Watch out for sneaky rental scammers in eMalahleni
It is alleged that the woman deposited R3 000 into the supposed agent’s account.
A woman was scammed out of R3 000, all because of a rental scam.
According to the police report, the woman saw an advert on social media for a rental flat.
She called the number on the advert and spoke to a female, who advised they talk further on Whatsapp.
On Wednesday, September 25, she allegedly made an electronic transfer of R3 000 to the supposed agent.
To her surprise, the woman, posing as a rental agent, allegedly asked the woman to make a second deposit as the first one was not reflected in her account.
It is said that the woman knew she had been defrauded and quickly rushed to the bank to stop the transition on Thursday, September 26.
Fortunately, she was able to get her money back.
WITBANK NEWS reached out to real estate agents in eMalahleni who raised their concerns over the fraudulent scams.
Lindi du Plessis who markets estates for private owners, informed that the biggest problem is that people pay deposits without viewing the property first.
“Private owners will never allow that. You have to view it first, and they want to meet you. And when paying, make sure it’s the owner’s details. That’s why people rather rent privately and not through agents. If renting through an agent, the banking details must be the company, not a person’s account,” Du Plessis emphasised.
She also warned that potential tenants trust too quickly, and sometimes the address doesn’t exist. She advised people to always Google the address and company details.
“When paying, make sure it’s the owners, company or estate agency’s details. If renting through an agent, the banking details must be the company, not a person’s account. Always phone the principal of the company and confirm the status of the agent,” Du Plessis ended.
Avern Ashington said that he is a qualified agent with 10 years of experience and advised that people should work with registered agents.
“If you choose to work with a small agency, make sure it is registered. Then make sure you work with a registered agent from the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority. It was created to protect clients and agents.
People choose these backyard agencies because they don’t do credit checks on clients. Whereas established agencies do perform credit checks. People should also educate themselves. Never in a million years do you pay an agent directly money, never!” Avern warned.
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