As a user who recently became frustrated with Airbnb’s identity verification process recently explained after facing huge obstacles trying to rent an Airbnb, the woman, after years in a dangerous situation, had recently escaped, only to find her account frozen. As it turned out this was because of fraud tied to her social security number.
The user who generated the account in 2013 had never used it and closed it later that year. Unbeknownst to her, her former partner posted a counter-account. To do it, he used her personal phone number and his own personal email address. The ex-partner created a new account with the user’s previous email address. This raised a fraud flag in the back end of Airbnb’s system.
Even in 2020, when the user went to book a reservation. Sadly, this was not the end of their disappointment as the booking was canceled within 24 hours. She had freed herself from an abusive partnership in 2018, when her ex fled overseas to avoid creditors. Despite her initial success with using Airbnb, the challenges continued for her. Her account remained frozen when she tried to book lodging a third time in 2019. That left her in a maddening position, because there was no fix.
Airbnb states that they perform complex identity vetting on all new and current account users. These checks can include the validation of contact information using “reliable third-party sources.” The collective highlighted the impact of the user’s photo. Five years after her account got frozen, she continues to observe four accounts—invisible ones—deactivated on the platform—two that she created and two that her ex made.
“To help build and keep trust in our community, we suspend accounts suspected to be fraudulent. We are sorry for the time it took to resolve this case.” – Airbnb
This case begs the question of how effective Airbnb’s identity verification processes really are. It further illustrates the very real dangers for users who may find themselves ensnared by illicit schemes started by someone else.
This is particularly concerning when the company often touts its commitment to safety and trust on its platform. According to the user, her experience should serve as a cautionary tale on their robust verification processes. As of now, she’s locked out of her account entirely. This scenario underscores the disproportionate burden people must bear when using services that require sometimes opaque and highly complicated identity verification procedures.