What are some known Guest Scams?

[Anthony608]

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?

[Sarah977]

@Lara1270  It's worth verifying what with Airbnb? It's a fact that Airbnb doesn't charge the deposit at the time of booking, nor put a hold on the credit card. It's also a fact that hosts have to first ask the guest to pay up, and that there is no way to force them to.

Why do you think it's a liability for the company? Their host guarantee is bogus, too. Never mind their promises. It's like pulling teeth to get Airbnb to cover damage costs and hosts can't force them to do that either.

I'm afraid you have fallen for Airbnb's  rhetoric, which doesn't match their practices. Easy to do unless you are aware of what really goes on. You need your own str insurance. 

[Lara1270]

@Sarah977 I think you misunderstood my post. I want to call Airbnb to verify that they do not guarantee deposits as you said. I did not know that before reading your post, and I want to verify that with them.

It is a huge liability for the company because they advertise that they will pay deposits that cover damages.  If it's not true they have to change the wording for everybody to understand that they do not guarantee the deposits. They may be taken to court if they lie. It's a public company now and they are responsible fore each word they say. That's all I wanted to say.

[Sarah977]

@Lara1270  No, I didn't misunderstand- I am saying that experienced hosts are well aware of the bogus security deposit and the bogus "guarantee." It's a fact, so there is nothing to verify. 

That they are a publicly traded company doesn't mean they can be taken to court for it. They are only beholden to their shareholders, who care about profits, not lies to hosts.

[Lara1270]

I'm not an experienced host and prefer to verify it through Airbnb.  Do you have a problem with it?

[Sarah977]

@Lara1270  Of course not. I'm not sure why you doubt other host's knowledge and experience, though. What you will soon find out is that Airbnb's customer service reps know next to nothing, give out completely erroneous information and bad advice, and don't even know Airbnb policy.

Fot that reason, most of us appreciate learning from our fellow host's experiences and knowledge. 

[John5097]

@Lara1270 

"It is a huge liability for the company because they advertise that they will pay deposits that cover damages.  If it's not true they have to change the wording for everybody to understand that they do not guarantee the deposits. They may be taken to court if they lie. It's a public company now and they are responsible fore each word they say. That's all I wanted to say."

I think this is a valid assessment to consider. I'm not a lawyer however Western Union settled a DOJ investigation for its roll in facilitating scammers. 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/settlement-between-department-justice-and-western-union-will-pr...

There are many other topics about this issue. The Host Guarantee is no replacement for STR insurance. You have just as much a right to post here as anyone else. I appreciate you comments and think more host, especially new host, should feel free to express their concerns. 

[Alexandra85]

I agree. The claim about Aircover taking care of damages is a bit of what is called puffing - not falsehoods. They will cover damages with strong evidence and only what they decide they are willing to pay. So, be sure to photo before guests arrive and after if there are actual damages aside from regular guest use. Smoking is not allowed inside my cottage, it is allowed outside on the deck or outside.  I had a guest who wanted to smoke outside. That guest was vaping. I was not familiar with vaping. I only realized that after check out. The entire interior reeked of cigarettes, outside there was a  large clay dish filled with heavy circular ashes, same ashes were all over the deck and walls, the garbage had empty packages of liquid vape. He had to have been smoking inside as well as outside based on the heavy smell of cigarettes. This meant chemicals every where but no other damages - Every piece of fabric had to be laundered, walls and windows washed, carpets cleaned, floors mopped, mirrors washed, etc. the risk was that other guest would smell and be affected by those chemicals and give me bad reviews harming my STR. I found the only ozone machine around across town - I had to get it managing heavy traffic paid approx. $67 for it and then return. With all of that work, and ozone, the smell went away. Guest denied he smoked inside? So, it took hours of work and Aircover only paid $100 extra above my reg cleaning fee of $100 that barely covered the Ozone rental, no drive time, no gas, etc. Also, my required deposit was not used. It is best to really screen guests, photo before and after, and disclose clear smoking policy. I have had guests who smoked outside and there was no smoking smell inside whatsoever. So, I made a point of NOT allowing vaping at my Airbnb property. Also, dropped pets because guests lied about their pets - stating they have one dog and brought two or at last minute said oh, I am bringing my cat. Cats were not allowed. Pets can really cause damages and compromise the health of other guests. Guests let pets all over beds chairs etc even with the requirement to bring own pet bed, kennel....so, Pet and smoking policies can be big problems. Protect yourself by being vigilant. Sadly, there are guests who take advantage with no respect for your policies. Risks and costs of doing business. Overall, Airbnb has been a good STR provider.

[Colleen253]

@Lara1270 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/140/how-does-airbnb-handle-security-deposits

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/352/what-happens-if-a-host-wants-to-collect-on-their-security-dep...

