Is this smelling of fraud?

Accomodation, House and Garden
1

Trying to rent new apt. Got the feedback below. Note the leasing company is asking for deposit and first month’s rent, before they will organize viewing of apt … this apt and a number of other apts from same company are listed on homegate.ch …

Company is - Erop estate and partners AG. Swiss Central Business Index shows the company registered in Lugano

This is not normal practice in CH, is it? Is this legal? Potential fraud?

Thank you for your message.

The apartment is available and ready for immediate occupancy. All utility costs are already included in the rent.

Since I have moved permanently to Italy with my family due to health issues, the rental is being handled by the real estate agency Farmont Immobilien. Therefore, I cannot conduct personal viewings myself.

The process is simple:

You register on the agency’s website and select a viewing appointment.

Upon confirmation, you will receive all documents, including the draft lease agreement and the viewing authorization.

Once the reservation is finalized, a representative from the rental agency will come to show you the apartment at your preferred time.

To secure the reservation, the agency requires confirmation of payment for the first month’s rent and the security deposit. You can cancel the reservation at any time prior to signing the lease and receive a full refund.

Very important: Once you make the reservation, the apartment is held exclusively for you.

If you agree to this process, I would be happy to send you the link to the apartment on the agency’s website so you can make the reservation. There, you can also view photos and further details about the apartment.

2

Scam, no doubt about it.

4 Likes
3

It doesnt just smell it stinks of fraud.

4

Sounds iffy to me. Given that dozens of people might want to view a property I can’t see them being happy to do that if they don’t even know they’ll want the place after viewing it.

As they’ve given you the name of the agency have you had a look on their website to see what conditions for viewing they might specify? You say it’s Erpo Estate and Partners whiile the message says it’s Farmont Immobilien. Is that a sub of the other company or what?

5

Scam.

If I remember last time, first I returned the signed contract, where there was a consent where the agency could open a caution account, Then they opened the caution account at a bank in my name. Finally, I got a letter with the deposit form (QR code) to make the payment.

The key here is that the rental deposit account is in your name and it is a special rental deposit account, forgot the name in DE.

Edit: the account name is Mietzinsdepot

1 Like
6

100% scam.

Additionally, such deposits are not done via normal transfers but into dedicated caution accounts.

In any case, requesting something like this upfront before viewing is absurd.

2 Likes
7

The first month’s rent and the mietkaution (deposit) are payable after the contract has been signed but before the handover of the keys.

No other fees, for viewings etc., are permitted.

8

This is 100% a scam. Don’t pay anything to anyone until you’ve signed a contract.

This and similar online scams usually work like this:

Scammers based abroad recruit people living in Switzerland via WhatsApp or Telegram, promising huge earnings (sometimes millions). In return, they ask these recruits to open bank accounts and hand over the online banking credentials. Hoping for a big payout, some recruits open 50-60 accounts and give away the access details.

The scammers then run all kinds of fake listings on platforms like Homegate, Ricardo, and Tutti. Victims who “buy” the goods or services send their money to these accounts. Neither the victims nor the account holders realize that thousands of other people are being defrauded in the background. The account holders get a small payment now and then and rarely check what’s happening with their accounts.

The scammers move money between the accounts, usually in small amounts, and then transfer it abroad (Nigeria, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc.).

Because the individual losses are often small, many victims don’t bother going to the police, assuming it isn’t worth the hassle. Eventually, though, the account holders get caught and can face up to two years in prison, while the real masterminds go untouched and the scams keep thriving.

I honestly don’t understand why the banks and online platforms aren’t doing more to stop this.

9

scam. 100%.

10

Thank you all.

11

Seems like this company from lugano is advertising properties across CH.

Other than homegate.ch, what other CH authorities i can flag this with?

12

I am not sure if it’s this company or a scammer hijacking this company. I remember searching for an apartment years back and seeing “too good to be true” ads by a legitimate company. I was under impression it was easy to hijack a real company to post something like this before the company notices it and deletes it.

PS But if it is really company operating like this maybe raise it to the platform. In any case IMHO it’s a security issue of the platform.