Dont use immoscout24.
Everybody goes there and its pretty useless...
I suggest homegate.ch
no scams there and very well maintained

There's already a sticky thread about this in the forum you posted it in:
Apartment Deposit Scam Warning

Sorry, but had to bump this to alert our known members of this possibility happening, in the light of a Reported Post.

I had 3 in the last 24 hours (I'm replying to a lot of ads.....).

Lots of people saying that they're either working with impoverished HIV infected people in Africa, or are just spreading the word of God. Again, mostly in South Africa....

All I have to do is send them chf 500 and then I get a 2 bed flat for the next 5 years at only 500 per month......

AARRGGHHH

Another 3 emails from people this morning all spouting the same rubbish!! Either there are a LOT of Swiss Missionaries or a few very active scammers......

Basically it appears the lesson is do not even think of using anything other than a reputable site like Homegate. Otherwise you appear to be at the mercy of the scammers.

It was in the newspapers today
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/schweiz/...story/13564694

I have received 2 emails which I believe are scams after reading various entries on them. Here's one example.
And, I'm certain I did not contact the 2 'prospective landlords' before, yet somehow they send to my email, so I suspect they're using a fake identity and advertisement to fish for victims.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello,
Thanks very much for your Kind interest in my apartment, i am delighted to let you know that my apartment is presently available now even for long and short term periods.Presently,no one is occupying my apartment and it will be a great priviledge renting you my Nice apartment located at the city centre of Zurich. My apartment is located at Dufourstrasse 1 8008 Zurich, Switzerland.. You are free to go and view the apartment from the outside but as for the inside,you will not be able to have access to it because the keys are with me and i don't have any of my relations or friends over there who can view you my apartment except i myself.I will be more than willing to come over on time to view you my properties if you are ready to satisfy my criterias below.
I am Mr Patel Pratik whom originated from England,a Contractor and a business Man..I usually receive contract from Governments and also from private firms. .I am a Nationality of USA and also i study Business Managementin London College of Accountancy (LCA).Actually, I inherited the apartment from my Late father who died last year December.I was the only Son and Child of my father..Presently,i have a new contract which i am executing in London,so therefore,i am presently in England earning my living.But don't worry yourself much about the viewing of the properties..I understand that you will love to have a clear look at my apartment inside before you make your final decision.Well,i am also willing and honoured to come over from England to view you my apartment as far as you are ready to rent it and you agree with my terms and conditions.

DETAILS ABOUT MY APARTMENT..........
Address : Dufourstrasse 1 8008 Zurich, Switzerland.
Size of the Whole Apartment :85 m square
Number of bedrooms:2
Number of bathrooms:2
Max number of people:6
Floor:Ground floor.
Monthly rental price: €300.00 per room and 600euros for the whole apartment including all bills
Security Deposit: €1000
Pictures available:YES
AMENITIES AVAILABLE OUTSIDE
Barbecue Disabled Facilities Sauna
Balcony TerraceINSIDE
Kitchen,washing Machine,American Kitchen Fridge & Freezer Oven,Microwave Dish Washer Crockery & Utensils,Bath Shower Hair Dryer,TowelsExtra features
Internet Dial Up, Internet Broadband Cable/Satelite
TV,Stereo/Radio System DVD Player,DVD/Music Collection
Library Telephone Fax
Central Heating Air Conditioning
Pets Welcome
You will be confirming these upon our meeting to view the apartment together and signed up the contract.
TERMS IN THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS WHICH WE WILL SIGN.
1. The Tenant Will Pay a month Rent and Security Deposit in Advance to the Landlord Before Moving in to show a Good Sign of seriousness and the Security Deposit will be refunded back to the Tenant and the return of funds must be completed not later than 2 days of the termination of the Contract.
2.Due to the fact that the I am presently out of Zurich, I will love to tell you that i will only be available for the viewing of the contract after we have both signed a contract documents and also confirm your deposit payment which is payable via western union money transfer.

Definite scam:

View the apartment AFTER you have paid the deposit? yeah, right.....

I won't even go near the description of the apartment...

Wanting a western union money transfer should have rang some alarm bells...

A deposit in the amount of 1-3 monthly leases is due if agreed before moving into the flat, however, it is unlawful to demand a deposit before the lease is legally signed by the landlord, and one original of the duly signed contract is being handed out to the tenant. In all cases, a deposit should only be made to a specifically designed new bank account in the name of the tenant, where one copy of the lease has been delivered to the bank before depositing funds, where funds can only be withdrawn either by mutual aggreement of both, the tenant and the landlord, or by presenting a court ruling allowing the landlord to withdraw without consent of the tenant. Many landlords allow tenants to pay for deposits in 3-12 monthly installments.

This is a SCAM. While we were in the US and looking for a flat in Zurich we were asked multiple times to send deposit via Western Union and as soon as I start questioning then why and what have you... that it has to be through WU... I would hear all kind of silly excuses. The best one "My trusted friend who has keys for the flat is presently not in Zurich and it is costly for me to fly there to show it to you" hahaha, very clever.

Don't do it! You will never see your money again!