“Host-required security deposits are different from other security deposits in that no authorization hold is placed. Guests will only be charged if the host requests reimbursement for property damage and the guest agrees to pay, or if the host makes a request to collect on their security deposit and the request gets approved by Airbnb.”

[Pete69]

Even if it's not a scam, I've found that last minute bookings are more likely to be from haphazard people who do not read or don't care about your rules. The only two guests who ever smoked in my non-smoking suite had booked within 24 hours of arrival. Since then, I require at least 2 days advance notice to book.

Another strategy is to lower your price about 5% in order to attract guests who book well in advance and are more likely to be responsible people. As the date nears closer, you can raise your price.

[Cindee1]

I have been a host for almost 4 years now.  In the past 2 months I have had request for month long stays.   Different reasons were given:  traveling online college student. And someone stating they used to live in this area.  
Both attempted outside messaging through phone calls or WhatsApp.   First red flag.  

They complement my listing & act very friendly but don’t answer questions directly.   Second red flag. 

Their profile is Empty but they have been a member for a while without any reviews. 
That’s a huge RED FLAG. 

I think more people are trying to get access to information just to rip you off.   Poor Economy has brought out the worst in people.   

I am renting rooms not an entire place.  

Does everyone report the user? 
Is there anything I can put in my listings to discourage this?  

Cindee

[Sarah977]

@Cindee1  While it's certainly important to be aware of red flags, and I agree with your first 2, I have now had 3 guests who showed they had been members for a long time, yet had no reviews. In all 3 cases, it was quite innocent- one said she'd had 2 stays but her hosts hadn't bothered to leave a review, one had joined planning a trip, but the trip fell through due to work commitments, one had always travelled with her husband, booked through his account, but used her account to armchair travel- browsing listings in various parts of the world, like you'd browse through a travel magazine.

In all those cases, the guests were good communicators, sent articulate, informative booking requests, and all turned out to be great guests. I just said I was curious as to why they had no reviews, and they were quite forthcoming in explaining.

[Lara1270]

Don't use instant booking. Always write and ask questions before you OK your next guest. Don't accept those who have empty profiles with no reviews. Never rent for long term. Put restrictive rules in the description of your listings, like "no guests", "no parties", etc. 

[David786]

As a rule I don’t rent to locals. I have made a few exceptions here and there, but generally avoid that like the plague. I made a mistake yesterday in not looking at a guests “From” information. She was “From” Klamath Falls with zero reviews and same day booking for one night. Same day booking, zero reviews and one night, in and of themselves and not necessarily a bad thing in my area, because this is a tourist destination and its far from the “Next Place” on the road. But being from Klamath Falls is a really big red flag.

I could sense that she wasn’t being truthful when I met her at the front gate. Asked here where she was from and she said Salem. I have some familiarity with Salem. Asked here where she lived and worked and her answers were vague and unconvincing. She said she was down here to buy a car (250 miles from Salem) but she hadn’t decided.

She was also trying to bring in a weeks worth of laundry, with all the detergents, softeners, and bleach. We have all that in the unit.

Then surprise surprise her Boyfriend might show up for the night. Wait what? So she submits a request to change the number of people which I didn’t approve and 2 minutes later this joker in an raggedy car with a bunch of LA gangster tattoos shows up. So I told the both of them that this isn’t going to work and the would have to go get a hotel.

My big fear with locals is that once they get in, its hard to get them out, and they can just squat there for months. I like travelers because they come and then they go away. 

[Laura2592]

Just bumping this thread because a good friend who hosts in a large US city just let me know her ABB was being used for prostitution for the last week.  Guest had 3 glowing reviews but had only booked whole house stays. My friend has a little carriage house in her back yard with a separate entrance and a decent amount of privacy.  She was on vacation for the first part of the stay and the guest did not contact her nor did she reach out to the cohost. She returned to find cars  parked in the alley/lots of cars coming and going behind her house where the entrance to the carriage house is. Upon exploring further she discovered that the car owners had "appointments" with the guest.  When she asked them to leave (no unregistered guests allowed) the registered guest got upset and said she was told she'd have "complete privacy" for the week to "conduct a personal care workshop." It was abundantly clear what was going on. The guest left in a huff and now her listing is "under investigation" because the guest claims she was being spied on. Clean  up was also very revelatory regarding what had been going on in the space.

I suspect this happens a lot more than hosts realize. 

[Robert-And-Charity0]

We just had guests, no review.  They showed up with one extra guest.  They asked for late check out.  Unable.  We showed up with crew to clean.  House was trashed.  Rotten food in sink with maggots, urine in bed, garbage shoved in couch, etc.  we made a claim.  Guest made counter claim that they felt “unsafe”.  Guests were white, host is black.  100 positive feedback, amazing house in Caribbean.  Completely private, gated community and 1 acre lot.  Airbnb immediately locks accounts for this listing and another listing for host.