Is this legal? I’m trying to look for an apartment in Germany and I was contacted with such an email when I responded to an advertisement. Is it even legal for Airbnb to be doing this? The person who contacted even sent me his own passport, but I’m not entirely convinced.

14 comments

1. It‘s a known scam. The ID is stolen or fake. There is no apartment. Don‘t pay any money, just block the „landlord“ and report the offer.

2. Air BnB is not involved. You receive a fake email “from AirBnB”.

   I like how the scammer provides “proof” of their identity with the passport picture, and in the paragraph directly preceding they show you exactly how they got that picture.

   Read the first two pages here: https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/living

3. This is a scam: the ID you were shown is of a previous victim, which is why they’re asking you to send a copy of your ID.

   Classic red flags are:

   * Landlord is out of the country.
   * Conversation is in English.
   * Payment in advance by a fictional escrow system (Airbnb does not offer this service and warns people about exactly this scam).
   * You were immediately selected as a tenant, even before the landlord has had the chance to vet you.

4. Which part of that email doesn’t scream „SCAM“ to you?

5. 100% scam when the person said “I’m currently in xxx and can’t show you the apartment” and “I will mail you the key as soon as you pay the deposit”

6. The “AirBnB” is a famous scam and actually has nothing to do with AirBnB. Although they appear to do little to discourage it. You would be led to hyperlinks which look like they are are AirBnB but are really to banks in strange countries.

7. It’s a scam. I too had received exactly similar email from one person. When I asked to visit the apartment before sending any docs, he stopped replying. And few days later, he sent the same email from a different email ID. The ad on ImmoScout24 for this doesn’t even have a rent price and they always use the same set of photos.

8. I say this out of own experience: it’s a scam and don’t waste any further time on it!

9. It’s a scam.

10. Well known scam in Deutschland

11. Sadly, there are loads of scams in the english-language German landlord market.

12. As a german lawyer I can tell you: This is scam.
    If you rent an apartment, you may have to pay deposit of one or two months the rent payment, but you will get it back when you terminate the rent agreement and the apartment is in good condition.

13. I received exactly this email as well.

    They try to take the money and ll even sell your picture with your ID card in the dark web to other scammers.

    Went to the police and made a “Anzeige”

    You can DM me in what city you are looking for a flat, maybe I have a friend in that city who knows someone who someone knows

14. It’s the most common scam.