Profile name change should turn off ID Verified flag

[Tommy49]

Airbnb allows guests to change the name on their profile. I believe this should be linked to their “Identity Verified” flag in the profile and also disable IB until they request a new ID verification to match their profile name.

Backstory: had a guest book with “T” as their verified name. Her vaccine card (we require it for bookings in our homeshare) clearly had a longer name that started with a T* that she had scratched the rest off of in the image she sent.  Clearly “T” wasn’t staying but we had no idea who was...  

@Airbnb please fix this. A name change in the profile should disable “ID verified”!

[Amy1554]

Thank you for bringing this up. It’s upsetting when we found out the guests showed up at our door weren’t the guest on the profile. Not even the same gender. 

[Helen744]

@Amy1554 These are some of the due diligince checks that it is wise to carry out before guests arrive. Some guests target relative newbies for this exact reason . Good Luck H

[Tommy49]

Oh... we aren’t n00bs. More than 10k guests in 10.5yrs on Airbnb. Just new to posting in this forum 🙂

[Amy1554]

The guest said she uses her husband account booked the reservation. But her husband wasn't travel with them that time.

[Helen744]

@Tommy49 I also use IB and have ,as well as government verified ID a requirement in my rules that the profile pic must be clear,no avatars ,no sunglasses and that Id and vax certs must be sent by the customer before arrival or risk cancellation . It is as well to inform the customer that Airbnb do not provide the ID that they receive to you, and nor do you have the customers credit card details at any time. Tell the guest that this is for both your protection as well as theirs and if they really want to stay at your place and you are clear and friendly about it then all should run smoothly ,otherwise cancel H

[Emiel1]

@Tommy49 

It is not possible to change the profile name.

But is indeed possible to change the "legal name" in the account, but then Airbnb may(!) ask to verifiy identify again :

[Emilia42]

@Emiel1 I have seen this disclosure too but I wonder how it is enforced because you can definitely can your profile name. I have had many bookings (which were ID-verified) but the guest profile was clearly not the legal name. I've hosted a "T" too (she was a great guest :-))

[Emiel1]

@Emilia42 

Interesting point...

I do not remember how my profile name was set (to be a free choice at initialisation, or taken from the legal name). But as a lot of accounts are also like "Chip&Dale", it must be a free choice.

[Helen744]

@Emiliia42 I have and always now insist on 'real'names . Its very simple not a choice for anyone expecting to stay in my home ,so not sure what you mean . Most sensible people do not allow  people they cannot identify in case of damage into their homes. Some people will refuse that is their choice, and their only choice. My choice is not to allow them in my home and Airbnbs choice is to not allow them to book. Put it in your rules.Clear Id. Do not confuse social media mores with the reality of hosting H

[Suzanne302]

@Emilia42 

Similar story here. I had a guest who after he booked, had his last name as only an initial. I requested his last name and he gave it to me, but it was still odd that Airbnb allows this. I think the only screen name allowed should be the name on your ID, if you are verified.

[Huma0]

@Emiel1 

Guests can change their profile name. I've seen guests do this while we were communicating about a booking. 

I am also not convinced about the Airbnb verification process. I had a guest try, and fail, to book with me because she had a bad review. Her communication was also awful. She then tried to book under another account, with no reviews, and a "fake" username (although to be fair, the username can be anything - guests don't need to use their real name for that), which was flagged by Airbnb as a suspicious message. Both accounts showed ID as verified. As far as I am aware, users are not supposed to have more than one account so how could both accounts be verified for the same person? I called Airbnb and was told to report and block the guest, which I did. However, they did nothing about it and allowed both profiles to remain active, despite the guest having breached their own policies.

[Emiel1]

@Huma0 

I tried to find where to change profile name. A profile has an "edit" option to change/add  some info , but i did not see how to change the profile name.

My profile name is real first name, as entered in my account under "legal name".

I do not want to change this just for "testing" purpose....

It is not allowed to have more then 1 account, but your story shows Airbnb is not very active to combat it.

[Huma0]

@Emiel1 

I have no idea how to do it either. Perhaps Airbnb have now made it impossible? I just know that guests were able to do this up until at least November as that was the last time a guest I was communicating with changed her profile name. 

Actually, it was the guest I mentioned above. When she contacted me, her username was a regular Chinese girl's name, but while we were conversing, she changed it to Daphne. This is not so unusual as many Chinese people also use an English name when they travel. It was just weird that she changed it while we were corresponding, without saying anything about it.

When she contacted me trying to book under a second account, the username was not a real name and translated as 'teenage girl' (she was 19). She has since changed it to a name that translates as 'girl, girl' (she is now 20).

Both accounts are still active. She actually booked and stayed at a listing in 2022 using the second account (which I had reported back in November) rather than her original account with the bad review which, by the way, starts with: "This profile not for a one person, its for a group of young girls, so every time a different person can send a message. they keep coming and going." 

This shouldn't be allowed, but I reported it to Airbnb and they just didn't care. The rep I spoke to was probably the most ill trained, clueless rep I have ever dealt with at CS though.

[Z-2]

@Emiel1   @Huma0 is right, The profile name is easy to be changed. As a host, I changed my profile name to my initial (after ID verified) just because my first name is so easy to be identified and I don't want to displayed under my listings. Sure Airbnb have my full name on record. Just edit the profile name to make the change. Also I had a reservation (IB) which I guessed she (Carol) is a teen (by talked with her), I have 22 years old limits, so I asked her show me her ID. She finally showed my ID, but it's not her, it's someone else, then she said it's her driver and will stay with them. I told her she can't do that and this is third part booking and asked her to cancel which she did. But she changed her profile name to Mary immediately after cancel, actually just before cancel (My cancellation email show "Mary"). Mary is the name on the ID. It most likely the girl just borrow some adult's ID. The account is ID verified even before the name changing.