Guests attempt to communicate with me off-platform; is this a possible scam?

[Shedou0]

Hi, Airbnb hosts! I have been hosting for almost a year now. From time to time, I have received inquiries from guests who want to book a long-term stay. They seem to always ask about the surroundings of the property, like supermarkets, restaurants, and stuff. Then, they will give me their phone number and ask me to communicate on WhatsApp for the inconvenience of communicating on the Airbnb platform, and they just want to know a little bit more about the property. And of all those guests, no one has ever booked my property and has no review on their account. I always report those guests to Airbnb, and they keep reaching out to me. I was wondering: have you guys ever had any encounters with this? Is this a scam that I'm not aware of?

[Aksh293]

Hi shedou0, it was happened with me couple of times they just pretending like can you send me more  pictures of your house along with is there any place we can visit these kind of messages i am getting from scammers when i am going into their profile showing nothing.

[Shedou0]

Yes, it always seems like they're trying to get something out from you instead of booking a reservation.

[Philip3527]

I get them once in a while too. One time I got someone that requested a long timeframe during peak times, he then started asking about specific things about the Airbnb and then finally address. I got a little suss on his request and did'nt approve it.

Next thing I know another persom is asking about the exact same dates on another account. I don't know if you get penalized for denying so I just ignored them. 

[Helen3]

Yes it's normally guests looking to book off platform for a lower rate/to get you to book directly. @Shedou0 

I just tell guests all the information they need to make a booking is on the listing including local amenities.

they can see your location on the map so can also check for themselves. 

[Rebecca]

Hi @Shedou0 👋

Sorry you've been experiencing these messages in the platform, and you've done the right thing by reporting them. Did any of the answers below provide further support to you? If so, it's always a lovely gesture to mark it as the best answer. It's like a big virtual hug to the member who supported you but also provides reassurance to other Hosts who may search fro similar things on the Community Center 😊