CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Corpus Christi couple had two complete strangers walk into their southside home Tuesday after what can only be described as a major mix-up.
The surprise guests said they thought they were at the Airbnb they rented for the night, but it was the wrong home. The mix-up could have ended very badly, and now the homeowners are hoping the incident will serve as a teaching tool for others.
The home in question actually belonged to 3News First Edition Anchor John-Thomas Kobos and his wife Kristi. They were not renting their home out as an Airbnb, and their front door was actually locked, but the confused guests were still able to get inside.
A security system has always helped John-Thomas and his wife feel safe in their own home, but when two women mistakenly walked up to their door, they said that sense of security was tested.
"All of a sudden the door just opens and two young women walk in. I look at her, and asked, 'Do you know who they are?'" John-Thomas said.
The incident was captured on the couple's home security cameras. They didn't know the women -- they were strangers -- and the Kobos' quickly got up from their couch and started asking questions.
"I said, 'What are you doing here?'" John-Thomas said. "They said, 'We're here for the Airbnb.' I said, 'We're not an Airbnb.'"
The women, confused and shaken up themselves, showed the Kobos' their reservation information and instructions for entering their Airbnb. The problem is, they walked into the wrong house.
"Something is taken away from you. Your sense of security," Kristi Kobos said. "This is my safe place."
It turned out their real Airbnb was in the same neighborhood. Still, the incident left everyone scratching their heads.
"I was mostly concerned at the time with, 'How on Earth did you get through my security?', because our door was locked," John-Thomas said.
So how did the women get inside the home? The code to the Kobos' front door keypad, was the same buttons that would allow them to walk through the Kobos' door.
"It's just super dumb luck. We figured out the neighbors behind us on the other street, that was their Airbnb, and they had that code, and the chances of it syncing up was insane," John-Thomas said.
Security experts suggest using a key pad that uses single numbers. John-Thomas not only changed his code, but went out and bought the recommended keypad to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
"Even though the girls were nice, it was enough to throw us off. Like, 'Who is coming through our door?' When you think, we have a whole security system here, that you are safe," John-Thomas said.
Even though the girls went into the wrong house, the Kobos' told them they were lucky they picked their home because it could have had a different outcome.
"For making a mistake like that, they walked into the right house because we weren't going to do anything aggressive," John-Thomas said.
The girls were embarrassed but thankful.
Meanwhile, the Kobos' are asking Airbnb users to be careful and double check their information.
"The house, the address, the people. Something so innocent could end up in a tragedy, and people need to be aware, just because you made a reservation everything isn't going to be okay," Kristi Kobos said.
Airbnb responded to John-Thomas and his wife by expressing their gratitude about the safety of their guests. They were also taken aback by the odds of the lock code being almost identical.
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