The last couple of years has seen significant changes in the system of tenant deposits. Now, landlords are legally obliged to hold the money in an assured deposit scheme. This protects both the landlord and the tenant, providing both with a system of standardised steps to take should a dispute arise. Mydeposits recently revealed details of a scam and want to warn landlords against falling for it.
The Nature of the Scam
It appears to be the first time scammers have deliberately targeted landlords but it is unlikely to be the last. Typically, the recipient receives an email claiming to be from mydeposits (one of the officially designated deposit protection schemes). The email looks official; it even uses the artwork and style of email of mydeposits. It asks the recipient to click a link – often to confirm details of the deposit scheme. Called “phishing” scammers ask for personal information either to use it for malevolent means or sell it to somebody who will.
What To Do If You Receive This Email
The first thing you should do is not click on the link. Although no malware has yet been reported, this could be a further step. Also, cookies left on your computer could indicate to the scammers that your email address is active. Cookies could later provide an access path for malware should scammers eventually attempt to hack electronic devices.
Mydeposits strongly advise that any landlord who receives this email should forward it to them at info@mydeposits.co.uk. Any evidence you can provide will be useful to their ongoing investigation.
Signs of a Fake Email
Using the internet will help most people develop a sixth sense for what is fake:
- Scammer Grammar: The first major indicator of a fake email is poor spelling and awful grammar. Look out for people claiming to be from “Costumer Services”, over-long sentences that don’t quite make sense and other mistakes you would not expect from a native speaker
- Check the email address: Mydeposits and any other official source will have dedicated email addresses. Note above that this particular’s email address is @mydeposits.co.uk. Scammers will use Hotmail, Googlemail and other standard addresses. These are easy to set up and delete
- Hover over the link: Most sites with sensitive information will not ask you to click a link. Wise to scam methods, official emails will say “log into your account by your usual method”. Some still include links. If it does, hover rather than click. Your web browser should show the address
- Check for attachments: It is rare that an organisation such as mydeposits will ask you to download attachments. If they do, there is a strong likelihood they will be harmless PDFs. If it is anything else, it is likely a scam. Certainly do not download.exe files.