Real estate agents cry foul after profiles misused by impostors to scam potential renters

The Star

A group of property agents is crying foul after their profiles were allegedly misused by imposters to carry out rental transactions for properties in the Klang Valley.   Read more at https://shorturl.at/ZeS0I  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00Basically, we are a group of agents from one of the agencies in Malaysia.

00:11So the scammer basically will use agents' photographs, abuse our identity to open another

00:18account at iProperty platform.

00:20So they will list some of the rental properties on this platform and fish for all those tenants.

00:27So their way of fishing is maybe they put the rental price at the lower price so that

00:33the tenant will be interested to view the property.

00:36They will use our agent face to create another WhatsApp account.

00:40So when the tenant click on their iProperty listing, it will direct to the WhatsApp account.

00:45So the WhatsApp account, the picture is also same as the iProperty account.

00:49So maybe the tenant won't be so clever to verify.

00:52On the viewing that day, so-called scammer agent will not show up.

00:57They will appoint another assistant to assist for the viewing.

01:01But during viewing that day, the so-called two agents won't appear.

01:05They will assign for someone, maybe another worker or whatsoever to open up the unit for

01:10the tenant to view.

01:11So after the tenant view, then they will follow up with the tenant and asking for the deposit.

01:16They will also make up the booking form to let the tenant sign.

01:21So once the tenant sign, they will bring a bank in three and a half months of the deposit

01:27to the owner account.

01:28We also scratched our head how this scammer could get the property keys.

01:34It's proven they did because we already found two similar units on different platform.

01:39So the scammer will rent a property from Airbnb, okay?

01:44So basically they just check in, they get the keys, then they can show the tenant ID.

01:49Average amount being cheated is about 5,000 to 6,000 per case.

01:56From the information we received is that most of the victims are students.

02:03Many are foreign students and also local students also been affected, been a victim of it.

02:10So now we intend to call the association, this real estate association.

02:17As a real estate association, we intend to call them for a dialogue to alert all the

02:25members about this scam.

02:28This is one of the latest scams where they target all these real estate agents.

02:35And all have been innocently have been targeted and the victim all come after the wrong person.

02:43I urge the public before dealing with all the property agents to check and verify their

02:50rents number through this website, the Boards of Values Appraisal Estate Agent and Property

02:55Management, lppeh.gov.my.

02:59In that website, then you will see the agent's registration number and of course their telephone

03:04number.

03:05Verify from there.

03:06That is the legal source.

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