Fake estate agents scam tenants in the Lowveld

MBOMBELA – Fake property rental agents have stolen thousands of rand from prospective tenants over the past few months. By pretending to be Elawini Lifestyle Estate agents, they demanded rental deposits from unsuspecting clients. When victims arrived to inspect their rental houses, they realised they had been defrauded.

Mr Riekert Marx of Tshwane needed a rental home in Mbombela and found units in Elawini on OLX and JunkMail. “The advert instructed me to phone a certain Trevor, who said I had to pay a deposit urgently.” Marx paid more than R7 000 and only discovered that the deal he’d entered into was a scam when he contacted Elawini management. The agent he had contacted, was not affiliated with the estate. He hasn’t been able to reach Trevor since. Marx opened a case of fraud with the Tshwane police. Although it is still under investigation, the SAPS have informed Marx that the money he paid never saw Mbombela – it was withdrawn in Sunnyside.

An investigation into the suspect’s cell number revealed that it had never been registered in terms of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA).

Mr Tony Seagreen recalled responding to a similar online advertisement. “The ad even had the photos Elawini uses when advertising their units,” he said. According to Seagreen, a Mr Neville Seleti answered the phone. “He said he works for the government selling computers at rural schools. Seleti said another man from Cape Town was interested in the same property as me and mentioned a deposit.” Seagreen drove to Elawini to see the property before forking out any money. He soon discovered that he had almost fallen prey to a scam and phoned Seleti from Elawini, asking for directions to the unit. “He said it would be against the rules. We never spoke again,” Seagreen told Lowvelder.

On Friday, developer Mr Kobus Jacobs said these and similar incidents worried estate management. He advised prospective tenants to be vigilant and take note of Elawini’s procedures. “The estate doesn’t accept tenants who have not been through our pre-approval procedure and will most certainly not expect prospective tenants to pay deposits before they have been to the units in question.

“By the time a deposit is required from you, you’ll have spoken to our rental agent,
Mr Stefan van Wyk at least once.” He advised those replying to any advertisement to verify its authenticity by calling Van Wyk on 072-737-4536.
He also expressed his sympathy towards those who have suffered as a result of the fake rental agents.