Finland Times

According to the police, scams are becoming more common, especially when a group of students are searching for an apartment before studies begin in autumn.

For example, a student in Helsinki found an affordable apartment before midsummer with adequate space and a good location.

In relatively fluent English, the landlord said he was living abroad and wished to rent an apartment belonging to his deceased wife.

The student paid a deposit of 1,400 euros into the landlord’s bank.

When the lease was ready to begin, the landlord no longer replied to any messages. The student filed a criminal complaint to the police who are investigating the case as fraud.

“Scammers have copied pictures and descriptive texts of apartments for rent or sale in the past, and created some kind of trustworthy story [using the pictures],” said Detective Chief Inspector Petri Juvonen of the Helsinki Police Department.

According to Juvonen, a scammer landlord usually cannot show the apartment and asks for a deposit or the first rent payment in order to reserve the apartment.