Date:

Fraudulent rental offer on the internet - Woman paid 3,000 Euros

Fraudsters repeatedly post fake ads on online real estate portals. They lure with low rental prices in good locations and pose as brokers or landlords.
Their scam remains the same: they ask the new tenants to transfer the deposit or the first rent in advance. However, the advertised apartments do not exist or are already rented.

A 23-year-old woman from Niederkassel, who was looking for an apartment in Berlin, had this experience. At the beginning of December last year, she found a rental property on a popular real estate portal. The contact with the supposed representative of the property management and the subsequent online apartment viewing went smoothly. The young woman innocently signed a rental contract and transferred 3,000 euros for the deposit and the kitchen's acquisition. After the receipt of the money was confirmed, the contact with the property management broke off and the ad disappeared from the internet. The 23-year-old then filed a fraud report.

Signs of Real Estate Fraud

A classic characteristic of fraudulent real estate ads is a very cheap apartment in good, renovated condition and in a popular location. Also, the request for payment before the viewing is unusual. Reputable landlords and brokers do not expect the handover of sensitive data in advance. Only after a personal viewing are income proofs, Schufa self-disclosure or guarantees handed over.

Indications of fraud in apartment ads can be

Recommendations for apartment hunting online

For more information, please visit:https://www.polizei-beratung.de/aktuelles/detailansicht/vorsicht-vor-betrug-bei-der-wohnungssuche/(Bi)

For any queries, please contact:

Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Police Department
Press Office

Phone: 02241/541-2222
Email: pressestelle@polizei-rhein-sieg.de

Original content from: Rhein-Sieg-Kreis Police Department, transmitted by news aktuell

Comments

No comments so far.

Latest Posts

Driving under the influence of drugs

Driving under the influence of drugs

On Saturday evening, police officers from the PI Schmalkalden-Meiningen conducted a traffic check in the Obermaßfeld area
Read more
Traffic accident at the intersection / one person injured

Traffic accident at the intersection / one person injured

(PP/MS) A person was slightly injured in a traffic accident between two cars on Friday evening, around 9:15 pm
Read more
Fire of a repurposed barn

Fire of a repurposed barn

For further inquiries, please contact:Control Center Police Headquarters RostockInquiries outside office hours and on weekends:Police Headquarters RostockControl Center/Police Officer on DutyPhone: 038208 888-211...
Read more
BPOL NRW: Federal Police arrest 52-year-old at Kleve train station

BPOL NRW: Federal Police arrest 52-year-old at Kleve train station

On Friday morning, 17th January 2025 at 11:50 am, a patrol of the Federal Police at the station in Kleve checked a 52-year-old German
Read more
Haren - Break-in at Construction Site

Haren - Break-in at Construction Site

At the street Am Sportzentrum in Haren, unknown perpetrators broke into a construction site between Thursday, 4:00 PM, and Friday, 7:30 AM
Read more
Press release from the Cuxhaven Police Inspection

Press release from the Cuxhaven Police Inspection

Geestland Police Station+++Various Traffic Offences+++On Friday afternoon, the Geestland police detected several traffic offences in their jurisdiction. First, at around 2:25 pm, the Hyundai car of a 49-year-old woman from Geestland ...
Read more