Have there been any scammers on Flatio? How to recognize them and deal with them?

See our practices for avoiding scammer landlords within or outside Flatio, how to recognize them, and what can be done when you suspect a fraudster.

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• Scammers on Flatio platform
• The most common scamming tactics are the following:
• What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer acting via Flatio?
• Scammers outside Flatio platform
• How to recognize these scams?
• What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer outside Flatio?
• What does Flatio do to fight external scammers?

We do our best to protect our tenants. Despite our efforts to ensure tenant safety, unfortunately some individuals try to misuse our platform for fraudulent activities. We have developed methods to counter these deceitful practices both on and off Flatio.

Our goal is to increase tenants’ awareness of these deceptive practices so nobody else falls victim to similar scams that exploit Flatio's credibility to deceive users. By staying informed and following the guidelines provided on www.flatio.com, you can better protect yourself. 

We're here to help you navigate safely. If you’re ever in doubt, always reach out to Flatio directly to verify the legitimacy of any communication or transaction.

Scammers on Flatio platform

On Flatio, we follow clear procedures to recognize potential scammers immediately with a 99% success rate. However, some people put in so much effort that it’s impossible to know their true intentions, and they deceptively pose as Flatio landlords. Thankfully, these instances are short-lived, and the main reason is our attentive tenants who report any suspicious behavior.

The most common scamming tactics are the following:

• Non-Flatio lease: Landlord asks you to sign another lease not shown in the “Contracts” section of your profile.
  These scammers often create their own lease that doesn’t correspond with our rules. You can be asked to sign it before or even after you sign the Flatio lease. If it ever happens, don’t sign anything and report such behavior to us.
• First rent fraud: Landlord sends you their bank details and requests that you send the money to them directly or requests payment in cash.
  For your safety, you should always follow our procedure of paying to Flatio’s bank details stated in the “Payments” section of your profile. Direct payments aren’t allowed to keep you protected. This ensures that your money is securely held in our account and is transferred to your landlord only after a successful move-in.
• Deposit outside the Flatio lease requested: Landlord asks you to pay a deposit which isn’t stated on the Flatio lease agreement.
  Our policy significantly limits deposit payments, allowing them only under specific circumstances. If your Flatio lease in the “Contracts” section of your profile doesn’t mention deposit or states another amount than the landlord requested, don’t pay anything and reach out to us for help. Official deposit payments are also handled only via the “Payments” section of your profile that is always aligned with your official lease.

What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer acting via Flatio?

If you suspect a fraudster is posing as a landlord on Flatio, please reach out to us as soon as possible and provide us with screenshots of the person’s messages (or grant us access to the Messages section to view them). We can then act swiftly and immediately remove the person from our platform if your suspicion is proven right.

Scammers outside Flatio platform

It's disheartening, but some individuals attempt to take advantage of our business reputation to deceive people seeking accommodation, falsely using the Flatio name.

Actual example: Scammer acting via Facebook

Facebook is a popular place for rental frauds. The most recent scammer appeared in Fall 2023. The culprit, who goes by the name of “Fransizka Oliver Theiler,” has been approaching potential tenants on Facebook and posing as a representative of Flatio, while having nothing to do with our platform. This person not only tries to get people to transfer money without providing any service, but also sends fake invoices using Flatio's name and logo. The scammer has even gone so far as to register a domain (flatio.rentals) with hidden credentials, which closely mimics our legitimate website. For detailed information and examples of fraudulent communications, please refer to this page.

Actual example: Deceptive domains similar to flatio.com

Be vigilant of domains that resemble ours but are not under our management. Please note that we are not associated with these sites in any way. These include for example www.flatio.pro.

How to recognize these scams?

• Always verify the authenticity of the website address. A recent scam involved the registration of the domain "flatio.rentals" which is not under Flatio’s management.
• Scammers often hide their credentials when registering fake domains. Use reputable domain registration lookup tools to check the legitimacy of the domain registration.
• Review the booking process. If it’s not in alignment with our publicly shared procedures, be aware and don’t hesitate to contact us for help.
• Check out the payment terms. Flatio handles all processes and transactions within its system. If someone insists on communication or payments outside the platform, it's a scam.
• We never provide anybody with contracts in Flatio’s name outside the Flatio platform. All tenants receive a unified lease which is signed electronically directly from your profile on the official Flatio website. If somebody sends you another contract than the one we publicly share, typically via social media or email, don’t sign it and reach out for help.
• Official communications from Flatio come only from email addresses associated with our company (e.g. ending with “@flatio.com”, “@flatio.cz”, “@flatio.pt”, etc.).

What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer outside Flatio?

If you come across any suspicious activity or receive communications from someone claiming to represent Flatio outside the platform, you should act immediately. 

We recommend that you do the following: 

• Report to Flatio: Forward any suspicious emails, messages, and invoices to support@flatio.com or info@flatio.com.
• Keep evidence: Keep all emails and records of your communication. Print and store them as evidence.
• Avoid external payments: We never request payments outside of our platform as all payments information is provided to you directly in your Flatio profile (section “Payments”). If you are asked to transfer money externally, do not proceed with the transaction.
• Be cautious of third parties: Flatio does not collaborate with any external entities (third parties) that ask for money from our users and potential users.
• Contact your bank: If you have transferred money to a scammer, discuss the matter with your bank to see if it is possible to get your payments back.
• Contact the authorities: Depending on your case and the laws of the country you are in, you may want to consider reporting the case to the relevant authorities and filing a formal complaint.
• Report the scammer on social networks: Directly reporting the abuser or even sharing your story on social media can save many tenants from getting scammed. If possible, we encourage you to do so.

What does Flatio do to fight external scammers?

Although these situations are beyond Flatio's direct control, we take the security and safety of our users very seriously. That’s why we always take immediate action by:

• Informing our users about the scam on our website and social media platforms
• Reporting the abuse to the DNS anonymization service
• Reporting the abuse to Cloudflare service
• Sending a criminal notice to the police
• Sending an official message to the concrete bank concerned 

Flatio is committed to creating a secure and trustworthy environment for all our users. We continuously improve our security measures as your safety is our top priority.

Remember, for a secure and worry-free rental experience, always follow the procedures outlined on www.flatio.com. Stay vigilant in your online transactions and stay safe with Flatio.