Fake estate agents are scamming people in Durban and other cities around SA
Of course this is just another way of robbing people of their money...
It seems there is no stone that scammers will leave unturned.
We know from personal experience that scammers are out to get you. Just this past week East Coast Radio listeners were being scammed.
Take note: East Coast Radio competition scam alert
From imitating municipal workers to government officials, they have now moved to imitating real estate agents.
Who would've thought that possible, but it seems that anything is possible with scam artists...
"Fraudsters have stolen the identities of several legitimate agents in the RealNet group, and have been using these to try to scam prospective tenants and landlords in certain areas out of deposits and so-called administration fees." (IOL)
The MD of the property group, Gerhard Kotzé, has said that they have informed the police and that they have forensic experts who handle these matters.
But he has also warned people to check credentials of any RealNet agents carefully before committing to anything.
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The RealNet group are aware of scammers operating in Durban, Durbanville, Rustenberg, Bloemfontein, and Johannesburg.
And have tried to communicate this scam to people as soon as possible to avoid any further scams taking place.
Kotzé says that the "easiest way to do this is to ensure that the agent’s email address ends in realnet.co.za, and no other format. Clients are also welcome to check the name against the agent database on our website at https://www.realnet.co.za/agents/, or to call RealNet head office on 0860 460 460.” (IOL)
He went on to say that the identity documents of RealNet agents that have been stolen were reported to SAPS, as well as the corresponding bank accounts that were used in the scams.
Two other red flags to watch out for include if the monthly rental for the property is unusually low for that area, then be suspicious, and if you find that the property has not been advertised on well known property websites then you should be wary.
The best advice is if you feel uncertain then do move forward with anything, best to be safe than sorry.
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