Government ID vs Selfie

[Hitomi3]

I'm a new host on Airbnb, and I got a booking request from a guest without any previous reviews. I said if he can add government ID verification, I will accept his request.

Now he said he has done it, but his profile only shows 'Selfie' as a new verification (he originally had Facebook, e-mail, and phone). I have never seen this before and am not sure if this is the same as Gov. ID. I have personally gone through Gov ID verification, and my profile says 'Government ID' with a check mark.

I have searched online, and Airbnb help page says a selfie is required as part of the Gov ID verification process. My question is: when the guest profile says 'Selfie' with a check mark under verification section, does that mean they have gone through Gov ID verification?

[Kimberly54]

Hi @Hitomi3,

I hope someone else chimes in here... A selfie is required for real-time verification of ANY formal ID, and unless this a huge/new glitch in the system, it should be impossible for anyone, under any circumstances, to check in with a selfie.  (FB/email/phone don't qualify as formal ID).

If no one replies, confirm directly with AirBnB? 

I would be grateful if you'd post back on what you learn. 

Thank you!

[Hitomi3]

Hi Kim,

Thanks for your response! I am confirming with Airbnb now.

I will keep you posted.

Thanks,

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Hitomi3 As you are a new hosts i would advice you to be flexiable and try to trust the guest if he/she is telling you that they have provided their Gov ID to Airbnb. You must now focus in building trust for your guests to trust you. Good luck for the future!!!

[Kimberly54]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0,

I have to respectifully and strongly disagree here.  Trust is one thing, but before you even meet someone, this is about safety and security.  You've read enough posts to know that not everyone is worthy of trust--even having submitted their ID, but this is at least one level @Hitomi3 can check off.

A phrase from the wisdom of the Middle East is, "Trust in God and tie your camel."   True wisdom.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Kimberly54 I agree that safety and security is important but i believe a new host must be able to see " the glass of water half fall rather than half empty" and have an optimistic character together guests. 

He who doesn't risk never gets to drink champagne. ~ Russian Proverb 

[Kimberly54]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0, 😉

You and I could laugh forever with our silly metaphors!  Wise, funny, interesting!

(Haha... the glass is neither half-empty or half-full--it's REFILLABLE!)

Of course trust is HUGE in this equation, but we NEED A SCREEN.  At least at the basic level:  WHO ARE YOU is not an unreasonable question to ask/insist upon.  RIGHT?

Best always,

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Kimberly54 I dont know about your metaphor but mine wasnt silly.

[Kimberly54]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0, I apologize.  I was not intending to criticize your metaphor. 

Metaphors can be 'silly' when they are applied incorrectly.  I really wasn't talking about camels and you weren't talking about a glass, and how much water it contained, right?  It was silly because we were trying to politely dance around the concepts of trust and verification of someone's identity.

I absolutely agree with you about trust.  Where I don't agree is the idea of just letting anyone in without any kind of screen at all.

And we may each agree to disagree, but this kind of counsel to someone new to this is not good practice.  

Best,

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Kimberly54 Thank you for your apology! I never mentioned at anytime that the host shouldnt screen her guest at all and i even adviced her to ask for a scanned copy of the guest passport. Its good that you agree with me on trust. We both have our opinions and way of thinking and i think thats what makes Airbnb such a nice place to meet unique hosts with their own ways of running their business. I will not argue with you about what is a good or bad practice now as this may take ages to complete such a debate : ). Happy hosting!!!

Regards,

Oomesh

[Hitomi3]

Thanks for your opinion, @Oomesh-Kumarsingh0.

As I'm a woman living by myself, I have to prioritize my own safety. If it was going out for a coffee in a public space, I'd give it a chance, but this is inviting someone to stay at my place without anyone else's presence. I know 90% of guests and hosts here are good people, and I have had great experiences so far, both as a guest and a host. However, I am not willing to take the risk at the cost of my safety, just to be an experienced host. I hope you understand.

My guests can see that I have gone through multiple verifications and have previous reviews from other people before deciding to trust me. I just want to see the same in my guests.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Hitomi3 I have told many hosts about this one but many always argued with me! If you want to be sure about the true ID of the guest ask him/her a scanned copy of their Passport before they arrive especially if they used the instant booking option. 

[Kimberly54]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0@Hitomi3

Dear Oomesh!  There is a reason others don't agree with you.  A scan is NOT a verification.  I could scan a picture of my parrot!  Is that ME?  No.  I could make a fake passport in Photoshop of my parrot.  Would this pass AirBnB?  NO.

The selfie verification is brilliant.  Could it be faked?  Sure, but NOT LIKELY.

ONCE you have invited someone and established some level of comfort, then open up.

Your attitude is interesting on this topic.  How often have you hosted?  I don't mean to pull this off-topic, but I think the question is relevant to this discussion. 

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Kimberly54 I dont think a guest will send you a fake ID copy if you ask them politely. This has always worked well for me and till now no guests have fake their ID. Now the reason why some hosts were not agreeing with me is just because they were not comfortable to provide someone a copy of their ID for privacy reasons. I have a positive attitude and concerning my experience as a host i have been hosting long enough to know how to vet a guest properly either with or without Airbnb! Be always optimist with new guests as this will help you gain respect and trust over time!!!

[Hitomi3]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0

I agree with @Kimberly54, when you start to see a pattern in people's reaction, maybe it's wise to try to see what's concerning them. They're clearly not sold, so pushing your opinion harder doesn't change their mind.

Now, let's agree that we have different boundaries and comfort levels as to what level of security is enough. My question was not to get your feedback on whether or not I should take a guest without reviews and IDs. If you feel comfortable taking guests without previous reviews and ID verification, that's cool. I don't, and that's okay, too. I'm happy to hear that you have had no problems.

What I'm trying to figure out here is whether 'selfie' showing up as verification means they have gone through Government ID verification. I will post Airbnb's response to this point when I get it.