Security instructions

How we protect our users

Our automated systems continuously analyse all listings and forward any suspicious content directly to our trained Trust & Safety team. They carefully review the suspicious content and remove any listings that violate our guidelines or are potentially fraudulent. This approach combines modern technology with human oversight.

Have you spotted a suspicious listing yourself? You can forward it to us directly using the Report function in the listing. This helps keep our platform secure. 

Contents

How can I protect my user account?
Fraudulent listings
Theft of user data (phishing)
Misuse of contact forms
Checklist

How can I protect my user account?

• Use multi-factor authentication: enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) whenever it’s available on a website. This is the most secure way to protect your login.
   
• Use strong passwords: avoid common words and personal references such as names or birth dates. Use at least eight characters and combine upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters.
   
• Use a separate password for each account: never reuse your password for different accounts. Change it immediately if you suspect it’s been compromised.
   
• Manage your passwords securely: use a password manager to store your passwords securely and access them easily. Never share your password with anyone. Homegate will never ask you for your password.
   
• Additional security: never share your login or payment details via links, QR codes or e-mails. Always log in directly at https://www.homegate.ch/.
   
• Tip: Lock your devices when you’re not using them.

Fraudulent listings

Be careful if an advertised property seems too good to be true: this could be a fraudulent listing. Report any suspicious listing immediately via the Report function or our customer service team so that we can review it and delete it if necessary.

The properties offered may vary, as can the name of the lister. However, the approach used in such listings is always very similar. They tend to have certain features that can help you spot such a scam.

Red flags

• The advertised properties are presented as high-quality and in prime locations, but they’re priced unusually low for such locations. The listings often feature attractive interior shots or use copied images from previous, genuine listings.
   
• As a rule, contact is exclusively by e-mail. Interested parties are informed that a viewing is only possible after an advance payment, usually equivalent to one month’s rent or the tenancy deposit.
   
• Once the requested amount has been transferred, the scammers immediately delete the listing and the money is lost. In some cases, credit card or personal information is also requested in an attempt to carry out further fraudulent activities.

Beware of supposedly trustworthy websites posing as “trustees”

Scammers often claim to work with known third-party companies that supposedly act as intermediaries for payments. They suggest processing the tenancy deposit through a company such as Airbnb or Booking.com, or making a paid reservation there.

This gives the impression that the money is securely deposited and will be refunded if the tenancy does not go ahead. In reality, however, the links sent lead to fake websites that look deceptively similar to the real ones. Only the URL shows that it is fake. If you transfer the money, it is usually lost.

An international logistics company whose website is fake is also often suggested for handling the handover of keys. The scammers then attempt to fraudulently obtain money by requesting advance payment for the service.

How to protect yourself

• Always avoid making advance payments of any kind – a reputable lister will not ask for any advance payments for viewings, but always carries them out in person.
   
• Transfer a tenancy deposit only to an official tenancy deposit account and not to the landlord’s account.
   
• Check the contact details: names and addresses often don’t match. You may be able to check seller pseudonyms, company names and personal names in advance using search engines.
   
• Never click on links sent to you by strangers, even if they seem legitimate. Always open the website directly from https://www.homegate.ch/
   
• Report suspicious listings to our customer service team immediately. You can do this directly in the listing using the Report function.
   
• If you have any questions, please ask our customer service team directly.

Theft of user data (phishing)

Scammers use phishing to try to gain access to confidential data. They do this by sending deceptively authentic e-mails or other messages in the name of well-known companies, such as Homegate.

The phishing message will ask you to enter your login details (username and password) via a link. However, the link does not lead to the proper website of the supposed sender, but to a website made to look identical by the scammer. Often, such a message threatens that the recipient’s account will be deleted if they do not respond within a certain period of time. This data gives the scammers access to your account, so they can then attempt to log in to other services.

Examples of what such a message might look like:

How to protect yourself

• To access your Homegate account, always manually enter the homepage address www.homegate.ch/ (or bookmark it) instead of clicking on the link provided in the message.
   
• Only enter your username and password if you are sure that you are on the Homegate website. You can verify this by checking that the address (URL) in your browser starts with https://www.homegate.ch/ or https://contact.homegate.ch/.
   
• Report the incident to our customer service team immediately. Delete the message and block the sender if you are certain that it is a phishing attempt.
   
• If you are unsure whether it is an attempted scam or not, it is best to contact our customer service team first. Please send a screenshot of the message so we can check it immediately.

Misuse of contact forms

Fraud attempts can occur not only via fake listings, but also through enquiries received in response to a normal listing. Scammers pretend to be interested parties and try to switch over to external channels as quickly as possible or exert pressure. Watch out in particular for the following signs:

• The “interested party” wants to switch to WhatsApp or another messaging service immediately. They exert pressure, e.g. by claiming urgency or requesting an immediate reply. In such cases, report the incident directly to our customer service team.
   
• Homegate will never contact you via the contact form. If you receive a message claiming to be from Homegate, report the enquiry to our customer service team immediately.
   
• You may be sent links that supposedly take you to verifications or account checks. Never click on them and never transfer money.

How to protect yourself

• Do not respond to suspicious requests and do not open any links sent to you via the contact form or messaging services.
   
• Never transfer any money, even for alleged identity or account verifications.
   
• Report any suspicious enquiries to the customer service team immediately so that we can investigate the incident and protect other users.

Checklist: Use common sense when searching

• Too good to be true: be especially cautious if the apartment seems incredibly cheap or the ad is otherwise implausible (“4.5-room apartment in Zurich city for CHF 1,000 per month”). This applies to properties advertised for rent or to buy. If an offer seems too good to be true, it usually is. If you have a bad gut feeling, then you should be suspicious.
   
• Never share your password or click on links in suspicious messages. You should only submit personal documents such as copies of your ID or bank details as part of a verified rental agreement and never via unknown or unverified websites.
   
• Check an offer is genuine: you can sometimes tell a fake listing by generic “catalogue photos” and boilerplate descriptions and text. Clumsily phrased adverts may also indicate that fraudsters are operating from abroad and using poor translation services.
   
• Suspicious behaviour: practically speaking, it is highly unlikely that any property management company would want to avoid conducting a viewing or drawing up a contract. In addition, all interested parties have the right to view an apartment free of charge and without any obligation. Therefore, be especially cautious if keys are to be issued to you only upon payment. Homegate does not conduct viewings or send out keys.
   
• Ensure correct procedure is followed: first, you should be able to verify who the lister is (in the case of the landlord: business address, responsible property manager, rental agreement).
   
• Classic excuse – “the landlord is abroad”: you should be suspicious if everything is done anonymously via telephone and e-mail. Ask pertinent questions if the logo, name, company name, e-mail addresses, etc. seem unusual or unprofessional.
   
• Homegate checks all the ads it receives thoroughly before they go live. As a result, in the vast majority of cases, fraudulent ads don’t even go online and make up a very small percentage of all listings. Are you unsure about a listing that looks suspicious? Then you can report it directly using the dedicated Report function below the listing.
   
• In general, it is important to be vigilant and use common sense on the internet at all times. Property platforms themselves are unable to launch legal or criminal proceedings against scammers. If you suspect something or have been the victim of a scam, you should contact the police. Homegate will support the police or the public prosecutor’s office in their investigations.