Dear reader!
Since the launch of Erasmate we have helped many people finding and renting rooms, unfortunately, we also received few emails reporting scammers on our platform. Although we have warned several times to be cautious when it comes to transferring money, some people became victim of scams.
Therefore we’d like to share a black list of users identified as potential scammers:
- Daniela Andress Esser
- Dario Robles / Robles Liro
- Hooper Jane
- Jordan Cowell
- Julia Torrado
- Lea Ginette / Lea Gen / Lea Genetti
- Laureen Mourus
- Malleville Adrien
- Mery Sankara
- Michael Cheng / Michael Ruben
- Roberto Lara / Roberto Lar
- Sonia Koneh
- Soren Wengerowsky
- Susan Rob / Rob James / James Robinson
- Sven Thorwarth
- Tessa Anouk
Although these users have been blocked from our system, they often re-register under other email accounts. Do you recognize part of their names in usernames or email addresses, stop your conversation!
How can you recognize a potential scammer?
* Invites to communicate via private email accounts (instead of via the Erasmate mailing system)
* Question to transfer X months of rent and deposit
* Question to transfer money via WesternUnion
We recognize that all scammers ask for payments via WesterUnion. We recommend to only make payments to personal bank accounts.
In case you belief to be in touch with a scammer, quite your conversation and report to us!
We’re working hard on preventing scams. Soon our new platform with increased security standards will be launched in order to minimize scam activity.
Do not hesitate to spread this blog post to friends using our platform in order to increase awareness!
Best regards Your Erasmate Team
Dear all!
June and July are for most students the months in which they get to hear whether they can participate in the upcoming Erasmus exchange semester from September 2011 onwards.
Have you been accepted? Congrats! You’re awaiting one of the most beautiful experiences in your student life!
The Erasmate team notices an enormous increase in number of people visiting the website each day. Via this blog post we’d like to remind you of a few things:
* Please communicate via our mail functionality in order to minimize the risk of being scammed. We’re daily checking on the validity of our users and directly block users who appear to be unreliable lessors. When you communicate via the platform you’ll directly notice when someone is blocked.
* Next to the arrangements of your housing, you can book flights, arrange travel insurances, and buy your travel guides at Erasmate.com.
* Erasmate.com offers a legally binding rental contract in order to increase your security when renting or lessing an apartment. As we’re seeing an enormous increase in traffic the last months, we’d like to celebrate this and offer you our tenancy agreement for a 50% DISCOUNT until the end of August.
* We’d like to thank all of you who gave us input for the new website. We’re working hard in order to meet your wishes…Stay tuned!
Mates, live with passion and enjoy your journey!
Your Erasmate Team
Dear fans, friends, users!
Erasmate is a free platform to use for all of you. This unfortunately means that some people are using the website in order to try to earn a little extra money on the side. We recommend to never pay money in advance in case you’re asked to do so. Deposits can obviously be agreed upon, however, we recommend to only pay deposits after seeing the property.
In order to provide both lessor and lessee with extra security on the validity of agreements made, we offer a legally binding rental contract. As the ‘BuyNow’ button currently doesn’t function well, you can send an email to info@erasmate.com indicating to be interested in a rental contract and we’ll make sure to send you a PDF by email after receiving payment via bank transfer. As we realize it’s a bit more work to arrange the payment via bank transfer, we currently offer our rental contract for a discounted price of €24,95
We hope to have warned you and provided you a solution!
Best, Jorn
Planet Earth is an evil place. It happens everyday, people being asked to provide their bank account details in order for criminals to transfer money to their account. Although the offers might sound great, never provide your details. The police will always track you down and although it can appear as an innocent deal, in case of cooperation you’re an accessory and punishable!
This is how it works:
In case you’ll be approached by email via our system, inform us directly at info@erasmate.com. Stay cautious and be aware with personal details!
Dear Erasmus friends!
Today we’d like to share a post by Johann Quassowski: an Erasmus student going to Berlin upcoming semester, and employed by Biodeals.
Are you doing your Erasmus in Germany next semester? If yes, and if you’d like to diversify your diet beyond bratwurst and beer, I recommend Biodeals. Biodeals offers different bio, organic or fair-trade products every week against discounted student-friendly prices.
