賃貸しの 詐欺 殺到するs as students and young professional 戦う／戦い for homes - here's how to 避ける 落ちるing 犠牲者

  • 活動／戦闘 詐欺 received 541 報告（する）／憶測s of 賃貸しの scams last month??
  • With scammers taking to social マスコミ, how can you 避ける 落ちるing 犠牲者?
  • Have you been scammed? editor@thisismoney.co.uk?

By Isabel Jackson

Updated:

賃貸しの scams are on the 増加する thanks to students 追跡（する）ing accommodation and a 抱擁する 供給（する） and 需要・要求する gap, 専門家s 警告する.

The number of 賃貸しの scam 報告（する）／憶測s to 活動／戦闘 詐欺 攻撃する，衝突する 541 last month and is likely to be the tip of the iceberg, with the 大多数 of scams going unreported.?

And 事例／患者s are 始める，決める to 増加する through August and September thanks to a seasonal 殺到する of renters.

Scammers are looking to 偉業／利用する the 賃貸しの desperation, with social マスコミ awash with dodgy adverts and 偽の listings.

Warning: Scammers could exploit students looking to find an affordable place to rent

警告: Scammers could 偉業／利用する students looking to find an affordable place to rent

賃貸しの social マスコミ groups have become a go-to source of rooms to rent for students and young professionals, often inexperienced renters or those 簡単に moving out of the family home for the first time.

They 申し込む／申し出 a place for landlords and tenants to 地位，任命する 利用できる rooms an d 所有物／資産／財産s to rent or sublet and have become a 中心 for scammers looking to pounce.

Scammers will 地位，任命する the 詳細（に述べる）s of a supposed 所有物／資産／財産 in groups on websites such as Facebook, 供給するing images and even ビデオs of the flat or house - and?The 国家の 協会 of 所有物／資産／財産 買い手s （人命などを）奪う，主張するs it has seen an 増加する of such activity in 最近の months.

Where tenants have made a 地位，任命する 説 that they are looking for a room, scammers will often 答える／応じる asking for the poster to message them 個人として.?

They will then communicate with the 可能性のある tenant and 最終的に manipulate them into 支払う／賃金ing a deposit.

Ben Twomey, 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある at 世代 Rent, said that 'scammers are active across all social 網状組織s, so renters need to be careful.'

He 追加するd: 'The desperation that many people feel because of the 大混乱 of the renting market plays 権利 into the scammers' 手渡すs, so make sure when you are looking for somewhere to rent you stick to recognised websites and remember that social マスコミ 地位，任命するs that sound too good to be true usually are.'

It comes as the number of tenants 調印 up with a lettings スパイ／執行官 to find a new home showed a 'sizeable jump' in July.

Numbers were up almost 38 per cent 毎年, with the 傾向 showing 'no 調印するs of slowing 負かす／撃墜する', によれば 貿易（する） 団体／死体 Propertymark.

It said 187 見込みのある tenants 登録（する）d per 支店 on 普通の／平均（する） in July this year, compared to 127 a year earlier.

Jonathan Rolande, 所有物／資産／財産 専門家 and commentator at the NAPB, said that the general 傾向 に向かって 賃貸しの 詐欺s has resulted from a '不足 of 所有物／資産／財産s' and that there are now up to 20 applicants per letting.

This has resulted in a market which 許すs landlords to 'call the 発射s', said Rolande. He said that 'landlords and スパイ／執行官s can be very dismissive of anyone but the most seemingly reliable tenant.'

This means that 'those with 逆の credit history, low incomes, a 減ずるd deposit, receiving 利益s or even 簡単に those with children are 軍隊d to look どこかよそで to find a home.'?

Many of these people will turn to Facebook groups or other social 壇・綱領・公約s as they become 'more desperate'.

A 広報担当者 at the 国家の 居住の Landlords 協会 said: 'Unfortunately, so called '偽の landlord scams', in which 犯罪のs deceive 見込みのある tenants into 手渡すing over money for a 所有物／資産／財産 they do not own or have the 権利 to let are becoming more ありふれた.?

'Neither the NRLA nor anyone associated with the organisation would correspond with a tenant or 見込みのある tenant in this way.'

They advised that 見込みのある tenants search for landlords who are members of a 合法的 協会 such as the NRLA and that '合法的 landlords will not try and pressurise tenants into making 無分別な 決定／判定勝ち（する）s.'

A 広報担当者 at Gumtree said: 'We have a 無-寛容 approach to 詐欺 and our 投資 in 強健な 道具s and filters 妨げる these types of 偽の 広告s from reaching our 壇・綱領・公約.?

'In 2022, we did not hesitate to 除去する 広告s in our to rent 部類 that we 嫌疑者，容疑者／疑うd to be 潜在的に fraudulent.?

'We know that the 大多数 of our 使用者s have a 肯定的な experience using Gumtree ? we help thousands of people find a place to live, a flatmate or a tenant every year ? and our 献身的な safety team continues to review and 投資する in our safety 対策 on the 場所／位置.

'We work hard to 確実にする Gumtree is a 安全な place to find a place to live.'

How to 避ける 賃貸しの scams

1. Check the 所有物／資産／財産 現実に 存在するs

You can check if a 所有物／資産／財産 is real by using Google's 逆転する image search 道具, said Rolande.?

By 簡単に copying and pasting the image of the 所有物／資産／財産 into the search engine, you can find out if it has appeared どこかよそで on the internet, and therefore whether a scammer has stolen the imagery.

However, the only way to truly 確実にする a 所有物／資産／財産 存在するs is to arrange a 見解（をとる）ing. 'Never を引き渡す money before you have 見解（をとる）d the 所有物／資産／財産,' 警告するd Twomey.

2. 立証する the landlord or letting スパイ／執行官

Remember to 'listen to your レーダ' and be 怪しげな if the landlord is 圧力ing you too hard or seems unusual in your communications with them, said Rolande.

He said that 存在 aware of whether they are of a demographic you would 推定する／予想する or whether they live far away can help you come to a 裁判／判断.

Twomey said: 'If you see a 所有物／資産／財産 advertised that isn't from a 認めるd letting 機関 or 所有物／資産／財産 website then be extra vigilant.?

'All letting スパイ／執行官s must be a member of the 所有物／資産／財産 Ombudsman or 所有物／資産／財産 是正する 計画／陰謀 ? run a mile if you 遭遇（する） one that isn't.'

He 追加するd: 'You can use 場所／位置s like rent profile or the land registry to 立証する the landlord's 身元 ? though checks usually cost a small 料金.'

3. Stop and think before 手渡すing over money

Twomey advised that tenants should always 支払う／賃金 using bank 移転 if possible and said to 'be very 怪しげな of any landlord or スパイ／執行官 who asks for cash.'

A landlord asking for money before you have 見解（をとる）d a 所有物／資産／財産 should （犯罪の）一味 alarm bells.?

Twomey said that 'since the passing of the Tenants 料金s 行為／法令／行動する in 2019, it is 違法な for スパイ／執行官s to 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 料金s for 言及／関連s or for 調書をとる／予約するing a 所有物／資産／財産 見解（をとる）ing'.

He said: 'You can be 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金d a 持つ／拘留するing deposit to take the 所有物／資産／財産 off the market, but the スパイ／執行官 should give you （疑いを）晴らす （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） about your 権利s and a copy of the tenancy 協定 before you 支払う／賃金 any money.'

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