The listing is perfect: a bright two-room flat in the 11th, €300 below the market, available right away. The landlord replies fast, with a moving story. They live abroad, the keys are with a notary or a "trusted platform", you just need to send your dossier and a first transfer. It's a scam, and one of the most common on Leboncoin, PAP or SeLoger.
Rental scams almost always follow the same script. Recognising it saves you money, and keeps you from sending your ID to a stranger.
The warning signs
1. A price well below the market. A flat 20 to 30% cheaper than nearby listings, in a sought-after area, attracts dozens of applicants within an hour. That's exactly the point.
2. No possible viewing. The landlord is abroad, on assignment, unwell. They offer to send the keys by post or through a "key delivery service". Never rent a place nobody has shown you.
3. Money before signing. A transfer to "reserve", a deposit to "hold" the flat, a payment to get a viewing. It's illegal, and it's the heart of the scam. The security deposit is paid when the lease is signed, not before.
4. Unusual payment methods. PCS vouchers, Transcash, Neosurf, money orders, a transfer to a foreign account, or a platform presented as a "secure escrow". No honest landlord needs any of these.
5. A conversation that leaves the platform. The "landlord" quickly asks to switch to email or WhatsApp. Listing sites' messaging keeps a record and flags some fraudsters: that's what they want to avoid.
6. Photos that are too good, or seen before. Magazine photos, a strangely impersonal interior. A reverse image search (Google Images, TinEye) often finds the same photos on another listing, in another city.
7. A story that rushes you. An urgent transfer, an inheritance, a move abroad, "lots of requests, decide today". The urgency is there to stop you from checking.
8. Inconsistencies. A vague or unfindable address, a size that changes between messages, a name that doesn't match the bank account's.
Before sending your dossier
Your documents contain everything needed for identity theft. Before sending them:
- view the flat first, or ask for a live video viewing, not photos;
- check that the person is the owner, or a letting agent with a professional card (it can be checked online);
- add a watermark to your documents: "For rental application only, [date]";
- prefer a dossier shared by link, which you can disable, over attachments that circulate forever.
The documents a landlord can ask for, and those they can't demand, are in our guide to the documents to provide.
If you've already paid or sent your documents
You paid: contact your bank immediately to try to block or recall the transfer. Keep all the evidence (listing, messages, payment receipts) and file a complaint.
You sent your documents: watch your accounts, tell your bank, and report identity theft if you see any sign of it.
In every case: report the listing to the website that published it, and declare the scam on THESEE, the French Interior Ministry's platform, reachable from service-public.fr.
Sources: service-public.fr, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.
