The cheap apartment in the city, it doesn't exist

If that's not a bargain: Via online ad for a 3.5-room is advertised apartment in the middle of the old town of Bern. Fully 85 square meters large, permanent rental, furnished, for 900 francs in the month.

The owner writes back to the interested parties promptly. You live and work in Spain and will soon grandmother. Sympathetic: There was even a dog lover, would you like to keep Pets. For the apartment tour, you'll fly to Bern. But first, if you have paid the Deposit of 1000 Swiss francs.

The advertisement was published on the Internet platform Ronorp. Stupid only, that the property management for a free apartment at the address has no knowledge of The ad springs from the imagination of Criminals. A viewing appointment is not even provided, let alone a lease. Who shall refer the alleged Deposit in advance, will be reunited with his money.

target audience: Young people

In the case of the mesh, it is a case of attempted real estate advance- fraud : fraudsters with fake ads to get money from people who are desperately looking for an apartment. The Trick is especially popular in cities with little affordable housing.

"The Problem is known to us," says Ronorp managing Director Christian Klinner. The ads would be inspected before the override, but the fakes are difficult to detect. "In Zurich, we have launched an info campaign, due to be launched soon in other cities." Advertisers would need to register via SMS. "If we lock in case of suspicion of someone, but soon other numbers," said Klinner.

other platforms are Affected. At the home gate, it means that you have screened in the past year, around 25 such listings per month. Publications would be inspected prior to the intrusion. Criteria about the usual rental or purchase prices, realistic images or a valid E - Mail-addresses. Who wants to advertise, would have to leave in addition, an invoice address and a phone number. Offending users would be blocked.

Immoscout24 sets according to information on an automatic test program, and trained staff, so most would incorrectly detected advertisements, prior to publication. The Attempts had increased in the larger cities, but clear.

Deceptively

Also, the tenant can and the tenants ' Association of the Canton of Bern is aware of the Problem. "We have been advised of such listings," says Executive Director Sabina Meier. Affordable housing in cities like Bern and Zurich, rar, and you should prevail when you are Applying against a lot of competitors. "The Affected people see a bargain and want to let the opportunity not to be missed. You are tempted to behave risky."

to compound the problem, the scammers have invested a lot in a reputable appearance. "The stories of the alleged landlords to sound at first glance, to be credible, the pictures are of good quality, and the linked Websites to come across as authentic," says Meier. She advises those Affected to contact the police and report any suspicious ads to the platform operators.

offender act professionally

mesh the Canton of Bern police Department has been aware of the fraud. How big is the Problem, one cannot say, because such cases would not be statistically broken down separately, says a spokesman. The law enforcement make but difficult, as soon as the perpetrators operated from abroad. Already in 2015 devious in the Canton of Bern unsub with this Trick from 15 people to over 35'000 francs.

As the professional fraudsters do this, also shows in Zurich, Switzerland, from the year 2017: The criminal pursuers, two men went into the net, the fraud with the Housing 23'had scammed 000 francs. You got a Prepaid-SIM-cards, the Fake listings you kupferten from real tenders, where they changed information on the rent tenants and rent-to-bottom bolt-on. Linguistic inconsistencies, they declared with the note, you have the Text translated via Google from the English.

In a Letter to interested parties, the perpetrators noted to have the apartment intermediary Airbnb with the inspection and acceptance of the apartment deposits entrusted. In the Annex a payment request with counterfeit Logos of the tenants ' Association and from Airbnb was located. Eleven people who fell for the Trick. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 07.05.2019, 11:19 PM