Pay-before-viewing requests hit students and newcomers hardest, because they are often searching from abroad and cannot simply walk over to check. The pattern is consistent enough to be recognisable in advance, which matters a great deal: money sent this way is very rarely recovered once it has left the account.
Treat it as one until proven otherwise — paying before viewing is one of the oldest tricks in the Dutch rental market. Red flags worth knowing: - the "landlord" is conveniently abroad and can't show the place in person - pressure to wire money fast because "others are interested" - price noticeably below comparable listings in the area - requests to pay via Western Union, crypto, or a foreign IBAN rather than a normal transfer - refusal to video call, show ID, or prove ownership A quick Kadaster lookup tells you who actually owns a property, and reverse-image-searching the listing photos often reveals they were lifted from a real Pararius or Funda listing. Never send money before viewing in person and signing. If you've already paid, report it to Fraudehelpdesk.nl and your bank straightaway — recovery odds fall off fast after the first day.