Have there been any scammers on Flatio? How to recognize them and deal with them?

• How we keep scammers off the platform
• Hosts verify their identity before they can list
• If a scam attempt ever does happen, here’s what it can look like
• What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer acting via Flatio?
• Scammers misusing the Flatio name outside the platform
• How to recognize these scams?
• What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer outside Flatio?
• What does Flatio do to fight external scammers?

We do our best to protect our guests. Despite our efforts to ensure guest safety, unfortunately some individuals try to misuse our platform for fraudulent activities. We have developed methods to counter these deceitful practices both on and off Flatio.

Our goal is to increase guests’ awareness of these deceptive practices so nobody else falls victim to similar scams that exploit Flatio's credibility to deceive users. By staying informed and following the guidelines provided on www.flatio.com, you can better protect yourself. 

We're here to help you navigate safely. If you’re ever in doubt, always reach out to Flatio directly to verify the legitimacy of any communication or transaction.

How we keep scammers off the platform

Scammer hosts are extremely rare on Flatio itself. Since we introduced identity verification for hosts (more on this below), it is almost impossible for a fraudster to operate as a host on our platform. Even before this check, we only saw a handful of such attempts per year, and we detected and removed them very quickly. We also use AI and monitor the platform continuously, so suspicious activity is caught early. A bigger risk comes from people who misuse the Flatio name outside our platform – we cover this in the next section.

Most importantly, as long as you pay through Flatio, you can never lose your money to a scammer. We hold your payment securely in our account and send it to the host only after you have successfully moved in. This is our 100% money protection – if anything goes wrong before move-in, your money stays safe with us.

Hosts verify their identity before they can list

Before anyone can publish a listing on Flatio, they have to verify their identity. The host shows a government-issued ID – a passport, national ID card, driver’s license, or residence permit – and then completes a quick face scan, called a liveness check. The liveness check confirms two things: the document is genuine, and the live person in front of the camera is the same person the document belongs to. This makes it very hard for anyone to sign up with a stolen or fake identity.

The check is handled by a trusted external identity verification service and takes about a minute. So when you book on Flatio, you can trust that there’s a real, verified person behind the listing.

If a scam attempt ever does happen, here’s what it can look like

• Non-Flatio lease: Host asks you to sign another lease not shown in the “Contracts” section of your profile.
  These scammers often create their own lease that doesn’t correspond with our rules. You can be asked to sign it before or even after you sign the Flatio lease. If it ever happens, don’t sign anything and report such behavior to us.
• First rent fraud: Host sends you their bank details and requests that you send the money to them directly or requests payment in cash.
  For your safety, you should always follow our procedure of paying to Flatio’s bank details stated in the “Payments” section of your profile. Direct payments aren’t allowed to keep you protected. This ensures that your money is securely held in our account and is transferred to your host only after a successful move-in.
• Deposit outside the Flatio lease requested: Host asks you to pay a deposit which isn’t stated on the Flatio lease agreement.
  Our policy significantly limits deposit payments, allowing them only under specific circumstances. If your Flatio lease in the “Contracts” section of your profile doesn’t mention deposit or states another amount than the host requested, don’t pay anything and reach out to us for help. Official deposit payments are also handled only via the “Payments” section of your profile that is always aligned with your official lease.

What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer acting via Flatio?

If you suspect a fraudster is posing as a host on Flatio, please reach out to us as soon as possible and provide us with screenshots of the person’s messages (or grant us access to the Messages section to view them). We can then act swiftly and immediately remove the person from our platform if your suspicion is proven right.

Scammers misusing the Flatio name outside the platform

It's disheartening, but some individuals attempt to take advantage of our business reputation to deceive people seeking accommodation, falsely using the Flatio name. 

Example from 2024: Scammer acting via Idealista

In September 2024, a fraudulent person registered on the Idealista platform under the name Amadoe Nunez and pretended to work with Flatio to scam potential guests. This person contacted potential guests from the fake email [email protected], sending them a fake invoice for the rental payment with Flatio's name, logo, and information on it.

