Housing scams (companion tip sheet)

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Companion tip sheet to EPFL housing.

What this page is for

Short red-flag checklist when searching private rooms / flats (UNIL-EPFL portal or any other platform). Full housing how-to stays on EPFL housing. Deposit / blocked account rules stay on Rental deposit.

Red flags (EPFL Housing)

EPFL lists criteria that should immediately alert you:

Rent that is very attractive and below market reality.
Soft stories for a cheap rent (helping someone in need; inherited flat that must not stay empty).
Photos of a modern, well-furnished flat that look too good for the price.
Reply from an email address different from the one in the ad, or an address that has nothing to do with the landlord’s name.
Landlord says their place is already rented and redirects you to someone else with another offer.
Landlord says a visit is impossible (away on business, lives abroad).
Request for copies of identity documents, income certificates, and other personal data by return email; claims to be a lawyer or notary; mention of a third-party “agent” or rental company who will handle everything in their absence.
Paradoxically, heavy talk about guarantees and protecting themselves from scams.
Payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, or a foreign bank account. Prefer a Swiss bank account (FR page: account holder name must match the person you are dealing with).
Long “RENT APPLICATION FORM” / passport-copy questionnaires of the type EPFL reproduces on the scam page.

Source: EPFL, Scam attempts-warnings · FR Tentatives d’arnaque

How to protect yourself (EPFL + police flyer)

EPFL:

Check market prices for the area.
Watch Swiss room terminology (e.g. a 2.5-room flat) and spelling / syntax oddities.
Have at least one telephone conversation; call the number(s) in the ad.
Visit the accommodation as far as possible. Never pay for a simple visit.
Reverse Google image search on listing photos (same photos used for a flat in Paris or Stockholm = scam).
If you must send personal documents, watermark each page (EPFL points to the French government site DossierFacile.fr for that).
Still unsure? Write to logement@epfl.ch.

Police EN flyer hosted by EPFL (Votre Police branding, contact 021 644 44 44 / www.votrepolice.ch):

Check that the address exists; contact the property management; prefer a physical meeting.
Check whether the same ad appears elsewhere.
Contact the advertiser by phone, not only Messenger / WhatsApp / similar apps.
Never send identity documents by email or other digital media.
Do not pay an advance (deposit / first rent) just to “reserve” a place with a promised later visit.
If you are a victim: report the ad to the platform, ask your bank to block and return the funds, file a criminal complaint with messages, contract, etc.

Sources: same EPFL scam pages · EN prevention flyer (PDF) · FR Prévention arnaque (PDF)

Report a fraudulent UNIL-EPFL portal ad

Email logement@epfl.ch ASAP with:

Ad number, text, and photos.
Email / WhatsApp / other exchanges.
Any rental agreement or other documents received.

Source: same EPFL scam pages

Police / federal follow-up (linked from EPFL)

EPFL EN points to police advice (French webpage) and to the federal report portal: report.ncsc.admin.ch (EN) · FR report.ncsc.admin.ch.
EPFL FR also links Avis Police – Délits (PDF) (Police cantonale vaudoise press release, dated 22 April 2015: refuse foreign money-transfer deposits; never send ID / bank details over the internet; contact the platform about dubious ads).
Live Votre Police article (FR): Comment éviter les arnaques à la location d’appartement ? (same themes: no advance payment before a visit; no Western Union-style transfers; watermark ID if you must send a copy).

Older police link: EPFL's English scam page still links an older Votre Police address (votrepolice.ch/criminalite/location/) that returns a "page not found" error (checked 5 Oct 2026). Use the live article above instead.

Filing a criminal complaint in Vaud: the Canton's online E-plainte form only covers a short list of offences committed in Vaud (simple theft, theft of an unregistered bike, property damage) and explicitly excludes offences committed on the internet (cybercrime). For an online rental scam, file the complaint with the police directly. Votre Police's contact page lists the Police cantonale vaudoise (Route de la Blécherette 101, Lausanne, 021 644 44 44, info.police@vd.ch), every regional and municipal police in Vaud (for example Police Ouest lausannois, Prilly, 021 622 80 00; Police municipale de Lausanne, 021 315 15 15) and a police-station finder. Bring the ad, the messages, any contract and proof of payment. The Votre Police article also points to the federal NCSC portal to report an online scam attempt.

Sources: Votre Police, Contact · vd.ch, Déposer une plainte pénale contre inconnu (E-plainte)

Sources (checked 5 Oct 2026)

Unofficial student project. Always re-check EPFL Housing and police pages before you act.

Not sure if a listing or contract is legit? Tell me what you'd want help with. Nothing to pay.