Individuals looking for housing are becoming increasingly vulnerable to online rental scams.
In recent weeks, Harcourts South Africa has noticed a surge in fraudulent schemes where scammers pose as real estate professionals to defraud naïve tenants.
“This is not a new problem; it has been going on for years. Recently, we have noted an increase in scams where fraudsters advertise properties pretending to work for Harcourts. They often use platforms that do not verify the legitimacy of listings, like Facebook Marketplace and RentUncle,” said COO of Harcourts South Africa, Anton Jansen van Vuuren.
Van Vuuren said these are the tell-tale signs of rental scams:
– Too good to be true prices
If a rental price is much lower than comparable houses in the neighbourhood, it could be a scam.
– Urgent payment requests
Beware of any pressure to pay deposits or fees urgently, especially via unconventional methods.
– Lack of professional communication
Scammers frequently utilise general language and may supply unverified contact information.
– Inconsistent information
If the information provided about the property is inconsistent or ambiguous, it could be a sign of a scam.
– Requests for personal information
Legitimate agents will never request sensitive personal information upfront.
Victims of these frauds are encouraged to report the occurrences to local authorities. “We assist clients in reporting to the police and then to their banks. However, cooperation from banks can be challenging,” said Jansen van Vuuren.
IOL