Real estate broker Razha Rahman, also known on Twitter as @razharahman, tweeted on August 24 how a female client of his was scammed while looking for a house to rent.
Client cerita pengalaman dia kena scam masa nak cari rumah sewa. Deposit burn, rumah tak dapat and scammer masih lagi bebas
Those yang tengah cari rumah sewa, kena lebih berhati-hati. Ini MO scammer 👇🏻
— R A Z H A 🇲🇾 (@razharahman) August 24, 2022
Tragically, her deposit got burned and she didn’t manage to get the house while the scammer walks free, be deceiving others.
She was desperate to find a house to rent since the owner of the house where she was living planned to sell it. Even worse, she was only given TWO weeks to find a new home, and the owner even demanded her on a daily basis to move out.
Razha in his tweet said, “No Tenancy Agreement (TA) was, unfortunately, ever recorded. By right, if there is a TA, the standard owner has to give two-months notice to move.”
After being demanded daily to move out, she began to search for another place to rent.
“Ironically, it just so happened that the next day she started looking at the website, there was an owner who ran an ad to rent a fully furnished place in that same neighborhood for only RM700 (per month). She approached the owner right away, thinking she had stumbled upon a better offer.”
When the client and her husband went to see the unit, they discovered that it was identical like the one in the advertisement. The establishment appeared to be just as promised and even had a TA ready, unlike their current lease home.
The individual who brought them to the viewing claimed to be the owner, and the clients said there was nothing questionable during the viewing. That being the case, the couple accepted the offer and deposited RM1,000 to the owner’s personal account. The owner made clear that the rest should be paid in cash on the day they were scheduled to receive the house keys.
However, the couple discovered they had been duped only on the day of the move after being ghosted by the owner. The man stopped responding to the client’s WhatsApp messages and picking up her phone calls. He even blocked her after she persistently attempted to reach him.
When she went to the police station to file a report, she discovered that she was not the only one to report a similar episode that day. According to the police, the very first victim had lost RM5,000. Police also mentioned this is syndicate and the scammers might be operating in a group, which explains why numerous people were conned using the same way on the same day.
Pergi buat report police and rupanya dia orang ke-3 haritu yang kena scam and buat report. Dia kira bernasib baik juga sebab mangsa pertama burn RM 5K. Lagi seriau
Police bagitahu ni macam sindiket and scammer work as a team. Dah banyak kali juga orang kena scam dekat area tu
— R A Z H A 🇲🇾 (@razharahman) August 24, 2022
Scammers are getting even more creative with their scams by the day. Be sure to deal with legitimate real estate agents when you are looking for a home for rent or investment!
This Twitter thread was written by one of our IQI Agents. Click on the contact card below to reach him for your property needs!
IQI holds a high standard in ensuring that our agents uphold good ethics in dealing with clients. If you’re looking for property, look no further than IQI’s team of well-trusted and trained agents ready to help you with your investment needs!
