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Tips to avoid scams and frauds

We take care of the safety of our users, which is why we systematically check advertisements before they are posted on the site and actively cooperate with the Police Forces . Logo Luxembourg Police

Recognize ad fraud

How to recognize a scam listing?

  • Listings are often accompanied by high quality photos or renderings, which are also used on other Luxembourg or foreign sites to promote different properties.
  • The home, with the same features and condition, is priced significantly less than the market.
  • The scammer often claims to be abroad or unable to meet the user in person visit to the property.
  • The scammer gets contacted mainly by email and almost never makes his phone numbers visible. In the few cases in which he publishes the listing with a telephone contact, he does not answer calls but leaves messages and then calls back, often from anonymous numbers or foreign.
  • The scammer asks to receive the deposit money via prepaid cards, money orders or money transfer serviceseldom via traceable means of payment (wire transfer).
  • In the case of rental properties, the scammer often reports that he has also published his listing on Airbnb and that he wants to enter into a contract through that portal in order to collect the deposit and only then send the keys to the apartment. Together with the contract, which has no value, he also sends as collateral some identity documents that he says are his but are always fake or stolen. This serves to convince the interested party to pay the deposit (through means often not traceable) and then send the keys of the house, which obviously will never arrive.
Avoid scams

What to watch out for

  • Never give out your personal details or other sensitive information

    Be wary of people who ask you for your bank account number, credit card, charge card or other information about your personal data: none of this is necessary during the negotiation phase.

  • Beware of excessively low prices

    Be wary of proposals with an excessively low price compared to the market price.

  • Do not send money in advance and do not make payments without first viewing the property

    Don't send money up front, first set up an in-person meeting with the advertiser to view the property together. Often the scammer will decline this request stating that they are abroad or unable to make the appointment.

  • Never use insecure money transfer services

    Be wary of those who offer payments by prepaid cards, money orders or money transfer servicessuch as MoneyGram or Western Union: these systems offer minimal protection compared to checks or wire transfers, which are traceable. Also, be careful if you are offered an escrow service: there are several online whose reliability and trustworthiness is very poor.

  • Immotop.lu does not act as an intermediary and will not ask you for money for deposits under any circumstances

    Some scammers may present themselves as Immotop.lu Customer Service. Under no circumstances will Immotop.lu ask you to send money for deposits or advances relating to the sale or rental of properties.

  • If you have published a listing, don't make a deposit without first meeting the people who are interested in your property

    Some scammers show interest in published properties and also very hasty to want to block them. For this they pay deposits, without even having visited the house, with uncovered checks or from empty checking accounts, then pretending to have exceeded the money and asking back the balance on prepaid cards or through unsecured means of payment. Never accept money in advance from those who have not seen the property , from those who avoid face-to-face meetings and are reluctant to send their identity documents.

Victim of a scam

Have you been the victim of an online scam?

  • Denounce promptly the incident to the competent authorities (Police of Luxembourg)
  • Tell us what happened, including the link to the listing and any additional information you have. We can then remove the listing and take action to prevent other users from being scammed.

Do you have something to report?

Contact IMMOTOP.LU

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