Example from 2023: Scammer acting via Facebook

Facebook is a popular place for rental frauds. One scammer appeared in Fall 2023. The culprit, who went by the name of “Fransizka Oliver Theiler,” was approaching potential guests on Facebook and posing as a representative of Flatio, while having nothing to do with our platform. This person also tried to get people to transfer money without providing any service and sent fake invoices using Flatio's name and logo. The scammer has even gone so far as to register a domain (flatio.rentals) with hidden credentials, which closely mimicked our legitimate website.

Website examples: Deceptive domains similar to flatio.com

Be vigilant of domains that resemble ours but are not under our management. Please note that we are not associated with these sites in any way. These include for example www.flatio.pro.

How to recognize these scams?

• Always check that you are on an official Flatio domain – this is your best protection. You are safe on flatio.com, flatio.cz, and our localized domains. Be especially careful with payment links: scammers often put the word flatio into a fake address as a subdomain or in the path, while the real domain is not ours. To find the real domain, look at the part right before the first single slash (/) – for example, in flatio.secure-pay.com the real domain is secure-pay.com, not Flatio. If you are ever unsure, type www.flatio.com directly into your browser instead of clicking a link.
• Always verify the authenticity of the website address. Recent scams involved the registration of domains like flatio.rentals, flatio.pro, flatio.city, flatio.properties, homeexchange.rentals, flatio.homes, flatio.rent, or flatio.guest-reviews-g5b.com, which are not under Flatio’s management.
• Scammers often hide their credentials when registering fake domains. Use reputable domain registration lookup tools to check the legitimacy of the domain registration.
• Review the booking process. If it’s not in alignment with our publicly shared procedures, be aware and don’t hesitate to contact us for help.
• Check out the payment terms. Flatio handles all processes and transactions within its system. If someone insists on communication or payments outside the platform, it's a scam.
• We never provide anybody with contracts in Flatio’s name outside the Flatio platform. All guests receive a unified lease which is signed electronically directly from your profile on the official Flatio website. If somebody sends you another contract than the one we publicly share, typically via social media or email, don’t sign it and reach out for help.
• Official communications from Flatio come from email addresses on our domains: @flatio.com, @flatio.cz, and localized variants (@flatio.co.uk, @flatio.es, @flatio.pl, etc.). Common sender addresses include [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].

What to do if I have a suspicion I’m dealing with a scammer outside Flatio?

If you come across any suspicious activity or receive communications from someone claiming to represent Flatio outside the platform, you should act immediately. 

We recommend that you do the following: 

• Report to Flatio: Forward any suspicious emails, messages, and invoices to [email protected].
• Keep evidence: Keep all emails and records of your communication. Print and store them as evidence.
• Avoid external payments: We never request payments outside of our platform as all payments information is provided to you directly in your Flatio profile (section “Payments”). If you are asked to transfer money externally, do not proceed with the transaction.
• Be cautious of third parties: Flatio does not collaborate with any external entities (third parties) that ask for money from our users and potential users.
• Contact your bank: If you have transferred money to a scammer, discuss the matter with your bank to see if it is possible to get your payments back.
• Contact the authorities: Depending on your case and the laws of the country you are in, you may want to consider reporting the case to the relevant authorities and filing a formal complaint.
• Report the scammer on social networks: Directly reporting the abuser or even sharing your story on social media can save many guests from getting scammed. If possible, we encourage you to do so.

What does Flatio do to fight external scammers?

Although these situations are beyond Flatio's direct control, we take the security and safety of our users very seriously. That’s why we always take immediate action by:

• Informing our users about the scam on our website and social media platforms
• Reporting the abuse to the DNS anonymization service
• Reporting the abuse to Cloudflare service
• Sending a criminal notice to the police
• Sending an official message to the concrete bank concerned 

Flatio is committed to creating a secure and trustworthy environment for all our users. We continuously improve our security measures as your safety is our top priority.

Remember, for a secure and worry-free rental experience, always follow the procedures outlined on www.flatio.com. Stay vigilant in your online transactions and stay safe with Flatio.