How do I recognize a scammer

Kamernet offers a person looking for any form of accommodation an effective and straightforward solution to contact roommates and landlords. Almost all landlords are legitimately looking for a tenant- or tenants. However, a small group of “fake-landlords”, more commonly known as scammers, is trying to scam people that are legitimately looking for a new home on several social media and websites.

Based on our 18 years of experience, we want to inform you on how you can recognize an online scam and what processes and safe-guards Kamernet has in place in order to prevent you from being scammed.

How to spot a fake landlord?

In most cases a typical scammer offers a desperate tenant a room/studio/apartment or house, in a crowded city where the demand for rooms is high, for a price that is lower than any properties that are even remotely similar. You can spot these kind of landlords by paying close attention to the following “tells” of a scammer:

• The person in questions says he or she is currently not in the country and therefore a viewing is not possible.


• He or she is asking you to pay a deposit or the first (or more) months of rental fee through Western Union MoneyGram or he or she is asking to transfer it through TNT or UPS.


• The person is sending you an url of a fake (copy) website which looks like Kamernet or a different housing platform, where you can complete the payment, book the accomodation or sign in. An example is a copy of Kamernet or in example Homeaway or Airbnb. The Kamernet website always starts with https:// and ends with .nl.


• The pereson wants to communicate outside of Kamernet and is asking you to send him or her an email or add you to Skype and is not answering any of your specific questions.


• All English or Dutch used by the scammer either seems overly thought of (too many details, making it obvious that the person is hiding something, or that it has been copy pasted) or is using incorrect sentence structures (broken English or obvious usage of automated translation)

What measures can I take to protect myself- and others?

However most often scammers use the tactics as displayed above, real and honest landlords also ask for a deposit and would also like to get in touch via phone or e-mail. Therefore, it is of vital importance to always bear in mind that a scammer mostly uses multiple of the above mentioned factors, therefore not solely one.

If you have any questions regarding the validity of an advert and/or user feel free to contact us. Whilst looking for any type of accommodation please refer to the following list, it will guide you to legitimate and honest landlords and avoid the scammers.

• When interested in an advert, ask yourself the question, is this advertisement too good to be true?


• If a landlord would like to receive money via western union, MoneyGram, homeaway or AirBnB, please sent a message to Kamernet Support containing the link to the profile of this user


• Never sent a copy of your ID/Passport – these credentials can also be used for fraudulent purposes


• Always, and always, sign a rental agreement before you have paid


• If you have any uncertainties about a room advert or landlord please contact Kamernet support, we are there to help you

Whenever you even think that you are in contact, or that you have seen a scammer please make sure that you report these users or adverts by utilizing the reporting buttons that can be found on the following pages: the profile of the user, the advertisement, of within the conversation you are having with this user. All these reports are manually checked and analysed by the Kamernet team. Based on such reports Kamernet blocks and removes users from the platform.

What is Kamernet doing to prevent scam?

Kamernet extensively, manually looks over every single advert that is uploaded to the platform. Also any changes regarding previously uploaded adverts or user profiles are checked. These adverts and profiles are looked over by special teams who are specialized in recognizing a scammer based upon numerous parameters.

All of this is done before an advert is published; a lot of the scammer rooms therefore are never shown to the tenants. Furthermore Kamernet looks at numerous IP-ranges and blocks these the moment it becomes clear that users of Kamernet from a certain region are merely using Kamernet for evil purposes.

However, and very unfortunately, some evil doing users are still making it trough. These users therefore are most likely to be flagged by you, the user. If it turns out the user actually is a scammer, Kamernet will block this user and show this by changing the name to “Blocked User”. It is also mentioned on the profile page of the user and in your conversation. We also inform users that were in contact with the user by email.

What to do when you are scammed?

Have you been a victim of such a scammer? We advise everybody who has been scammed to always and every time go to the police. Kamernet is unfortunately not allowed to give you any information besides the information you can see regarding this user. Due to legislation these details can only been given to the police after a request.

Furthermore, our FAQ boasts numerous tips, tricks and articles which may help you protect yourself against scammers.

Find your new home on Kamernet

Kamernet is the largest online platform in the Netherlands that is specifically focused on bringing together the supply and demand of housing; such as rooms, studios and apartments.

Tenants and landlords can get in touch and roommates can meet a new roommate. With more than 100,000 new room adverts and 300.000 potential tenants each year, Kamernet is the biggest in housing for students and starters.