Stay safe and protected on Airbnb. Learn to create a secure & private account using Cloaked in just a few steps. Enjoy safe travels with ease!TLDR: Any time that you sign up for anything related to travel accommodations or temporary housing, you’re trusting someone else–whether it is a company or an individual–with your well-being.
Chances are, you’re also trusting them with your personal information. Unfortunately, there have been many instances where this trust was violated, either via a data breach or other means.
Because of this risk, we recommend using Cloaked to set up your Airbnb (and any other travel accounts) to secure your data and control future communications.
How to Protect Yourself on Airbnb with Cloaked
Check out the Cloaked step-by-step guide for protecting your privacy while signing up with Airbnb.
First, make sure that your Cloaked extension is turned on and that you are logged in.
In the right-hand corner of the Airbnb website, click on the gray person icon next to where it says “Airbnb your home.”
Click on the “Sign Up” option that appears in the dropdown menu.
Next, click the small Cloaked icon located in the far right of the “Phone Number” box and choose the “Generate All Fields” option.
This will generate a new identity, and the notification will pop up in the right corner of the screen. Click done on the Cloaked notification, and then click “Continue” at the bottom of the Airbnb pop-up to continue creating your account.
A box will appear asking you to confirm your number.
On the right side of the screen, a Cloaked notification will appear letting you know that you just received a message that contains a confirmation code.
Click on the “Copy” button and then paste this number into the allotted space on the “Confirm Your Number” box (featured above).
On the following Airbnb pop-up, you will be asked for your first and last name, birth date, and email address. Click on the Cloaked icon in the far right corner of the “Email” box and choose the “Generate all Fields” option.
This should fill in both existing autofill info you’ve saved and create a new email address for this identity.
Click on the red “Agree and Continue” button at the bottom of the Airbnb pop up where you entered your Cloaked email address.
A Cloaked notification box indicating that you’ve received a “Confirm your Email” message in your inbox will pop up on the right-hand side of the screen.
If you’d like to confirm your email address immediately, either scroll to the bottom of the message within the notification itself to click on the “Confirmation” button, or click on the message displayed in this box and you will be redirected to your Cloaked inbox where you’ll click the same button.
Read through the “Community Commitment” pop-up that follows, and choose the “Agree and Continue” button at the bottom.
Congrats! You’ve used Cloaked to sign up for your Airbnb account.
How to Protect Your Phone Number on Your Existing Airbnb Account
TIP: Update your Cloaked phone number within your Airbnb account with every new booking. This will prevent multiple hosts from having access to one Cloaked phone number–allowing you to delete the number as soon as it’s no longer needed.
To do this:
Click on your account icon in the top right corner of the Airbnb homepage (make sure you are logged in to your Airbnb account).
Choose the “Account” option featured in the drop-down menu.
Select the “Personal Info” card on the “Account” page.
Click on the “Edit” option featured to the right on the “Phone Number” section of the “Personal Info” page.
Select the “Add Another Number” option that has appeared in the “Phone Number” section.
Select the “Continue” option on the following screen. Note: this indicates that you will no longer be able to use your phone number as a login option.
Choose the orange Cloaked icon to the far right of the “Phone Number” box, and select the “Generate Phone” option in the Cloaked pop-up that appears.
This will prompt a Cloaked notification in the right corner of the screen asking if you’d like to update your current number. Choose the “Update” button at the bottom of the box if you would like to replace the current identity’s number with the new one (there will be a confirmation process once this is initiated).
Otherwise, simply click on the “Copy” icon on the right side of the Cloaked box where the number is displayed, and then paste it into the empty “Phone Number” box on the Airbnb “Personal Info” page.
Select the “Verify” button beneath the “Phone Number” box on Airbnb’s “Personal Info” page.
A box will appear asking you to confirm your number.
On the right side of the screen, a Cloaked notification will appear letting you know that you just received a message that contains a confirmation code. Click on the “Copy” button and then paste this number into the allotted space on the “Confirm Your Number” box (featured above).
Once the new phone number has been generated, you will see it in under phone numbers included on the Airbnb “Personal Info” page.
To make this the only number the host will have access to, click on the edit option once again.
Finally, click the “Remove” option next to the phone number you’d like to delete. This will result in the new Cloaked number becoming the only number within your Airbnb account, and therefore the only one hosts (or maybe even hackers) can see.
Don’t Leave Home without Cloaked
Follow the simple instructions above and relax while you travel with Airbnb–knowing that your Cloaked info is safe.
