Beware of Fraudulent Estate Agents
Sometimes, in the course of my job, I come across people that complain that they have just been scammed of their money, that someone claimed that he/she is an agent… they even ask us if we are real or scammers .. Hahaha. It is not funny though, this is real
For instance, The agent goes on to show them an empty room or apartment and asks the client to pay them for the apartment there and then, without giving them a receipt for payment or give them keys, even when asked, the agent will readily give a flimsy excuse that he/she will bring the keys when the client moves into the property or they want to make a copy of the keys or more excuses…
Only for the client to go back to the said property and either find someone else residing in the same property already paid for or find the place looking abandoned with no sign of life, and where is the agent? – nowhere to be found!! Who knows the said agent? – Nobody knows who or what you are talking about. Who was the person I paid money to? – he is a fraud
And so many other stories you guys probably heard of or have experienced personally..
How do I detect or avoid being scammed?
Referrals: Remember that ‘no man is an Island’. When one comes to town for the first time, they usually ask who they should meet for room/accommodation. Also, some clients want to change their rental service providers, they could ask who could give them accommodation and all. In our line of business, we get a lot of referrals. And we are really grateful to all that has been referring our services to their family, friends and colleagues.
Checking search engines: like google, property company Websites / FB pages / FB Groups, Twitter etc. You can easily track their activities such as new updates, new listings, currents affairs and more. How long a company website has been up and how often they update their sites shows that they are here for the long haul.
Do not pay anybody money in the streets! Especially without giving you a receipt or proof of payment. Most of the people that have been scammed paid these people on the streets. Make your payments at their offices or via EFT and always collect proof of payment.
Common sense: Don’t be too trusting but at the same time, apply common sense. Even women can be dubious you know. When an agent is hesitating or is not sure of the details of the property or When a room/property is too cheap to be true or the agent is in a haste for you to pay him/her – these are red-flags! Also take note of new trends on how they are operating.
These are just a few, just be careful. People want to survive, at the same time no one wants to be scammed of his/her hard-earned money as money doesn’t grow on trees.
Watch this space for part 2.
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