I thought I'd got my dream flat - so did 23 others

The next day they could not reach Fringe so reported the matter to the police.

Warade said the experience was "harrowing".

"Especially in cases like these where a false sense of urgency is created, it becomes all the more stressful.

"It has definitely made me super cautious and I think I will forever be on my toes now every time I'm renting in London.

"There's something about just the trauma of having to go through something that makes me lose the trust in the market and how it works."

The flat was listed on both OpenRent and Zoopla.

Open Rent said it offered its "sympathies" to those "affected by fraudulent activities" but claimed it had "a comprehensive vetting system in place to verify the legitimacy of landlords and properties listed on our platform".

"Upon receiving this report we acted promptly, removing the listing and suspending the account pending the outcome of any investigation," a spokesperson said.

"When users choose to pay off-platform against our explicit guidance, which appears to be the case here, unfortunately we cannot guarantee the safety of funds.

"Our ability to help recover funds is more limited when direct bank transfers have been made to a private individual off-platform."

Zoopla did not respond to the BBC.

The flat was advertised as being managed by a letting agent calling itself Propertiesmatter.com.

Its website used to describe it as a "leading UK real estate agency" with "eight branches" and "170 staff". That website appears to have been taken down.

However, only two staff members were named online. The agent also claimed to be a member of the industry body Arla Propertymark. Arla said it had no record of the name.

An address listed for complaints links, on Companies House, went to an unrelated firm with a similar name.

A spokesperson for that company told the BBC it was unaware its details were being used without its knowledge or consent, had nothing to do with the flat, and said it was a "victim of corporate identity theft".

Using tenancy documents given to us by Satchit Warade, the BBC traced an email address linked to the person listed as the landlord, Edward Robinson, who appeared to have bought the property in March 2025. The email was connected to the same email account used by the letting agent.

Awosika said her group emailed Robinson when she could not access the flat but never received a reply.

Another prospective tenant claimed building managers flagged to him the issue on the day of the failed move-in. The BBC contacted both men. The person known as Fringedid not respond while Robinson declined to answer questions and ended the call.

Another student, Samyek, told how he was part of a group that transferred more than £26,000 to a different personnamed as landlord on their contract. Tenants were given different landlord names and bank details, but all linked to the same address, the BBC found.

After reporting the matter as a suspected fraud, Samyek managed to recover most of his money through his bank. The case was passed by Report Fraud to Kent Police, which is now investigating.

All the affected would-be tenants told the BBC they felt pressured to pay more than they could afford.

The National Residential Landlord Association said demands for large upfront payments were a major warning sign.

The organisation's chief policy advisor said prospective tenants should:

• Try to verify that the letting agent is legitimate, such as ensuring they are members of one of the reputable membership bodies for example SafeAgent or PropertyMark
• If they have a high street presence, insist on going to one of their offices
• Try not to be pressured into doing something that you might not do if you had more time to consider
• Avoid deals that appear too good to be true and step back if you're being put under too much pressure to act quickly. Say you'll take away the contract and the paperwork and you'll review it that evening

As for Awosika, she said the experience had left her far more cautious.

"It was such an elaborate scam," she said. "It felt real. Telling my mum was awful.

"It was a huge amount of money – and it was just gone."

Additional reporting by Thomas Spencer and Paul Myers.