A few weeks ago, we warned you against scams that you might encounter during your real estate project. This Wednesday, November 30th, the French and Luxembourg authorities have informed us that a network specialized in real estate scams was arrested in Dudelange, Luxembourg.

Method of operation

In general, it is often the same thing. The perpetrators seek owners who put a property up for sale to extort money from them on the pretext of an offer or a paid visit. They may also seek to impersonate a real estate agency to attract potential buyers or tenants in order to, once again, extort money from them by asking for cash to reserve a property, or by asking for a deposit, for example.

Don’t let yourself be fooled and be attentive. We will give you some tips to identify scams in this article.

Risks for Luxembourg and on IMMOTOP.LU ?

In this case, the authorities were following the trail of criminals from France, where hundreds of complaints had already been filed. It was finally in Luxembourg that the network was found and dismantled, and it may well be that Luxembourgers were also targeted.

Indeed, in recent weeks, we have found many attempts at attacks and phishing on IMMOTOP.LU. Our security force is on high alert. We have put tools in place to become proactive during these attacks in order to identify them before a real estate agency or web user becomes a victim. In addition, we are as reactive as possible when it is reported to us that a scam is on-going via a real estate ad on our portal.

Read or re-read our tips to identify potential scams.
Most of all, don’t hesitate to contact us if you find a particularly strange ad or if you have been contacted by a “real estate agent” who asks you for money before you have event met or visited the property! Don’t pay for anything, tell us, and never answer such a person!

Other recent articles:
Draft law on real estate loans in Luxembourg: where are we?
How about trying out a home before buying it?
Real estate ads: Avoid the scams!
Winter is coming: here are a few tips to reduce your heating bills
The Impact of the 2017 Tax Reform in the Field of Real Estate
Buying an apartment in Luxembourg, but at what price?
Will mortgage payments stop during parental leave?
Property in Luxembourg: Home sweet home?
Mortgage: fewer penalties in cases of early repayment?
Everything you need to know about real-estate credit in Luxembourg - Part 2
Everything you need to know about real-estate credit in Luxembourg