Ughhh, I am having a hard time finding an apartment I can afford.
I guess I need to find a site other than craigslist

The ones that aren't scams get back to me with things like "someone just took it yesterday".

The other responses are all suspiciously similar.
"I just secured a new job here in England but i will be renting it out for a long time now as long as you want to stay"
"I am a professional and i am currently having internship with UNICEF"
"I am currently working with an Airline which enables me to travel allot and i need someone to be in the apartment and handle it well"
-- all excuses as to why they won't be at the apartment.

They also all seem to have the phrase "let me introduce myself", and do not ask any questions about you, the person they are supposedly going to rent the apartment to.
"let me introduce myself,y name is Lawrencia colding 26years old, easy going, Clean tidy, non smoker female.."
"Informations about me:
Name: Pidgeon Laura
Age: 22 Years Old
Nationality: British Citizen
Place of Birth: Kendal
Date of Birth: 28th April 1987
Sex: Non smoker Female
Colour of eyes: Black
Hobbie: Reading, Traveling, making research."

Some of them go into a description about how they got the apartment (inheritance).

Oddly enough, only one of the responses asked for payment via Western Union. All the others say to contact them for further procedure....
What are the odds they ask for money via western Union.

The security deposits are also rather high relative to the rent they are asking for....

I'd be wary of any e-mail that says "let me introduce myself", particularly if its followed by clean non smoker female aged 20-30.

Hi all,

I wanted to share my experience on housing-scam in Zurich.

My girlfriend found this website: http://www.justlanded.com/english/Switzerland

There you can find some very good looking and incredibly cheap apartment for rent, like this one:
http://housing.justlanded.com/en/Swi...-euro-par-mois

I knew something was wrong, and I sent the message, asking for more information. I received this email:

"Hello ,

my name is Peter Rosvelt and I am a retired electrical engineer at 65 years . I inherited the apartment in Eisengasse 9 8008 Zürich, from my sister Maria Rosvelt in 2007 but I never lived in that apartment because i am staying in Glasgow , Scotland for the past 30 years . I tried to sell the apartment but i couldn't obtain the price I was looking for so I decided together with my wife and daughter to rent it to some agreeable persons.
The apartment is exactly like you are seeing it in the photos , completely furnished, but I have the option to send all my furniture in a storage if you want to bring your own one ( no additional costs).
The rent for 1 month is 500 EURO (for the entire apartment) inclusive all utilities (water, the electricity, the Internet, the cable, parking etc).
The period of minimal rent is 2 months up to 5 years.
You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that we cannot leave Scotland because we are too old to come and my daughter cannot leave her job . Maybe you have the possibility to come here to take the keys and in this way we can know each other better.
If you cannot come, you do not need to worry, I have done all arrangements to rent the apartment from here, with a british agency that will take care of the business for me (with no additional cost for you).
If we cannot meet face to face it is very important for me and my wife to see the persons who will rent the apartment at least on an webcam. So please add the Messenger address peterrosvelt@hotmail.com for a video conference . Also you can give me your telephone number so my daughter can call you if you want to discuss by phone.

My best regards ,
Peter Rosvelt"

It did sound a lot like a scam, but I got the proof by googling for a sentence inside the email, which found some almost identical emails being reported as scam.

I wrote back that I'll be in Scotland next week for business and asked for his address, let's see what he answers...

So, be aware!

Cheers,
G

It's a scam..

That's most likely nothing more than a picture of a hotel room from some online travel site somewhere but surely not here in Switzerland as I have never seen a wall mounted air conditioner under a window especially not in the Zurich area as it would only be needed a few days a year..!

This is a scam!! I had the same thing happen to me. I almost deposited the money into Western Union, with my friends name on the Western union receipt. The receipt has a unique code on it that is attached to your money at Western Union. What these people do is receive the receipt from you, therefore they have the code, then they will make a fake ID with your friends name on it and go to any Western Union and draw your money. DO NOT DO IT!!

YES! IT IS A SCAM! i was looking for a place in lausanne, and i got this same email from peterrosvelt@yahoo.com:
Hello ,

my name is Peter Rosvelt and I am a retired electrical engineer at 65 years . I inherited the apartment in Rue du Bugnon 7 1005 Lausanne, from my sister Maria Rosvelt in 2007 but I never lived in that apartment because i am staying in Glasgow , Scotland for the past 30 years . I tried to sell the apartment but i couldn't obtain the price I was looking for so I decided together with my wife and daughter to rent it to some agreeable persons.
The apartment is exactly like you are seeing it in the photos , completely furnished, but I have the option to send all my furniture in a storage if you want to bring your own one ( no additional costs).
The rent for 1 month is 600 EURO (for the entire apartment) inclusive all utilities (water, the electricity, the Internet, the cable, parking etc).
The period of minimal rent is 2 months up to 5 years.
You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that we cannot leave Scotland because we are too old to come and my daughter cannot leave her job . Maybe you have the possibility to come here to take the keys and in this way we can know each other better.
If you cannot come, you do not need to worry, I have done all arrangements to rent the apartment from here, with a british agency that will take care of the business for me (with no additional cost for you).
If we cannot meet face to face it is very important for me and my wife to see the persons who will rent the apartment at least on an webcam. So please add the Messenger address peterrosvelt@hotmail.com for a video conference . Also you can give me your telephone number so my daughter can call you if you want to discuss by phone.

