Tenancy deposit email scam duping tenants out of thousands

It’s been revealed that fraudsters are targeting vulnerable tenants during the deposit payment stage of the letting process, with the Islington Gazette reporting one couple were conned out of £1,385.

Full article here.

Jessica Redman and her partner found a rental property via a local letting agent and were then contacted via email by a ‘member of staff’ who was dealing with the rental. Although the email address was slightly different from previous exchanges with the agent, the couple made payment to the provided bank details without checking the validity of the communication.

The agent has since stated they would not reimburse the couple.

Please find comment on the issue below from Matthew Hooker of Ome, the deposit alternative.

Co-founder of Ome, Matthew Hooker, commented:

“Unfortunately the rental sector presents an open door for opportunistic fraudsters to take advantage of those that are often in a vulnerable position. This is largely due to the speed at which a tenant must act to secure a property due to a lack of rental stock available, which is often coupled with a sense of desperation for those that need a roof over their head quickly whether it be for work or other life factors.

As a result, we can be caught off-guard and susceptible to tricks during the payment of a deposit in particular, that we may otherwise have flagged, and with the cost of a deposit already a substantial financial hurdle for many, losing this sum to criminals can be devastating.

While traditional deposit protection schemes do a great job of safeguarding a tenant’s money during a tenancy, they can’t address issues that occur prior to payment to either a landlord or agent. We really need to work as an industry to provide more alternative, safer channels to help tenants secure a property while remaining in their control of their money and this one area that deposit replacement schemes help address.

Not only do they address the cash flow issues a larger initial deposit can pose, but they also require much smaller regular payments, meaning anyone that does find themselves foul of criminal activity is out of pocket to a much smaller sum.”

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Tracker – 01/07/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.57% -0.05% -0.83% 5-year fixed 4.55% -0.04% -0.45%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.69% -0.13% -0.98% 5-year fixed 3.87% -0.01% -0.36%   Average…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report Covering May 2025

Sales On average, there were around 11.5 homes placed for sale per member branch in May 2025. Lettings The average void period reported by member agents increased to just over three weeks in May 2025. We are seeing an average of 37% of housing transactions taking longer than 17 weeks to complete. The timescales are…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental Market Hotspots Drive National Growth

New analysis from FCC Paragon reveals modest national growth in rental demand across England in Q2 2025, up by 1.2% to 29.4%. However, this overall increase masks significant regional variation, with several counties experiencing substantial quarterly surges that are driving the market forward. The research shows that rental demand across England strengthened in Q2, up 1.2%…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 – Thoughts from the Industry

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 shows House prices fell by -0.8% between May and June of this year. On an annual basis, the average house price increased by 2.1% although this rate of growth had slowed from 3.5% the previous month. As a result, the average UK house price now sits at £271,619.…
Read More
Breaking News

Clarity still needed on key areas in Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords later today, 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging the UK Government and Peers to amendment Bill, so it is fit for purpose. There remain long-standing concerns about the capacity and capability of the Courts, with the time from claim to hearing…
Read More
Cozy Pet Cat Tree Grey
Breaking News

Pet deposits only option following UK Government U-turn on Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords which kicks off later today, Tuesday 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging Peers to support an amendment that would allow for an additional pet deposit now that the UK Government has tabled amendments to remove pet insurance requirements. Since the introduction…
Read More