Safety guide

The golden rules

• See the room before you pay anything. In person is best. If you're moving from interstate or overseas, insist on a live video call where they walk you through the room — not a pre-recorded video.
• Never pay a bond, deposit or "holding fee" before you've seen it. A genuine household will not ask you to pay to secure a room you haven't inspected.
• Keep your messages on Roomee. If something goes wrong, we have a record and can act. Scammers push to move to WhatsApp or email quickly — treat that as a warning sign.
• Pay traceably. When you do pay a bond or rent, use a bank transfer to an Australian account — never gift cards, crypto, or international money transfer services.
• In Victoria, bonds should be lodged with the RTBA. If you pay a bond for a registered rental, the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority holds it — not someone's personal account.

Common scam patterns

• The overseas lister. "I'm working abroad, my agent will post you the keys once you transfer the bond." There is no agent and no keys.
• The stolen listing. Photos lifted from a real estate site, priced well under market to create urgency. If the price looks too good for the suburb, search the photos before engaging.
• The pressure play. "Three other people want it — pay today to hold it." Genuine households want to meet you first; scammers want your money before you think.
• The fake payment platform. A link to a page that looks like Roomee, Airbnb or a bank, asking for card details. Roomee will never link you to a payment page for a room.
• The reversed direction. Seekers can be targets too — "I'll send you a cheque for more than the bond, transfer the difference back." The cheque bounces after you've sent real money.

Meeting safely

• Tell a friend where you're going and when, or bring someone along to the inspection.
• Meet at the property during daylight where possible.
• Don't hand over ID documents. A household may reasonably ask to sight ID at signing — but never send scans of your passport or licence over chat.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels off about the person or the room, walk away — there will be other rooms.

How to report

If a listing, profile or message looks suspicious, email us at support@roomee.com.au with a link to the listing or the name of the account. We look at every report within 24 hours, and we remove listings and ban accounts that break the rules.

If you've lost money to a scam, also report it to Scamwatch and your bank as soon as possible — banks can sometimes recall a recent transfer.