Common Scams

At s1homes.com, we do everything in our power to ensure rental scams don't get posted on the site or emailed to our clients or renters. It is virtually impossible to stop every single scam email from getting through our system, but hopefully by highlighting common scams we can prevent our users becoming victims.

The Money Order Rental Scam

Scammers will try to make the victim feel as comfortable as possible in order to gain access to their funds. Here is one way they do it.

• The scammer posts a rental ad and makes the rental price extremely low
• The victim finds the ad and communicates with the "landlord"
• The scammer tells the victim they are out of the country, or that they live in another country
• The scammer asks the victim to prove they have the funds by getting them to wire money to themselves or to any of the victim's friends. This is suppose to make the victim feel better because they are wiring it to someone they know
• The scammer asks to see the receipt that funds have been transferred through MoneyGram / Western Union or equivalent money order company
• With money orders, the recipient can pick up the funds anywhere in the world. With the information on the receipt, the scammer picks up the money.

Please take all necessary steps to protect yourself online, and never provide sensitive information such as bank details, transaction numbers, or unnecessary personal information to third parties.

Always keep all emails, correspondence, and records until you are satisfied that the deal has been completed successfully. If you are ever in doubt please feel free to contact us and we'll do our best to help you. If you have been the victim of fraud please contact the police and report the problem directly to them.