Embedded Files
What is a Rental Scam? Rental fraud occurs when someone claiming to be a property manager or landlord tries to rent an Opendoor home. Scammers/fraudsters try to collect an application fee, security deposit, or rent before the prospective renter recognizes the scam.
If someone has actively moved into the home, this is considered a Security Incident, not a rental scam. Please use the link to review the Security Incident filing process. If you receive a call from someone who moved into the home, following up let them know that someone from Trust&Safety will be reaching out shortly.
Suggested Verbiage: "We have taken the information you have provided and forwarded it to our Trust and Safety Team. Someone from that team will be in touch with you in the next 24 hrs and will go over the process of vacating the home." Ibex: Please also flag any escalations to your leads.
Check the common questions section for suggested verbiage.
Objectives
Objectives
Our first step should be to inform the victim that Opendoor’s homes are not for rent. We want to be empathetic to the caller and their situation, as it is typically an extremely stressful period of time. We should do the following:
Gather Information for Trust and Safety Team to respond
Provide tips to protect the victim
Verbiage to use when a caller mentions an Opendoor home is for rent/they are trying to access a home that they’ve rented, etc.
* “I'm sorry sounds like you mentioned you are trying to rent this property, I wanted to let you know that Opendoor homes are for sale only, and not for rent. It seems that you were given misleading information. This property is owned by Opendoor and it is very concerning because it sounds like there are some people misusing our properties. I would like to get some additional information from you and escalate this to our Trust and Safety team. This will greatly help their investigation efforts. Is that okay with you?”
Follow Up Action
* If the victim has moved in → Log Security Incident
* If the victim has NOT moved in → Send JIRA Ticket
Rental Scam Call Flow
Rental Scam Call Flow
Filing a Rental Scam Ticket
Filing a Rental Scam Ticket
Filing a rental scam ticket will require you to gather information from the person reporting the scam. Complete the following to ensure you have a well- rounded Rental Scam ticket.
Set email for confirmation of receipt. This should be the email of the individual filling out the form.
Summary- This is the ticket title, and will be used by the Trust and Safety team to track recurring homes, suspects, and callers/victims. Please fill out the summary in the following format:
Street Address, Suspect Name, Caller Name
Example: 1234 Bruce Wayne Ave, Mr. Bane, Alfred
If you are unable to obtain the Suspect’s name, fill in with Unknown Suspect
If you are unable to obtain the Caller’s name, fill in with Unknown Caller
You should always obtain the address of the home that is being targeted so that Trust and Safety can take the appropriate action.
Caller Name- if not provided - leave blank
Caller Phone Number- if not provided - leave blank
Caller Admin Link - provide customer admin link, if not applicable leave blank
Indicate where the home is being advertised, you can select from the drop-down menu the appropriate options.
Market - Select from the drop-down the appropriate market
Days on Market - how long the home has been advertised (you can see this in admin)
9. Rental Posting URL- link rental advertisement if available, otherwise leave blank
10. Did the caller send money to the suspect?- Select the correct response. You should always confirm if funds have been sent. Use the description field to indicate the dollar amount, methods of sending the funds, and/or any information related to the scammers (e.g. CashApp account, scammer’s bank information)
11. Did caller access home?- Select the appropriate response under the drop-down menu. The Trust and Safety team will use this and the next two fields to review Doorman logs and/or attempt to find a user account. If yes, please provide date and time. Click the arrow to the right to get insights on gaining access.
12. Property Link - Make sure to provide the Admin Link to the home that is being reported.
13. Suspect Name- If available, provide the suspect’s name. Otherwise, leave it blank.
14. Suspect Email- If the caller indicates that they have communicated via email with the suspect, collect the suspect’s email address.
Insights on gaining access:
Insights on gaining access:
Only complete if the caller accessed the home- Check the appropriate boxes so that the Trust and Safety team can identify how the home is accessed. See the sub-points for a brief explanation of each choice.
* Caller called in for access- This should be checked if the caller is calling Opendoor directly to request access.
* Suspect Provided Code to Caller- Check this box if the caller indicated that the scammer sent an unlock code to the caller. This usually means that there was an access attempt by the scammer that Trust and Safety would subsequently investigate.
