«Send me a photo of your ID and your last payslip»
Asking for documents to check that you can pay is normal. Asking for them before meeting you, over WhatsApp and without showing you the flat, is something else: with a copy of your passport or ID card they can steal your identity.
What is normal
After you have visited the property, when you are about to sign, the landlord or agency usually asks for proof that you can pay (payslips, a job contract, a grant or a guarantor) and your details for the contract. They can check your identity by seeing your ID or passport in person.
Warning signs
- You are asked for documents before the viewing, or to «book» the viewing.
- They want a photo of both sides of your ID, a selfie holding it, or your card details.
- Whoever asks does not give their full name or the exact address, or cannot show you the flat.
- Once you have sent them, the request for money arrives.
If you have to send a copy
- Send it only once you have seen the flat and know who you are signing with.
- Write across it, without covering the photo or the number: «Copy for renting [address], [date]». That makes it much harder to use for anything else.
- On a payslip you can cover what is not needed, such as your social security number or bank account.
If you already sent them to someone who turned out to be a scammer
Report it to the police and say that you sent a copy of your ID: if someone uses it later, the report helps you show it was not you. Watch your accounts and your post for loans or contracts you did not ask for. INCIBE's free 017 helpline can advise you. More steps in I've paid and think it's a scam.
No documents before you have seen the flat. And no money before visiting it and signing a contract.