From other posts on this forum, it is obvious that I am not the only host who has been scammed by someone saying they are from South Korea.
I accepted a reservation from someone who said they were from South Korea and then it was cancelled at the last minute as the guest said they were "too busy." The guest got a refund despite my cancellation policy (no refund so close to the arrival date). I was not able to re-rent my property on such short notice (but did have to pay my cleaning lady as she had reserved the time for me). After investigating, it turns out that the guest was not from South Korea, was not South Korean by nationality (but rather, German) AND did NOT live in South Korea but in San Jose, CA. Once that was proven to Airbnb, they still did not agree to reimburse me for the full amount of the cancelled booking. It was days, weeks, and months of back-and-forth with the Airbnb staff who were not helpful - just quoting the policy and saying there was nothing they could do. I asked several times for a full reimbursement and Airbnb refused.
So, to be safe, I will no longer accept any reservations from South Korea unless the guest agrees to MY cancellation policy. It is a shame that Airbnb does not require updated documentation on an annual basis from guests who claim to be residents of South Korea before granting them this cancellation privilege. As a result of not monitoring this policy for compliance, Airbnb is actually forcing hosts into a position where nationality plays a factor in accepting a reservation – yes, a form of discrimination. And that just makes me very sad.
P.S. By the way, the guest's profile now says he is from San Jose so at least one untruth was corrected and hopefully he cannot scam another host.
