New Gumtree scam comes to light

A number of defrauded tenants have contacted the NLA about a new wave of scams on the online classifieds website, Gumtree.

Unsuspecting potential tenants, usually from overseas, reply to advertisements on the website for rental accommodation in the UK. After supposed satisfactory e-mails, tenants are asked to send money to the ‘landlord'. Having sent the money, when the tenants attempt to make contact with the ‘landlord' or, indeed, collect keys to the property, the ‘landlord' is uncontactable and the potential tenant has been defrauded.

In this latest scam, the ‘landlord' claims to be a member of the NLA, uses the NLA logo and has created fake stationary copying that produced by the bona fide, NLA Tenant Check service.

Richard Price, Director of Operations, NLA, commenting on the new scam, said: "Tenants, no matter where they are from, should not send payment to advertisers before they are certain that the advertiser is genuine. Overseas applicants needing to secure accommodation before they arrive in the UK would be well advised to first seek the help of the employer or university they are coming to. They will be knowledgeable of standard practices in the UK and often have lists of accredited landlords and local letting agents."

If a tenant wishes to check on whether a prospective landlord is a member of the National Landlords Association, visit goodlandlord.org.uk.

If you have fallen victim to such a scam, please contact the relevant authorities in your own country, the police in the UK and the NLA on info[at]landlords.org.uk.