Rental scams in the Netherlands: what a visit catches that a video call can't

How the scam works

The listing looks real, often because it is: the photos are copied from a genuine advert, sometimes on a well-known platform. The price is attractive for the location. You reply, and the conversation moves to email or WhatsApp.

Then the story: the landlord is abroad — for work, family, a long trip — so a viewing isn't possible. But they can send the keys, or a 'lawyer' or 'agency' holds them, once you've paid a deposit or the first month's rent. Often they ask for a copy of your passport too, which can be misused later. There's pressure to decide fast because other people are interested. After you pay, the landlord disappears.

The red flags

• You're asked to pay before a viewing

  A deposit, 'reservation fee', agency fee or first month's rent before anyone has been inside. A real landlord lets the home be seen first.

• The landlord is abroad and can't show it

  The most common story in Dutch rental scams. On its own it isn't proof — but combined with a request for money, assume the offer is fake.

• The price is too good for the location

  A central flat well below what similar homes cost nearby. Scammers price to make you hurry.

• Payment by money transfer service or to a foreign account

  Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal 'friends', crypto, or an account outside the Netherlands. These are hard or impossible to reverse.

• A copy of your passport, early

  A real agency needs your ID eventually, but not before you've seen the home. If you do send it, use the government's KopieID app to cross out your BSN and add a watermark saying who it's for.

• The conversation leaves the platform

  A move from the listing site to private email or chat, vague answers to direct questions, and pressure to commit today.

Checks you can do from abroad

• Reverse-search the photos

  Run the listing photos through Google Images or Yandex. The same photos on other sites, other cities or older adverts are the clearest sign of a copied listing.

• Look the address up on Street View

  Check the building exists and matches the photos: the facade, the street, the floor the flat is meant to be on.

• Search the landlord or agency

  Their name or website together with 'scam', 'review' or 'complaint'. A real agency has a history; a fake one has a fresh website.

• Pay only by Dutch bank transfer, after a contract

  The legitimate order is: the home is viewed, you sign a written contract, then you pay by bank transfer to an account in the name on the contract.

What a video call can't prove — and a visit can

A video tour is better than nothing, but it can be recorded weeks ago, filmed in a different flat, or streamed by someone who doesn't control the home. It shows you rooms. It doesn't show you that the person on the call can let you in.

Someone standing at the door can. They see that the address exists and matches the listing, that the person showing it has keys, and what the building and street are actually like. That's why the scam script always ends at the same place: no viewing.

If you send a SpotView viewer and they're refused entry, you get 50% back and still receive a neighbourhood tour and a legitimacy check on the address — often the most useful thing you could learn about that listing.

If you've already paid

• Contact your bank straight away

  Ask whether the transfer can be stopped or recalled. The sooner you call, the better the chance.

• Keep the evidence

  Screenshots of the advert, the chat or emails, the account number you paid to, and any documents they sent.

• Report it

  Report the fraud to the police (politie.nl) and to the Fraudehelpdesk, which also advises what to do if you sent a copy of your ID.

• Tell the platform

  Report the advert to the site where you found it, so it's taken down before the next person replies.