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 .
How to recognize a scam listing?
Photos that are too perfect or recycled from other sites
Listings are often accompanied by high quality photos or renderings, which are also used on other Luxembourg or foreign sites to promote different properties.
Prices too low compared to the average
The home, with the same features and condition, is priced significantly less than the market.
Listings with owners that are hard to meet
The scammer often claims to be abroad or unable to meet the user in person visit to the property.
Contact only via email or with anonymous numbers
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.
Advertisers who communicate only via email
The scammer asks to receive the deposit money via prepaid cards, money orders or money transfer serviceseldom via traceable means of payment (wire transfer).
Payment requests using untraceable methods
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.
What to watch out for
Requests for personal data or 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.
Listings with unrealistic prices
Be wary of proposals with an excessively low price compared to the market price.
Advance payments without having seen 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.
Insecure money transfer systems
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.
Fake requests for money
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.
Advance payments from people who haven’t visited the 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.
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.