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Rental and flatshare scams ​

A rental scam is decided in the first replies. The "landlord" is abroad, the keys will be posted, and a deposit is needed to hold the room. No single message is alarming, and by the time a renter reports it the money has moved. SigWise scores the advertiser, over everything they have said and done, so the pattern shows while the conversation is still going.

What to send ​

Send each advertiser's activity as events on an object named after their user ID, and the renters' replies as messages on the same object:

  • Messages between advertisers and enquirers, with the listing in metadata.
  • Actions that matter here: account created, listing posted, listing edited, the same photos or address posted on another account, listing price changed.
  • Context in metadata: account age, listing city, monthly rent, deposit asked, whether the account is verified.
json
POST /v1/objects/user-318/events
{
  "object_type": "user",
  "events": [
    { "type": "event", "name": "listing.created", "metadata": { "city": "Leeds", "rent": 520, "account_age_days": 1 } },
    { "type": "message", "content": "Hi, is the room still available? Could I view it this week?" },
    { "type": "message", "content": "Yes, but I am abroad for work at the moment. My agent will give you the keys once the deposit is paid by bank transfer.", "metadata": { "listing": "room-9921" } },
    { "type": "message", "content": "I have another person interested so please confirm today." }
  ]
}

The conversation above is invented for this page.

The signals ​

Describe the evidence you want weighed. Concrete criteria steer the analysis far more than words like "suspicious":

json
PUT /v1/signals/deposit_before_viewing
{
  "type": "noul",
  "instructions": "Is this advertiser asking an enquirer to pay a deposit, holding fee or rent before the enquirer has viewed the property or met the landlord or an agent in person?",
  "criteria": {
    "true": "asks for money first, or makes viewing depend on payment, or says the keys will be posted or collected by an agent after payment",
    "false": "offers an in-person or live video viewing before any payment, or does not ask for money"
  }
}
json
PUT /v1/signals/fake_landlord
{
  "type": "score",
  "instructions": "How likely is it that this advertiser does not have the right to let the property?",
  "criteria": ["unlikely", "unclear", "likely", "very likely"]
}

Other useful questions: claims_to_be_abroad, urgency_pressure (rival enquirers, "confirm today"), and repost_of_other_listing when you send an event for matching photos or addresses.

Act on it ​

Rental platforms usually want two moves:

  • Hold new listings for review when deposit_before_viewing is high on a new account. Set "wait": true on the advertiser's first messages if you want the verdict before the enquirer sees them. See Direct moderation.
  • Alert your trust team in Slack when a listing crosses a line, with a rule:
json
{
  "name": "rental scam alert",
  "when": "deposit_before_viewing >= 80 and fake_landlord >= 2",
  "action_type": "slack",
  "action_config": { "webhook_url": "https://hooks.slack.com/services/T000/B000/XXXX" },
  "cooldown_seconds": 3600
}

Start in alert-only mode and review what it flags before you hold or remove anything. See Test SigWise on your own data.

Judge fairly ​

Real landlords also work abroad and also ask for deposits, usually after a viewing. That is why the criteria above separate "payment before viewing" from "deposit at all". Keep the question narrow, and add the account's history (age, verified identity, earlier listings) so a long-standing landlord is judged in context.