The FTC, California, and five other states have launched a lawsuit against the roommate-finding and rental listing app Roomster over claims of false postings and ratings. Rental discovery applications range from those for vehicles and tools to those for homes. Based on a recent reports describing the litigation, I said that.
The app is specifically accused of wanting to con renters who are students and those with low incomes. This is done through its listings, which are primarily targeted towards people in need of shared lodgings, and a monthly fee consumers pay to enable messaging between possible tenants and landlords.
Many of those listings were unverified, according to the FTC, California, and the attorneys general in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. Even worse, it’s claimed that a portion of the listings on websites like Craigslist and others were completely made up. All with the aim of attracting new customers.
Advertisement The FTC’s ire was not limited to fake listings on Roomster. Now, the FTC doesn’t just mention false listings as an accusation. However, using phony rental properties and permitting frauds to grow are already unacceptable. If the accusations are proven true in court, it will help the agency put a stop to app fraud.
The FTC claims that Roomster used fabricated app evaluations in addition to listings for private rooms and affordable rents that were mixed in with legitimate listings. And it’s available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The parties who are suing claim that the reviews also aimed to attract customers. Furthermore, it makes it more challenging for potential renters to obtain proper housing.
In fact, it was discovered during an audit of the business and its app that Roomster had directly paid for false evaluations. said to have paid for at least 20,000 fabricated favorable reviews. John Shriber, a co-founder of Roomster, is purportedly ordering the review-sales company AppWin to write several 5-star IOS app evaluations.
Advertisement According to reports, the executive tried to get the reviews in an effort to elevate the roommate-finding app to the top spot. within the specific app markets, at the very least.
