How do I avoid bedspace and boarding house scams?
Visit the boarding house before paying anything, meet the person who manages it and see the actual bed or room; a reservation fee by GCash for a bedspace you have only seen in photos is the whole scam. Real boarding houses are full of tenants you can talk to.
The scam uses urgency: enrollment week, the start of a new job, "only one bed left". The photos are from a real boarding house or a hotel, the price is a little lower than others, and the "landlady" is busy and cannot show it today. Pay now, see it on Monday.
What to check
- Go there, or ask a friend or relative nearby to go. Talk to current tenants.
- Ask who the owner is and whether the person you chat with is the owner or a caretaker.
- Reverse image search the room photos.
- Search the name and number with "scammer" and the area or school name.
- Pay only on the spot, after seeing the bed, and get a receipt with the name of the owner.
Frequently asked questions
- The person showed a video tour of the room. Does that count as seeing it?
- A video can be from any boarding house. Seeing it means being there, or someone you trust being there.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you are talking to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email, the name and the ID, for ₱199.
Check a person