An accommodation scam regarding rental property continue to escalate in various parts of Centurion and this time, an alleged property owner used the same rental advertisement posted by National Letting in Centurion.
Previously, Rekord has published an array of accommodation scam related articles whereby victims were robbed from cash.
Karen van Aswegen, managing partner and agent of National Letting, said she advertised a flat in Die Hoewes on Prop24 and Private Property on Sunday, only to find that an alleged agent also advertised the same advert on Gumtree and OLX.
“As a former police officer, I cannot let this pass, as integrity and honesty is very important to me and I do not want people to be defrauded like this. When people started phoning on Monday to view the apartment, I asked for their email addresses and then sent them details about the viewing time which I personally attended. I also mailed them an application form, but I was surprised when people started asking me questions that I have explained in the emails. That’s when someone said they spoke to an alleged agent who was identified as ‘Carol’,” explained Van Aswegen. She further indicated that the alleged agent copied and pasted her photo and the description of the advert.
“She tells people that as the agent, she is available at the property between 17:00 – 18:00 in the evening and offers a lesser rental price. I then asked for Carol’s number from people who were interested in renting the property. When I checked on my received calls, I realised that she contacted me too, enquiring about the property. So after the viewing I checked my phone for the number and saw that she phoned me as well to enquire about the property. I mailed her the details of the viewing to a (fraudulent) email address and that is how she knew where and when I would be at the property for people to view. I checked the advertisement on OLX and Gumtree and saw it there. I have reported it as being fraudulent,” she said.
“We have many people telling us horrible stories of places they want to rent and how people ask for money (R350 – R500) before they would take a client out or assist with properties. Registered Estate agents do not do that, but people are so desperate for a place to stay that they pay the money.”
Contacted for comment, warrant officer Hero Gumbu warned the public to be careful when looking for accommodation and not to trust every advertisement they come across.
Gumbu said people should be aware of such rental scams and that they should rather approach registered agents to help them find accommodation. He encouraged members of the public to be vigilant and avoid falling into a trap as many people were using false information in the form of adverts to trick people.
Also read: Police warn the public about accommodation scam
Fraudsters arrested for rental scam
Rental scam artists granted bail
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