left.

I have been hosting 3 years through a friend who handles the Airbnb part. Scams I see are people checking in with more guest than they say. Or checking out late and saying they have approval, but the best one I came across this year was a couple complaints was the driver was not big enough for there over sized Truck and they made other complaints as well. A bit of research on my part found they there  are Airbnb hosts not far from us. So my guess is maybe they were giving out bad comments about other Airbnb places close to them so the bad reviews would drive customer toward them? So keep an eye on who is posting complaints, things like this have been done before. Maybe AirBnB can start rating out customers as well it would help weed out the bad one's and keep the honest one's.

Stephanie365
Level 10
Fredericksburg, VA

My most recent scam is someone trying to get out of his booking and get a refund. 
First, he complained about noise. He said my cats were too noisy. When I countered with, "My cats were sleeping with me all night as I laid awake with a knee ache", he changed his story to "a bad odor". Something that cannot be proven or disproven so it's Host's word against the Guest's.

Don-And-Emily0
Level 10
Catskill, NY

One scam I encountered on a similar platform (not Airbnb) was a person sending in an inquiry “on behalf of a group” and asking for my bank info so they can do an “immediate money transfer”. Of course we reported them and they were dealt with right away.

I'm relatively new to Airbnb and I'm noticing guests will complain about silly things (i.e. the stove flickers twice before igniting or the refrigerator's icemaker takes too long to make ice) then ask for a partial refund for the trouble. The "issues" seem to be ridiculous, but I assume any complaint results in a partial refund  so they ask.

 

 

 

@Kisha43  No, any complaint doesn't result in a partial refund and you should not succumb to agreeing to or offering one. Trivial complaints like you mention should be met with "Well, yes, it does take a half hour or so for new ice to form if you use up all of what is there. Water doesn't freeze solid in a matter of minutes". 

Or "Yes, that's how it works". Or "Oh, thanks for letting me know, I'll take a look at that at some point, but I think that's normal".

Hello Kisha , yes some guests do that , the best response is either to say you will pop down if it remains a problem ,or talk them through it and reassure them that all is well. They cannot get refunds for this type of thing at all but sometimes all it takes is to communicate with them . We had a number of guests, in the early days ,bring their own , thank goodness , dead bugs , with them and sprinkle them around the doorway .They mentioned bugs in their private remarks and I followed up with them as to where and how these bugs appeared . They were in fact not endemic to our area but had travelled with their owners from interstate . I told the guests that these particular  ones did not occur in our area and we have regular inspections and if they saw any live ones I would be very interested because I would have to have a serious word with the cleaners, I heard nothing further but upon examination the bugs appeared to be dessicated elderly and way past there use by date. Some people will give it a go , the nicest seeming people too.  I have studied insects etcetera so the idea that any old bug will do did not work for me . You have to laugh H

I had what I think is a scammer today. They asked if they could book for 6 months. They asked for my personal phone number to discuss and so his financial department could discuss payment. 
I said no to any personal information but they persisted. So did I. 
then they volunteered their phone number. Did he think I was an idiot with caller ID now?  
i reported him. He is new with no reviews. Red flag city!!!

Caroll47
Level 1
Miami, FL

The same thing happened to me! I just received a request from a new Airbnb user who had just made their profile this same month of June.m and Gad no reviews (first red flags to look for!). The inquiry is for the whole month of July. Started with normal conversation but after a few questions such as : “What floor is my apartment on? Do I live in the unit? Do my dogs bark when I am not home?” They wanted me to text them a video of my street so they could see the construction across the street and they also asked me if my bedroom was the same style as the guest room (which obviously my personal bedroom is not in any photos in my listing). They said their English was not very good, so I was extremely polite and patient. I told them there are a lot of scammers on Airbnb so please understand my concern that I am not able to exchange personal contact information because it is against Airbnb policy and that is when they got a little creepy and started asking me if I have ever been scammed or have experienced fraud. They told me to please feel comfortable that there will not be any cash transaction outside of Airbnb. They continued to tell me the will be booking the reservation with me in the next few days (this is 10 days before the reservation). After reading all of your experiences, I now understand that this person wants to keep my calendar blocked so my unit is empty that way thieves could attempt to come and steal everything! Very happy that we have Airbnb and each other here to help and support. This is my income and my business that I take very serious and I am proud to call myself a super host! Be safe everyone!

