We take payment fraud extremely seriously. Our priority is to ensure the integrity of our financial transactions and protect our landlords, tenants, vendors and partners from fraudulent activity.
Suspected payment fraud
If a payment is flagged as fraudulent or we observe suspicious activity, we will:
- Cancel order – Immediately cancel the order, process a refund to the payment method used, and remove any products/services purchased from the associated account.
- Remove advert – Unpublish any associated property advert(s) from partner portals (Rightmove, Zoopla etc.) and remove the listing from lettingaproperty.com.
- Restrict access – Block the associated user from accessing the lettingaproperty.com platform or making further payments pending further investigation.
- Investigate – Conduct a thorough investigation, including contacting the associated landlord and/or tenant, reviewing transaction logs and assessing any other relevant data.
- Communicate – Inform any affected clients, vendors, or partners regarding the suspected fraudulent activity and provide updates on the progress of our investigation.
Following investigation
If the payment activity is deemed to be fraudulent, we will:
- Report – Confirm the activity with our payment processing provider (Stripe), inform law enforcement agencies, and file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) if applicable.
- Monitor – Record all details and share insights internally and continually monitor payment activity in case subsequent similar and/or related incidents occur.
If the payment activity is deemed to be non-fraudulent, we will:
- Inform the landlord/tenant – Provide details findings and outcome of the investigation and offer the option of re-initiating payment and product/service purchases.
- Re-process payment – Use payment method specified by the landlord/tenant, carefully monitoring for successful payment processing before proceeding.
- Reinstate purchases – Republish property listing/advert, if applicable, and add any products and services purchased back into the associated account.
These measures are designed to minimise the impact of any fraudulent activity. We are committed to identifying the cause and extent of these issues and taking steps to prevent future occurrences.