On Thursday January 16, a woman was left devastated after being conned into paying a deposit for a home she thought she’d soon live in. Instead the woman, who wished to be kept anonymous, found herself on the other end of a scam – devised so cleverly by a conman posing as the owner of the house.
“I have been looking for a flat or house in Witbank (eMalahleni) to rent for me and my daughter,” the woman told, saying that she had found the advertisement for a Duplex on the Internet. “I phoned the man, who even arranged for me to go take a look at the house.” The conman had allegedly told the woman that there was no need to work through the property-agent and that she could pay the deposit directly into his account. After viewing the property, the single mother got the ‘home owner’s’ banking details to deposit the money. “He even called me afterwards to confirm that the money went through.”
After the payment was made, the conman disappeared and the woman later discovered that the home she had supposedly paid for was already rented out to someone else.
The property-agent, who was contacted after the incident, reported receiving a strange phone call a few days later, from another woman who was interested in the Duplex and also spoke with the unknown man pretending to be the owner. “He used my name to get the people inside to view the property,” the agent told. “He uses the same email and banking details, but changes his name and number.”
Residents and people looking to rent are warned to be cautious against scams like these. “When viewing the home, the property agent must be present – if not, then you have to be suspicious. If you are asked to deposit the money into a private account and not through the property agents, then you have to know something is wrong.”
A case of fraud was opened at the police station.
