Airbnb is allowing guests to operate on the platform using only an alias and not full name.

[Stephen-and-Nicole1]

Hey all. First full year as a Super Host here and would like to give the community a very important warning on a recent hosting experience. Despite Airbnb’s public claims that they require, at an absolute minimum, guests provide their full names in order to operate on the platform, we have found this to be patently false. A guest was recently allowed to Instant Book with us despite operating for nearly five years on the platform using an obvious alias. As many of you know, guest’s full names are not released to hosts until a booking is confirmed. This is fair, reasonable and clearly spelled-out in our agreement and multiple articles authored by Airbnb. However, after this booking was confirmed we discovered the guest’s name was still appearing as a three-letter alias on the price breakdown screen and profile page. The guest has a total of 11 reviews, all positive, but all but one referring to the guest by her alias. We found this to be extremely odd and called Airbnb for an explanation and why they did not release to us the guest’s name once confirmed. Well, three Airbnb reps and many hours later, we discovered Airbnb did not in fact have a name for this guest. Did you get that? No name. Nothing.  The plot thickened when we noticed under this guest’s profile page that her identity was listed as “confirmed.” Huh?? How Airbnb is claiming her identity is confirmed while simultaneously admitting, numerous times, they don’t have her name is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. A mystery we feel if left unsolved could have some very obvious ripple effects on trust in our community. We’ve since successfully contacted the guest and received her full name and honored her booking. However, this little/big issue with Airbnb’s policy vs reality is unresolved. I can’t accept we’re the only ones who experienced this, so… what say you Community members? Anyone have a similar experience? What’s going on here?

[Huma0]

@Stephen-and-Nicole1 

I too suspect that Airbnb is not requiring guests to provide an actual name. 

I had a guest wanting to book one of my rooms. She had a few good reviews but one really bad one and totally ignored my questions (she hadn't even provided me with basic information about herself), I decided to decline. She tried to convince me, eventually adding information to her profile + changing the name on the profile, but I still said no and she finally went away.

Shortly after, I got a request for the same room, same dates, from a guest of the same age from the same country, this time from an account with no reviews. The name given on the profile was fake and translated as 'teenage girl' (guest above was also a teenager). The wording of both the profile info and the messages was the same (and quite particular), so I knew that it was the same girl.

Airbnb had flagged the request as possibly suspicious. I called and spoke to a really clueless rep, who couldn't understand a word I was saying but, after consulting a colleague, told me to block and report the guest, which I did.

Both profiles showed the guest as 'identity verified'. Both profiles are still on the site.

I have often noticed guests changing the name on their profile. I think that it's possible to get verified using your real name and then simply change the name on your profile afterwards. However, I also have an acquaintance that told me she feels unsafe using her real name on Airbnb so has always used a fake name and she's booked lots of places without any problems.

So now I just don't trust the verification process at all.

[Sarah977]

@Huma0  This is why I don't understand why hosts feel they have some sort of security when using IB, as long as they check all the available requirements.

Verified ID can't be trusted.

Recommended by other hosts can't be trusted -plenty of reports about getting horrible guests who had 5* reviews.

Profile photo- Air calls whatever photo users put up a "profile" photo- a cat, a plate of spaghetti, a cartoon character.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977 

You're right. None of those things are fail safe at all.

I don't feel any sort of security about using it. I just tick all the extra requirements because that's better than nothing. It has stopped some undesirable guests booking with me, i.e. people who try to IB not realising that another host has given them a thumbs down. That is exactly what happened with the girl I mentioned above and she's not the first.

I wouldn't use IB at all if I felt I didn't have to, but it really does seem to affect my position in the searches and therefore my bookings.

The only thing that I like about it is the thee penalty free cancellations a year. With booking requests, obviously I try to vet guests as best I can before accepting a booking and will decline if I don't feel comfortable with it, once you've accepted, it's a total headache if you then start to spot red flags.

Whereas with IB, I've never had a problem cancelling when I've wanted to, although I still try to get the guest to cancel within the 48 hour grace period if I can as I don't want to run out of those three penalty free cancellations!

[Jane3076]

Hi, 

I have also noticed guests using different ‘handles’ for their profiles, it’s just started happening to me (I’m in Australia) I came on the community info page to see if anyone was finding the same situation and saw your message from 2021! So they obviously aren’t too concerned about it. 
As you have so clearly explained it would make you question just what the ‘identity verified’  actually means 

cheers Jane