* Suspect Remotely Unlocked Door- Check this box if the caller indicated that they corresponded with the scammer and the door was unlocked for them prior to entering the house. This usually means that the suspect used the app to unlock the home directly. This would be a situation that Trust and Safety would subsequently investigate.
* Other (include method in the description)- Check this box if the means of access does not fit into any of the above categories. Remember to write a brief description of how the caller accessed the home.
15. Suspect Phone- If available, otherwise leave blank
16. Suspect Admin Link- If admin link is present, please provide. Do not proactively create a new account. Trust and Safety will review the suspect user, and set the appropriate Trust level as needed.
17. Description- Describe in detail the conversation you had with the caller. Be sure to include any information that might be useful for Trust and Safety to know and track.
Once you have completed the form, click Send. A member of the Trust and Safety team will review the ticket, and take the appropriate actions. You may be contacted via slack or mentioned in the ticket to provide clarification as needed.
Common Questions/FAQ Section
Common Questions/FAQ Section
Caller mentions an Opendoor home is for rent/they are trying to access a home that they’ve rented, etc.
Suggested Verbiage: “I'm sorry sounds like you mentioned you are trying to rent this property, I wanted to let you know that Opendoor homes are for sale only, and not for rent. It seems that you were given misleading information. This property is owned by Opendoor and it is very concerning because it sounds like there are some people misusing our properties. I would like to get some additional information from you and escalate this to our Trust and Safety team. This will greatly help their investigation efforts. Is that okay with you?”
Well, are you going to reimburse me? This is your home.
Suggested Verbiage: I appreciate you bringing attention to this incredibly unfortunate circumstance and can empathize with how upsetting this is for you and your family. What I’d encourage you to do is contact the local authorities to file a police report which will open an investigation to support any further actions. Because Opendoor did not collect any funds from you, we wouldn’t be in a position to reimburse you but are more than happy to provide anything needed to the local authorities to support their investigation.
How soon are you kicking me out of the house?
Suggested Verbiage: We understand the circumstances this situation has put you in and would never wish this for anyone. But because we have this home actively listed for sale, you will have to vacate the home as soon as possible. I have taken the information you provided and forwarded it to our Trust and Safety Team. Someone from that team will be in touch with you in the next 24 hrs and will go over the process of vacating the home.
Is anyone going to follow up with me?
If they moved into the home:
Please keep in mind that we have this home actively listed for sale, you will have to vacate the home as soon as possible. But we have taken the information you have provided and forwarded it to our Trust and Safety Team. Someone from that team will be in touch with you in the next 24 hrs and will go over the process of vacating the home.
They have not moved in:
We have taken the information you have provided and forwarded it to our Trust and Safety Team. What I’d encourage you to do next is to contact the local authorities to file a police report which will open an investigation to support any further actions. And our Trust and Safety team will be more than happy to provide anything needed to the local authorities to support their investigation.
How is Opendoor going to prevent this from happening in the future?
Suggested Verbiage: We take safety and security very seriously at Opendoor. Not only for our homes but for our neighbors and customers that visit our homes. Our Trust and Safety Team is continually evaluating and implementing new ways to try and prevent frauds like these from happening. The information you provided us will only help us to improve how we prevent this type of situation from happening.
Additional Verbiage: We’re increasing our online monitoring process because that is how customers are made aware of the fraudulent rental. We’re also exploring ways to make it more clear that our homes are not for rent.
How can you prove you own this home and it’s not for rent? I have a signed rental agreement!
Suggested Verbiage: You can download our app where you can verify that this home is owned and for sale by Opendoor. Additionally, if you visit our website you can enter the address for this home and it will confirm the same information. We also encourage you to contact the local authorities to file a police report which will open an investigation to support any further actions.
How will filing a police report help me?
Suggested Verbiage: Filing a police report will open an investigation and enable law enforcement to gather facts needed to investigate and hopefully locate this suspect. Additionally, our Trust and Safety team will be more than happy to provide anything needed to the local authorities to support their investigation.
Does this happen frequently?
Suggested Verbiage: It has happened. Each occurrence is deeply concerning to our team which is why our Trust and Safety Team is continually evaluating and implementing new ways to try and prevent situations like these from happening.
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