I had a similar issue on another platform. Guest used insta book. At the time had no reviews, but sounded nice, said she was not tech saavy. (I did not catch the scam beginning) At time I accepted one well behaved dog 25 lb max. she said she had one well behaved dog 25 lbs. max ok with $50 deposit. She confirmed she had one older sweet dog and pd. pet fee. In the meantime, I stopped allowing pets due to all sorts of issues with pet disclosure and cleaning issues. So, this person contacted me prior to driving here by doxxing my phone number. She began texting, calling and leaving messages for me to contact her back because she was not tech saavy so could not use the STR platform. I told her that all communication must go through the STR website. She kept wanting to have personal contact. I told her that I no longer accepted pets/dogs as before, but she was already approved with her one dog. She confirmed her dog was sweet and well behaved. Then, she kept asking for my address which had been given by the STR at least twice and continued to call and text. I sent STR 800 contact # and link to mapquest for directions. She made it seem that she never read welcome emails sent twice or contacted the STR. She did finally respond to the STR message thread and claimed to not know how to use Mapquest/google. All of this going on until after 10 pm. Then the next day, she walks outside with two dogs that seemed to be twins! I have security cameras watching the gate that evidenced the two dogs - one was not leashed, which is required. I sent message about the two dogs when she only was accepted and later confirmed with one dog. I do not have a damage deposit so I said I was charging her $100 for second dog - two dogs can create havoc! She refused and came to my residence banging on my front door, yelling, and exhibiting agitated behavior - scared me. did not open door. Each time I contacted support and sent videos of dogs and bad behavior. She said she was really a nice person, etc. Then, she began to make claims that I was not being nice and her stay was unpleasant, etc. She was having a horrible time.Then, she began to claim bed bugs - No bed bugs ever! She even took photos of little black bugs (2) on chair and bed..I live in a large garden and use pro pest control for tiny black ant. The place was recently treated safely - Next thing she says she is checking out and claiming a full refund - bed bugs, etc. She did go the following day and did a chargeback. So, I was naive about the scams out there --after reading about numerous scams by some guests on STRs, I realized what she was up to. The requests to communicate outside of the STR platform using the excuse of not being tech saavy, not disclosing two dogs bc she would not have been able to book if she had, then using the platform to make false claims bed bugs. I was lucky that she left and that I required all communication be through the STR platform. She is what is termed a friendly fraud - I have contested her chargeback with the messaging thread, and Ring videos of my front gate (two dogs) and her behavior on my front porch. That is the evidence hosts must have or those out to defraud will get away with their game. I am fortunate indeed that this guest did not turn out the be a STR squatter w two dogs and also getting her money back for her initial stay!  The big mistake I made was not taking into account the fact she did not have any reviews. She left a libelous review mirroring her own behavior. So, beware.

Hi Caroll47 Never block your calendar for someone who is not certain to book , like someone who is already staying and waiting to see work dates that you know are legit and you are happy to host. There is no real need or expectation that you would 'hold dates ' for people you have not hosted before. Send them an acceptance but let them know that others can still book those dates, do not ever send an acceptance to someone not able to pay. You are in business and must have the common sense not to accept every sob story. It is of course your choice but try and tell the difference between when its a scam or honest legitimate people . H

Blue117
Level 2
Hope Town, The Bahamas

We have been hosting for years and have straight 5 star rating. one scam we encountered twice recently is another host mentioned earlier that someone wants to discuss offline on whatsapp for instance. Total red flag. Another one is a guest who stayed and then claimed someone broke in and stole some cash. The guest admitted to the police and the manager that they did not lock the door. Police also verified the locks are intact and functioning. We out of goodwill offered to reimburse the small cash the guest claimed to have lost. That was refused. We offered a discount of future stay, also refused. Then the guest proceeded to demand a few thousand. When we refused, a horrible review riddled with factual lies appeared online. Then the guest proceeded to request full refund, again we refused. To say the least, this is very infuriating experience. We went out of our way to make them feel comfortable and they repeatedly told us they enjoyed the stay. Then they turn around and want a free trip.