Afraid: Scams @ Immoscout24.ch?

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hi,

I am not offering either property or looking for property with this. I didn't know where exactly post it but as it is related to a rental apartment I am looking for I thought this could be an option. If not, sorry and please SysOp, please move it where it should be more appropriate.

I have applied to several apartments to visit in ZH and I got a wide range of feedback: from no feedback at all (most), to rejection (many), through visit is scheduled at a point I can't make it (some), and ending (the subject of this post) in what I think is scam (2 replies).

The modus-operandi is similar:

someone with an apartment in the city which is not being lived at the moment, the aged landlord, with almost no way or mood to travel to CH for this, who is not living in the country (usually bought for a daugther or a son who finally left the country too), advertising the apartment for a low - to - very - low rent (compared to the average) and furnitured. They both took a while to reply to the application, but when they did, they ask for a amount of money (as deposit) which I should pay upfront to an external party which is not a rental agency in Switzerland (to secure both they don't come for nothing, showing my real interest for the proprerty). Of course there is a latent demand for the apartment so you have to be quick to secure the transaction!

I wonder if someone faced this too (I had another scam attempts which I sorted out perfectly, but with computers, not with a property!). The source of the ads was Immoscout24.ch, but the ads are not available anymore.

Maybe I am a bit "neurotic" but after 3 successful rentals in CH I found this, at least, weird. Maybe someone has a good experience with this kind of rentals and can share his/her feedback so I can feel safer and less suspicious....

In advance, thanks a million.

Best Regards,

LLaP

2
A scam for sure!

3
This is a standard scam model in Switzerland. Applies to cars as well ("car is abroad", you have to pay 10% upfront and then it will be delivered to you).

1. Never pay anything you haven't seen with your own eyes.

2. Never pay anywhere outside of Switzerland for people you don't personally know.

(+1: Even if you pay upfront inside of Switzerland, be sure to ask for "full bank details", which includes name, address and IBAN number. That way if your money goes south, you still know where to go for it. --> this is just the Eastern-European in me talking, I personally never had an actual trust or payment problem with complete strangers in CH )

With these 2 rules you can defend yourself probably from 99% of all scams.

4
... yes, that'w what I thought....

I was looking for someone who can take this suspicious idea from my head, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am this is a scam....

Still waiting the link from Airbnb to secure the transaction....

I think I am really pissed off, as I have barely no time to look for an apartment and some a***ole tries to cheat me... And I am stupid enough to answer a couple of emails in this regard waisting the time I don't have...

5
If you are not sure about someone, you can check where the email comes from. If they say they are in London and the IP is somewhere in Africa, you know it's a scam. Please report to Immoscout24.ch they take them down very quickly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHTUV9s1_M

6
What is amazing is that people are still taken in by such scams, they are so obvious, why would any landlord advertise (= taking anybody) at a low to very low rent for an apartment ?

If it's too good to be true, it usually is, same with 20% return on your investment or whatever.

If it stinks, walk away, and this advertisement stinks from the first sentence !