How the checker assesses a listing

What the checker evaluates

The listing text is checked against a library of 41 language and behaviour indicators grouped into 8 categories, plus 5 trust signals that count in a listing’s favour, and a price comparison against local rent data for 52 cities across 6 countries. The categories:

How the verdict is decided

Each matched indicator adds a weighted amount to a risk score; trust signals subtract from it. The score and the number of strong indicators map to one of three plain-language verdicts:

• Fewer warning signs detected — few or no indicators found (not a guarantee the listing is genuine).
• Review recommended — some indicators worth a closer look before you engage.
• Significant warning signs — multiple or serious indicators; treat with strong caution.

Every verdict is shown with the number of indicators found and the single strongest concern, so you can judge the evidence yourself rather than trust a bare score. The score is a heuristic aid, not a precise measurement.

Price context

When a price and location are available, the listing is compared against typical local rents for the area. A price far below the local average is one of the strongest fraud signals — but the comparison is a rough, city-wide estimate. It doesn’t account for neighbourhood, size, or condition, so it’s treated as one signal, never a verdict.

What the checker does not verify

The analysis reads the listing text only. It cannot confirm any of the following, which is why an in-person check is always the final safeguard:

• Who owns the property
• The identity of the person who posted the listing
• Whether the photographs were copied from elsewhere
• Whether the property is currently available or occupied
• Whether a named company is legally registered

Where the indicators come from

The indicator library is informed by public fraud reporting from the FTC, the BBB Scam Tracker, national consumer-protection guidance (e.g. Action Fraud in the UK), and the safety advice published by the rental platforms themselves. Reporting routes shown after a result are official, free government bodies matched to the listing’s country.

Data & freshness

The indicator library and rent benchmarks are maintained and updated periodically as scam tactics and rental markets change; the rent data is a point-in-time snapshot, not a live feed. Because the checks are pattern-based, new scam wording may not be caught until the library is updated — another reason no automated tool should be your only safeguard.

Your privacy

Text you paste is analysed in your browser and isn’t sent to us. If you submit a link, our server — or, for sites that block us, a free third-party reader service — fetches that public page so its contents can be read, then the analysis runs in your browser; the retrieved content isn’t retained. Full detail is in the privacy policy.

The honest bottom line

No automated tool can guarantee a listing — or a landlord — is legitimate. FlagMyListing is built to show you what deserves attention and why, so you can verify the rest: view the property in person, confirm ownership through public records, and never transfer money before you’ve done both.