Bonsoir people!
After I found out about the scam, I started looking on Gumtree and I found some advice (why didn't I look there BEFORE I did anything??) and a forum where users share their "scam experience". What I found there is quite scary, and my offer was definitively a dirty ol' scam!
So let me share my experience! How to avoid a scam? (most information comes from Gumtree)
1) The best way is to actually visit the flat/house you covet. It's the best way to check if your landlord is honest and if the property is genuine. Remember that it is highly advised not to visit a flat alone. Bring a friend with you; it's safer, you never know!
However, it's not always possible. It wasn't for me. So what to do in that case?
2) If you know someone who can visit the place for you, ask them!
3) Do NOT send a copy of your ID (passport, identity card, driving license, or anything)! The scammer would be able to use it for another scam. It is dangerous.
4) NEVER provide your bank details to someone you do not know.
5) Use common sense; if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is!
6) If your landlord wants you to transfer money (such as the security deposit) through Western Union, or something similar, then it's probably fraudulent. It often happens that the scammer asks their victim to transfer some money to a friend to make sure they can actually pay, and then intercept the money thanks to the scanned receipt the patsy would have sent.
7) If your landlord tells you they are currently abroad/oversea, and thus cannot meet you in person to make you visit the flat, then they are most certainly a scammer. They will use excuses such as: "I have found a new job in [insert name of city here]".
8) It often happens that scammers cannot provide a phone number.
9) It is now known that many scammers come from Africa (Nigeria). Thus if you think your landlord's English is a bit awkward, beware!
10) Your supposedly landlord will make everything to make themselves trustworthy. That happened to me. My landlady told me I could pay for the extra weeks whenever I wanted to. She told me I could deduct the transfer charges from the security deposit. Stuff like that.
11) Check the pictures, if there are any (and if there are none, ask for some). I have found a website that could be really useful and which allows you to see if a picture can be found somewhere on the Internet: TinEye.
The Gumtree team made a nice video on how to stay safe online. I found it useful. If only I had seen it before I got scammed! It basically sums up all what I've said.
If you have any more ideas, please comment, and I'll add your advice on here =)
To finish with, here is a reportage I've found on the BBC News website. May it help you!
LANDLORD V TENANT DEPOSIT DISPUTES
ReplyDeleteTHE TENANCY DEPOSIT PROTECTION SCHEME
UK laws on protecting a tenant deposit changed for the good of the tenant in April 2007, when the Tenancy Deposit Protection regulations came into force.
People taking an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) who 1) Pay a Deposit; and 2) whose Deposit can be used if the tenant falls into arrears or messes up the property are owed duties by the landlord (*provided that the annual rental is no more than £25,000 PA, though as of October 1st 2010, that amount will rise to £100,000 PA). They are that the Landlord must pay the deposit into one of the approved schemes and that the Landlord must also give the tenant specific information to his/ her deposit and the scheme into which it is placed. If this is not carried out within a given timeframe, then the tenant can take the Landlord to Court and the Landlord will be forced to pay a set amount of money under a Strict Liability court ruling.
The Landlord may make defend the claim or even make a counter-claim if they believe that you have breached the terms of the AST, but this cannot be used as mitigation and has nothing to do with the tenant claim. Courts have usually ordered that the Landlord make a separate claim.
The property that you rented must have been one that you occupied as you main home and one where the Landlord did not live at the property but lived elsewhere. If the Landlord lived at the property, they will not usually have to protect the deposit, although the rules are quite complicated (Paragraph 10 of Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1988).
The claim is always against the person who received the deposit, if it was the Landlord, then the claim is against them, if it was an Agent, then they are directly responsible for the deposit. The law says that the ‘Landlord’ includes anybody that is acting on their behalf and if in doubt, sue the Landlord. If there is more than one of them, make a claim against them all. Note that the address has to be in England or Wales. If you are unsure of who the responsible person is, make the claim against the Landlord.
You can find out who the Landlord (registered proprietor) is by asking the person to whom you pay the rent. They have a duty to provide the information to you within 21 days, failure to do so is a Criminal Offence under UK law. Many Landlords try to hide their details through their Agent but the Agent cannot refuse to provide the information that you request.
The legislation is to protect tenants in the UK and not provide them with a windfall payment. However it has been shown that the Courts do not take kindly to Landlords that wilfully ignore, or seem to wilfully ignore the basic and simple regulations.
AUTHOR – Kenni James
www.RecoverMyDeposit.co.uk - FREE and professional legal advice for UK tenants
0800 542 4886
Hi!
ReplyDeleteYes, I had seen something about that AST on the Internet, and I was wondering why my "landlady" did not talk about it. That's when I started having serious doubts about her honesty.
Thanks for the info!