Sign up for our newsletter in order to receive even more discount on your first purchase.
Party hard, but don’t forget your healthy additions to your student-diet!
Additional information: you’ll need to understand/read some German to order and, so far, we are not delivering outside of Germany.
PS: Johann is going to Berlin next semester. Are you still looking for a roommate? Check out his profile here.
Hi everyone!
As Erasmate is a free platform and everyone is able to upload housing ads, there is always a possibility that our platform is abused by scammers. We do our best to keep the platform scam-free, but unfortunately found one scamming user, using the email address: mallevilleadrien@yahoo.de. Obviously, we direclty blocked this person and erased his ad.
To keep everyone alert, please forward this message to all your friends! Also, should you come across an offer which looks suspicious to you, do not hestitate to contact us.
However, let this be a lesson at the same time. To be on the safe side when dealing with people you don’t know personally (yet), do not pay anything in advance before moving in and be sure to sign a valid rental agreement.
Enjoy this beautiful Tuesday and let’s all make sure that Erasmate stays a safe-to-use platform.
Best regards, Your Erasmate Team
Erasmates!
We found a funny and informative video for all students interested in an Erasmus exchange to Granada. Listen to some information about Granada with it’s many Universities, Erasmus exchange students, insides on where to party and information about housing in Granada.
Watch the video here.
Today we would like to share some different websites with you to buy your books, flights and arrange your student bank account and/or visa card.
For all Erasmus students in Switzerland, check out BOL. Here you can buy your travel guides, study books and way more readings.
Are you planning to go to Warsaw - Poland for your exchange? Book your flight at our partner BravoFly. In case you’re living in Poland and want to fly out to another European country, we recommend eSky for cheap flights.
Erasmus students in Portugal, this might be an interesting website for you guys: www.exit.pt. In case you have some days of and want to check out what more this country has to offer, book your short trip here.
Finally, a recommendation for all Erasmus students in Belgium. During your exchange period in Belgium, you might have a site job to financially support yourself. In most cases Belgium employers request a national bank account to transfer the money to. Have a look here to open a student account and request your Visa card at PNB Paribas-Fortis.
For other special savings, check out our constantly updated student deals!
Erasmate, as you know, is all about helping students find affordable accommodation across Europe. By bringing together people, who currently don’t need their own place with people searching for temporary housing, we help both parties benefit. The sublessor does not pay rent for an empty space, the subtenant gets a room or flat without a long term binding rental contract after paying an enormous amount of money to some agency.
While the housing offers on Erasmate are obviously focused on student needs and budgets, a similar situation exists in many European cities with regard to renting larger appartments and flats. That’s why a fellow from Munich, Germany, has come up with a new way of how he wants to find his perfect flat without paying fees to an agency in the range of ~5000 Euros!
Through the website stattmakler.de (which can roughly be translated with ‘instead of a real estate agent’) Alexander is gathering tips and advice from people about flats that match his needs. For every valuable hint he gets, Alexander donates 5 Euros to charity. In addition, everyone recommending a place or a new way of finding Alexander his dream home, enters a raffle to win an original Apple iPad (UMTS/64GB)!
A great idea to avoid paying an outrages amount of money to an agent, who does hardly more than just show you around in a place that isn’t even their own. With his website, Alexander will most likely find a nicer flat and very certainly at lower costs, so if you happen to know someone with a free 4-5 room appartment in Munich, give Alexander a hint and maybe you are soon the happy owner of that iPad
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It might seem as a minor details and too much hassle to go through… But have you thought about arranging an insurance for your travelling during your Erasmus year?
We keep our fingers crossed for you that nothing will happen to you, but not only might you have problems when going to your final Erasmus destination; you may also want to travel around during the year and that always involves certain risks.
Even if you are the most careful person on the planet, there is unfortunately always a chance that due to someone else’s fault you get into problems.
That’s why we recommend you Columbus Direct for an affordable travel insurance. You can currently get a quote with their Spanish, Italian and German offices:
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For further insurance options in other countries, you can also request a quote on travel insurances from our other partner, WorldNomads.com.
Uncategorized | Erasmate Team | 
September 14, 2011 4:35 pm | 
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