Detecting a fraudulent Online Booking listing can be tricky, but there are several signs that can help you identify a potential scam. Here are some key tips to recognise when a listing is NOT genuinely from idealista and might be from a scammer:
- Verify the authenticity of the sender or the website you’re browsing. When in doubt, go directly to idealista.com
If you receive an email that appears to be from idealista, make sure it comes from our @idealista.com address. Be suspicious of other addresses that do not belong to our domain and mark any suspicious communication as SPAM or Phishing.
Be wary of pages that seem to be idealista but are actually from a different domain, even if it looks similar (e.g. idealista.listing-xxx.com). Do not enter your credentials or any information on these pages.
If in doubt, do not click on links or continue browsing these messages or websites. Close them and open a new browser, go directly to idealista.com, or use our mobile app. Once there, check your previous messages with other advertisers or the information on your idealista account, now safely on our official site. - Prices that are too low for the area and property features
If the booking price is significantly lower than the market average, be cautious. Scammers often use low prices to lure their victims. - Suspicious communication
Pay attention to how the advertiser communicates. If they avoid direct questions, pressure you to make a quick decision, or request payments through insecure methods like bank transfers or non-reversible payment services such as gift cards, cryptocurrencies, postal orders, or cash, this is a red flag.
Similarly, if they ask you to pay through a payment gateway of another booking portal, be wary; idealista does not use other portals to handle payments for reservations or any type of property. - Links to idealista sent via chat
If an advertiser asks you to make a payment through a link they send, be careful. Even if the link appears to take you to idealista and is sent through our chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, or any other platform, do not click on it. At idealista, we do not provide links to our advertisers for making payments.
To pay for a booking, you must create an account on idealista or log into an existing one, never through a link. If you doubt the authenticity of the payment, log into your account from the idealista app on your mobile and verify that the booking appears accepted in your private area. We will only ask for your payment details when you request a booking, specifically from the form of a listing with Online Booking. - Incoherent or insufficient details in the listing description
Carefully review the photos and description of the listing. If you notice images that do not match, lack of important details, spelling mistakes, paragraphs in another language, or inconsistencies in the provided information, the listing might not be legitimate, even if it has idealista’s colours and looks like one of our listings.
Criminals try to deceive users by cloning our portal design, making it look like a secure transaction within idealista. However, if you closely observe the details or click on any link they offer for more information, you’ll notice it is a fraudulent copy of our site. - Uncommon payment methods
Use secure and reversible payment methods, like credit cards, which offer fraud protection. Avoid direct bank transfers, cash payments, cryptocurrencies, or gift cards. In fact, on idealista, you can only pay for the booking with a credit card.
Remember, if asked to pay through a payment platform of another booking portal, do not proceed with the payment; idealista does not use other portals to manage payments for reservations or any type of property. - Overly urgent offers
If the advertiser creates an exaggerated sense of urgency, saying the room is only available for a limited time, stay calm and take the necessary time to investigate. Remember, you can always call our Online Booking team at 917 012 041 from 9:00 to 21:00 on weekdays, and from 10:00 to 18:00 on weekends and holidays. We will confirm whether the advertiser trying to rush you is legitimate. - They do not ask for a tenant profile
At idealista, to request and pay for a booking, it is mandatory to have a tenant profile. This requires being registered and logged into our website or app. If you are not logged into your idealista account and the advertiser asks you to make an online payment on our page, be suspicious.
If the page looks legitimate, has our colours, and even appears as if you are sharing your profile, carefully check that it is truly your profile before proceeding. If in doubt, don’t worry, contact our Online Booking team before making the payment. We will help you determine if it is a scam.
Remember, the only way to book a room on idealista is through the same booking form in the listing, on our website or app, and that it is accepted by the advertiser; only when it is accepted do we charge the credit card you previously entered in the booking request form. We will inform you of the booking acceptance by email and in your private area of Your Bookings on idealista.
If an advertiser asks for a payment, but you have not received an email from idealista confirming that your booking has been accepted, nor do you see it in the Your Bookings section of idealista, do not proceed with that transaction.