No one likes to be the victim of some sort of scam. If Airbnb hosts unknowingly get scammed, not only can it result in a loss in profit, but possibly also damage to their properties. Unfortunately, there are some things that can go wrong with an Airbnb booking. One such problem is a fraudulent Airbnb booking. With fraudulent bookings and identity theft becoming a more common issue, more precaution should be taken when dealing with guests’ bookings. Plus, when you are situated in one of the major cities such as New York City, it is even more crucial that you have the right policies and measures in place as fraudulent bookings are even more common here.
But how can you spot when an Airbnb booking is fraudulent? The following five tips will help you to prevent potential dishonest bookings.
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Set Up Policies
To safeguard yourself and your property against a possible fraudulent Airbnb booking, be sure to create a policy. Also, never allow a guest to make a booking if he/she has not sent you his/her credit card details (particularly the CVC code found on the back).
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A Last-Minute Airbnb Booking? Be very cautious!
A last-minute booking is something suspicious in the first place. Although it will positively influence your occupancy rate, it might also cause serious problems. When guests make a last-minute booking, you can withhold confirmation in the event when they have failed to adhere to your policies.
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Use A Secure Payment Processing Method
Every single booking must be authorized beforehand and the credit card that was submitted with the reservation should then be charged via a secure payment processing method. In the event that there is an issue with the payment, you must request that your guest update the details of his/her credit card. Cancel their reservation when they fail to do this by the end of that specific business day.
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Authenticate Every Single Guest
Before even contacting a potential guest, do the screening first. Does he have verified ID on his profile? Do other hosts review this guest positively? As soon as the payment has been made successfully, inform the guest about the check-in process. To make life easier, schedule an automated message to help you with this step.
Also, request that they send you all their contact information. Then, when you have received their contact details, use it to check whether or not this is, in fact, a dishonest Airbnb booking.
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Examine All The Documentation
When the payment and contact details that were provided have checked out, you can now rest assured. For security purposes, ensure that you have received copies of all your guests’ passports. The chances that they will behave inappropriately will decrease when you have copies of their documents.
Another great way to decrease the chances of any bad behavior is to increase the amount of the deposit (particularly when the booking has been made last minute). Keep your property protected and include in your policy that the deposit amount can be increased under certain circumstances. As a matter of fact, the guests who usually have a problem with a safety deposit are the ones who are more likely to damage your place.
If you do get a feeling that things are going to go wrong before your guests have even shown up on your doorstep, you can cancel their trip. If you want to cancel an Airbnb booking, all you have to do is go to “Your Reservations” and click on the “Cancel” button to start this process. Though, think carefully before you cancel a booking as Airbnb will charge a penalty for a cancellation.
At the end of the day, you do not want to lose money, your reputation, and reservations. So, implement these five tips for every single Airbnb booking and ensure that you have all the correct policies ready.