With Erasmus to Rome? Watch out for scams!

It's bound to happen: you go to Rome as an Erasmus student and find a nice room for a reasonable price. Only to discover that the landlord does not exist and that you have lost your deposit of 900 euros. That happened to the daughter of Dutch acquaintances and she is by no means the only one. So be warned.

Margreet (I have changed her name) was of course delighted when she received the message that she could attend the Roman Università La Sapienza for six months. to study. But then she still had to find accommodation. That is not an easy task in Rome, especially if you do not know the city.

Facebook group Erasmus Rome

That's why Margaret joined ERASMUS ROME 2022/2023, a Facebook group where foreign students exchange their experiences and therefore also share information about parties, pubs and accommodation.

She also posted that she was looking for a room in Rome. There were 3 responses, including one from a girl from Rotterdam, who gave her the email address of her former landlord. He turned out to have a nice room on offer, centrally located close to Piazza Bologna and the university, for only 400 euros a month.

The photos of the room, with its own bathroom and kitchenette, looked great, so she responded enthusiastically. She then received an 8-page, extremely detailed rental contract drawn up in English by e-mail, which had already been signed by the owner and his lawyer.

The landlord answered her questions nicely and was even willing to have her picked up from the airport by his driver. All she had to do was sign and transfer a deposit of €500 plus the first month's rent to the lawyer's bank account.

No sooner said than done, but then nothing happened. Owner and FB contact did not respond, Margreet started to have doubts and then I received a request from Rome to see how things were now.

No good news

I was happy to do so, although I suspected that I would not be able to bring good news: every summer in the Italian newspapers you can find sad stories of tourists who have rented holiday homes that do not exist or are already occupied, and this seemed to be the case.

Indeed, upon closer examination of the contract, many things immediately turned out to be incorrect. For example, the 'landlord' gave the number of his passport next to his name, but he did not state from which country. At least not from Italy, because Italian passports have letters in addition to numbers.

The money was transferred to a German account of a Swedish internet bank. Account holder would be attorney Daina K., who also signed as "lawyer'. But no lawyer of that name can be found on the internet, while criminal lawyers normally do not seek anonymity.

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There is also no law firm at her Roman address, which was given in the contract, but a somewhat dingy 'consultancy company' that cannot be found on the internet. It also turned out that the apartment Margreet had been offered was inhabited by a couple who were not at home when I went by, but a fellow resident told me that the flat was certainly not rented to students.

It is also not on the first floor, as the 'landlord' had written, but on the ground floor. The luxurious interior photos that Margreet had received looked as if they came from a showroom.

Fake profiles

Then back to the Facebook group. The profile of the 'girl' Margreet had tipped, a certain Veronica, was a bit thin. She would live in Rotterdam, but had no posts or friends to report, no information about work and education and only a few meaningless likes (Harry Potter and Kung Fu Panda). In short, very likely a fake profile, which has also disappeared from Facebook.

Scrolling through the FB posts, I soon came across several other suspected scammers, mostly with beautiful offers and not very Roman-looking names. (Ozzie A Marc or Olatidoye Wasiu, to name a few.)

A certain Markus Maraghni was even active at the same time in the groups Roommate in Copenhagen and International Students at Bocconi, with exactly the same message in Rome, Copenhagen and Milan: 'Hello, I just move out of Nice 2 bedroom apartment available for long term or short rent etc.'.

(Which also makes it clear that the 'Erasmus scam' is not limited to Italy alone. And that there may be a well-oiled organization behind it that can operate from any part of the world.)

Some participants in the FB group also warn their fellow sufferers about this (SCAM!) and one of them had even seen from the interior of a room offered that it was not Italian but Dutch.

Tips to avoid scams

In short, the Facebook group Erasmus Rome is a welcome feeding ground for vultures who pounce on enthusiastic, young, usually not penniless and somewhat naive students. I have spoken to the administrator of the group about this.

The young lawyer Filippo Corsati, who is also the driving force behind the Erasmus Rome Association, admits that scammers also sign up, but says there is not much he can do about it: 'It is an openly accessible group and there are just too many of them to cover everything. to check.'

He therefore gives the following tips:

1. Be suspicious if the rental offer does not come from Italians.
2. Request a video call before you start working with a landlord.
3. If in doubt, you can also call me and ask for advice. (Corsati's mobile number can be found on the group's home page.)

I would add to that:

1. If possible, get someone in Rome to check on the spot.
2. Do not transfer money before you are 100% sure of your case.
3. If you feel that you have been bottled, report it immediately.

Margreet has done the same and the police have at least one hard element in their hands: the IBAN of the account to which the money has flowed.