Today’s news / Police warn students of housing fraud
The police warn new students about rental housing fraud. According to NSK, it is particularly bad in Copenhagen. The picture shows a view over a residential area in Valby. (Archive photo). Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix

Police warn students of housing fraud

As new students have been accepted into universities, the National Unit for Serious Crime (NSK) has issued a warning against housing scammers, especially in Copenhagen. NSK’s section leader, Kresten Munksgaard, cautions that every year, scammers deceive people into paying deposits or rent in advance for non-existent properties. The victims are mostly from Copenhagen’s police district, and there’s little guarantee of refunding their money. Munksgaard advises that if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. He suggests verifying the landlord’s ID and ownership status through property registration and ensuring to make an electronic transfer for any payments. While incidents of rental fraud are recurring, there has been a slight improvement, with 201 reports received last year, down from previous years’ figures.