Ask anyone who has searched for a room what worries them most, and it's rarely the price. It's the fear of getting scammed.

You find a bright, affordable room in a great neighbourhood. The "landlord" is friendly, replies fast, and just needs a small deposit to hold it for you. Then the messages stop, the listing disappears, and so does your money.

When I started iROOMit, I knew that if people couldn't trust who they were talking to, nothing else we built would matter. So from the start, we put safety at the centre of the app, and we use AI to help. Here's how it works, what it caught last year, and what you can do to protect yourself too.

How rental scams usually work

Most rental scams follow the same script. Once you know it, it's much easier to spot.

• The bait: a room priced well below everything else nearby, often with professional-looking photos copied from a real listing.
• The excuse: the "landlord" can't meet or show the room because they're travelling, working overseas, or their camera is broken.
• The pressure: other people are interested, so you need to decide today.
• The ask: a deposit or first month's rent, paid by gift card, crypto, wire transfer or another method that's hard to trace or reverse.
• The exit: they ask to move the conversation to WhatsApp or text, away from the platform where they could be reported.

Scammers count on two things: that you're in a hurry, and that you won't check. Good screening slows them down and makes checking easy.

How iROOMit screens listings and people

Our AI looks at listings and profiles for the patterns scammers leave behind, so suspicious accounts can be stopped before they reach you.

• Listing content: wording and details that match known scam scripts, like "I'm overseas" or "deposit to hold the room."
• Photos: images that appear to be copied from other listings or websites.
• Prices: rent that's far below what similar rooms in the same area cost.
• Account behaviour: brand-new accounts posting many listings at once, or patterns that match previously removed accounts.

AI is one layer. The others are in your hands, and they're built into the app:

• ID verification for renters and landlords, so you can see who has confirmed their identity.
• Credit reports and background checks when you want extra peace of mind before signing anything.
• In-app chat and video calls, so you can see the person and the room without handing over your phone number.
• Reporting: if something feels off, report it and our team reviews it.

What our AI found last year

In 2025, our AI flagged and stopped about 200 scam attempts before they reached our members.

The most common patterns it caught were fake "overseas landlord" listings, copied photos, or requests to pay outside the app.

Two hundred might not sound like a lot next to the tens of thousands of renters and rooms on iROOMit. That's the point. Every one of those was a person who didn't lose a deposit, didn't waste a weekend chasing a room that never existed, and didn't start their move with a bad experience.

We'll keep sharing these numbers every year, because we think you deserve to know how your safety is being handled, not just be told that it is.

What AI can't do: your part

No system catches everything, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling. The safest renters combine good tools with a few simple habits:

1. See the room before you pay. In person, or on a live video call where they walk you through it. Never pay a deposit for a room you haven't seen.
2. Keep the conversation in the app. If someone pushes you to WhatsApp or text right away, be careful. Staying in the app keeps a record and lets you report them.
3. Never pay with gift cards, crypto or wire transfers. Use a traceable method, and only once you've seen the place and have something in writing.
4. Check for the verified badge. And if it isn't there, ask them to verify. Real landlords and flatmates rarely mind.
5. Trust your gut. If the price is too good, the story keeps changing, or you're being rushed, walk away. There will be other rooms.
6. Report it. Even if you're not sure, a quick report helps protect the next person.

Finding a room shouldn't feel risky

Moving is stressful enough. You shouldn't have to wonder whether the person on the other end is real.

That's why every listing and profile on iROOMit is screened by AI, why ID verification is built in, and why our team reviews every report. If you're looking for a room or a flatmate in [city], download the iROOMit app or visit iroomit.com, look for verified members, and start your search knowing someone is watching out for you.

And if you ever see something that doesn't look right, tell us. That's how we keep getting better at stopping scammers before they reach anyone.