Immoweb, like other online platforms, deals with sensitive personal data. Protecting your personal and financial information is crucial to avoid scams, phishing and data theft.

Different types of online fraud

Online fraud generally consists of two large categories: fake listings and phishing.

Fake listings:
To make their move, scammers place fake listings on Immoweb. In these listings property is offered at prices that are often below market value.

If you show interest in one of these fake listings, the scammers will invent excuses for why the property can not be visited. They will then try to pressure you to transfer money as soon as possible. As soon as you make a transfer, you will not hear back from the scammers and you will have lost your money.

If you come across a fake listing, it is advised to report this as soon as possible by clicking on “Report this” in the upper right corner of the listing (underneath the pictures).

Phishing:
For phishing, a fraudulent attempt is made to acquire sensitive information like your username, password or your credit card information. Scammers will often pretend to be an official company or platform like Immoweb to do this. The final goal of this type of fraud is abusing your identity. Phishing happens through email or text message, but increasingly also through Facebook or WhatsApp messages (instant messaging).

Once the scammers succeed, they use your personal data like login information and financial data for fraudulent purposes. They can also use this information to log into other services for which you use the same credentials (Google mail, Facebook, bank apps, …).

Some tips to avoid fraud

• Never transfer money or share payment information ahead of time to secure a property without the correct verification.

• If the property is not available for viewing, or you are being pressured to decide quickly, you might be engaging with scammers.

• A listing that is literally too good to be true, sadly usually is.

• Always be cautious when asked to make a payment through Western Union or similar services. These payments are anonymous, making it nearly impossible to track down the scammers afterwards.

• Verify the email address of the sender. Something strange? Don’t click or answer, promptly delete the email.

• By hovering over a link with your cursor (without clicking) or by pressing your finger on a link for a longer time if you’re on a mobile device, you can check the destination of the link. If the URL in the pop-up is not a known website (like www.immoweb.be), it could be a phishing attempt.

• Pay close attention to URLs because they can often closely resemble the official website.

• Never share your passwords. (Immoweb will never ask your password by mail, text message or on social media.)

• Use different passwords on different websites. That way, you don’t compromise all your accounts when one password is stolen or breached.

• A strong password, consisting of lowercase and uppercase letters, as well as numbers and symbols, is more difficult to breach. Also avoid using your name, occupation, ‘123’ or ‘password’.

• Consider using a password manager to keep track of your different passwords.

• Emails sent by Immoweb will always have a mail address ending in @immoweb.be of [email protected].

What to do when you have fallen victim to internet fraud?

Was your credit card used without your consent for transactions on Immoweb or another website? Contact Card Stop immediately via phone number 070 344 344, as well as your bank.

Have you become a victim of internet fraud via Immoweb? Contact one of our service team members via [email protected].

You can also report this incident to the official bodies via https://meldpunt.belgie.be/meldpunt/en/welcome.