Scammed students warn about housing fraud in Enschede

Packed and ready, Erasmus students Anna (24) and Julita (23) left their university city of Łódź, Poland, three weeks ago for a journey of over thirteen hours by train and bus to Enschede. Everything was arranged, and the Technology of Chemistry students were excited to spend a month studying abroad. Due to a delay in Osnabrück, they arrived at Enschede station around midnight. Google Maps showed the way—just a ten-minute walk to their flat on Stadsmatenstraat, where someone was supposed to hand over the keys.

Cold bench
‘But when we got there, no one showed up,’ the students explain. Out of embarrassment, they prefer not to have their surnames published. ‘When we tried calling the landlord, the number was suddenly out of service—even though we’d been in contact just hours before. We approached a few people passing by, but they didn’t know anything. They said we’d probably been scammed.’

So there they stood, in a strange city in a foreign country, in the middle of the night. ‘And all the hotels were fully booked.’ Instead of spending their first night in their apartment, the two students slept on a bench near the train station, shivering from the cold and distress.

And it’s not as if they had been careless. Julita, who took the lead in the housing search, found an advert in the Facebook group Wohnungen in Enschede. She got in touch with a ‘Gabriela’, who referred them to a ‘Michael Venema’. They were looking for a fully furnished flat. ‘We’re only here for a short time, so we didn’t want to spend days shopping for furniture.’ At the same time, they realised it might be difficult to find a landlord willing to rent out for just one month.

Virtual tour
Julita describes how the communication via WhatsApp and Gmail was smooth and professional. The information provided was detailed and thorough. ‘He even invited us to view the flat.’ But since they were still in Poland, he instead sent videos of a virtual tour around the apartment. It all seemed very real and trustworthy.

Still, ‘Venema’ became increasingly pushy about making a decision quickly, claiming that other people were also interested. He sent them a rental contract in advance, including contact details for a legal representative, to make everything look legitimate. Julita asked many questions, which he answered patiently each time. ‘We even translated the contract into Polish for our parents,’ Anna adds. They didn’t spot anything suspicious either.

‘Great deal’
In total, they paid €1,000 as a deposit and €650 for rent—for a fully furnished flat and a responsive landlord. It seemed like a great deal. They decided to go ahead and transferred the money via the payment app Revolut to an account with Bunq. ‘You’d expect it to be easy to trace who owns that account, but the police say otherwise,’ Julita says.

Strawman account
According to police, the account was likely registered in the name of a so-called strawman—someone who, for a small fee, allows their name to be used to open a bank account, making it appear legitimate. These individuals are often homeless, addicted or in debt, and may be pressured into cooperating. Whether this was the case here, police could not confirm when contacted by U-Today.

Earlier this year, student union LSVb already urged police to begin monitoring this type of fraud, according to an article by De Utrechtse Internet Courant. Although the issue is not new, Enschede police reportedly told Anna and Julita the chance of a successful investigation was slim. ‘The police basically told us to look into it ourselves,’ they say.

A quick Google search of the name ‘Michael Venema’ leads mostly to news articles about someone with the same name who was murdered in Curaçao in 2018.‘ The contract listed an address for the scammer. We were expected to go there ourselves and see if he lived there.’ Given the unsettling search results, they didn’t dare go. ‘Isn’t that the police’s job?’ A fellow student offered to investigate and discovered a completely different family living at the address.

The scammer—and the money—are still nowhere to be found.

Tips for other students
Besides sharing their experience, Anna and Julita also want to offer tips to other international students. ‘Start your search early, so you don’t feel pressured into making hasty decisions. Keep asking questions and double-check everything, even if it looks real. Ask for a live video viewing—don’t accept pre-recorded videos as proof.’

They wish they’d known about dedicated housing platforms like Roomspot beforehand. ‘A lot of useful information only became available after our enrolment was approved,’ Anna explains. ‘That led to rushed decisions.’

Support
Will they ever see their money again? ‘Probably not,’ they say, resigned. Their home university in Łódź is currently reviewing a request for emergency financial support. The Erasmus programme considers its responsibility fulfilled after providing the standard grant. The Polish Consulate in The Hague wasn’t able to help either. According to them, the only thing they can do is share the story publicly to prevent others from falling victim.

Still, the students say they’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and support shown by UT students and staff—something they weren’t used to back home in Poland. ‘Someone in the exchange student WhatsApp group immediately offered us a place to stay for the first two weeks,’ they explain. That’s where they’re currently living, though they’ll have to find a new place soon. ‘It can’t get worse than those first two days. And at least now that we’re here, we can attend viewings in person.’

But offers via WhatsApp or Gmail? They won’t be trusting those again.