KUALA LUMPUR: Scammers have now ventured into new territory, posing as property agents to dupe unsuspecting renters in the Klang Valley out of thousands of ringgit, with 10 cases reported so far.
Apart from using the profile pictures of legitimate agents and copying their verification numbers on property sites, the scammers even conduct viewing sessions for clients and later collect rental deposits before going missing when the key handover is due.
Victor Lee, a spokesman representing six property agents whose profiles were duplicated by scammers to create identical accounts on a property site to dupe the public, said they only came to know of this after being alerted by their company.
“However, we were not aware of these transactions taking place using our names. Only after it happened did we realise that there were impostors,” Lee told a press conference held by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong here yesterday.
He said checks on the property site would find two accounts of the same agent, with one being fake.
“The contact number on the impostor account also redirects to a private number (which is not ours). Listed property prices in the impostors’ accounts are also lower than market rates to attract clients,” he said.
On viewing sessions conducted by the “agents”, Lee said he suspected the impostors rented the property through online rental sites, thus giving them access.
The scammers, he said, would then collect a three-and-a-half month rental deposit upfront, when the norm is that only one month’s advance rental is collected if the client agrees to the unit.
“The balance is usually paid when the unit is handed over to the tenant,” he said.
He said the deposits were also banked into an account number provided by the “agent” and once the transaction was made, the scammer would immediately block the mobile number of the client.
Meanwhile, Chong said losses from the scam amounted to about RM6,000 per case with approximately 10 cases reported so far.
Most of the scam victims are local and foreign students, he said.
“We want to warn the public about this type of scam and ask them to beware of the mobile numbers used in these cases,” he said, adding that he also suspected the scammers could be property agents themselves as they were well versed in rental procedures.
Chong said they would also hold dialogues with real estate associations to alert them on the matter.
Huge bill: Wu (left) and Ch'ng showing the police report and a letter from TNB during the press conference in Kuala Lumpur - LOY LAY PHON/The Star