My best regards ,
Peter Rosvelt

DON'T SEND HIM ANY MONEY!

best,
VA

I am gonna have some fun with this clown.....

Just want to thank all of you for the warning, and it's something I'll be on the look out for during my apartment hunt.

-Katy

hello,

We received the same mail when we searched for a nice small appartement in Lausanne for 6 months.
Finding the photos of this appartement on "just landed" we were delighted and we did not hesitate one moment to write" the owner"
But when I wrote my mail that I'm a counceler.......no answer, no phone ....no answer at all!
so: if ever you see an anouncement for an incredibely good-looking 1-room appartement Rue du Bugnon7 à Lausanne: this is the département of BIOCHEMICS of the universit and there are NO appartements !
DON'T SEND ANY MONEY
This was the answer I received:
Bonjour,

mon nom est Peter Rosvelt et je suis un ingénieur de chimie retraité de 65 ans. J'ai hérité l'appartement à Rue du Bugnon 7 1005 Lausanne, de ma soeur Maria Rosvelt en 2007 mais je n'ai jamais vécu dans cet appartement parce que je reste à Glasgow, Ecosse depuis les 30 ans passés. J'ai essayé de vendre l'appartement mais je ne pouvais pas obtenir le prix que je cherchais ainsi j'ai décidé ensemble avec ma femme et ma fille de le louer à certaines personnes agréables.
L'appartement est exactement comme vous le voyez dans les photos, complètement meublé, mais j'ai l'option d'envoyer tous mes meubles dans un entreposage si vous voulez apporter votre propre (aucun prix supplémentaire).
Le loyer pour 1 mois est 600 euros (pour l'appartement entier) et comprends toutes les utilités (l'eau, l'électricité, Internet, le câble, place de parking et cetera).
La période de loyer est 2 mois minimum jusqu'à 5 ans.
Vous pouvez bouger dans l'appartement au même jour où vous recevez les clés. Le seul problème est que nous ne pouvons pas quitter l'Ecosse parce que nous sommes trop vieux pour venir et ma fille ne peut pas quitter son emploi.
Peut-etre vous avez la possibilité de venir ici pour prendre les clés et de cette manière nous pouvons nous connaître mieux. Si vous ne pouvez pas venir, vous n'avez pas besoin de vous inquiéter, j'ai fait toute l'activité pour louer l'appartement d'ici, avec une agence britannique qui s'occupera de cette affaire pour moi (sans prix supplémentaire pour vous).
Si nous ne pouvons pas nous rencontrer face à face c'est très important pour moi et ma femme de voir les personnes qui loueront l'appartement au moins sur un webcam. Ainsi ajoutez s'il vous plaît l'adresse de Messenger peterrosvelt@hotmail.com pour une conférence vidéo. Aussi vous pouvez me donner votre numéro de téléphone donc ma fille peut vous appeler si vous voulez discuter par téléphone.



Cordialement,
Peter Rosvelt

--- On Fri, 7/3/09, Just Landed <no-reply@justlanded.com> wrote:

Hi, here is another version of the very same. I am looking for an appartment in Geneva and found this one (too good to be true):

http://www.pilote.ch/pilote/addetail...m?adId=5397935


Here is the reply I got just now from Mr. "Bell" - another nice thing, the original ad was posted by somebody calling himself Jean Luc "Demon" ;-)


This site is an aggregator, most of the ads are harvested from the other sites. This one was inserted manually. And to insert it, you have to pay! Do you also wonder if they could trace him? Those people should go to prison.

--

Hello ,

my name is Daniel Bell and I am a retired electrical engineer at 65 years . I inherited the apartment in 1208 Genève, Rute de Malagnou 6, from my sister Maria Bell in 2007 but I never lived in that apartment because i am staying in Glasgow , Scotland for the past 30 years . I tried to sell the apartment but i couldn't obtain the price I was looking for so I decided together with my wife and daughter to rent it to some agreeable persons.
The apartment is exactly like you are seeing it in the photos , completely furnished, but I have the option to send all my furniture in a storage if you want to bring your own one ( no additional costs).
The rent for 1 month is 1000 EURO (for the entire apartment) inclusive all utilities (water, the electricity, the Internet, the cable, parking etc).
The period of minimal rent is 2 months up to 5 years.
You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that we cannot leave Scotland because we are too old to come and my daughter cannot leave her job . Maybe you have the possibility to come here to take the keys and in this way we can know each other better.
If you cannot come, you do not need to worry, I have done all arrangements to rent the apartment from here, with a british agency that will take care of the business for me (with no additional cost for you).
If we cannot meet face to face it is very important for me and my wife to see the persons who will rent the apartment at least on an webcam. So please add the Messenger address danielbell1944@hotmail.com for a video conference . Also you can give me your telephone number so my daughter can call you if you want to discuss by phone.

My best regards ,
Daniel Bell