Johannesburg - The national estate agency group RealNet has issued a warning about fraudsters stealing the identities of legitimate agents to scam prospective tenants and landlords.
The group said the fraudsters have allegedly stolen the identities of several agents in the 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.
“We have of course taken immediate official action to try to curtail this activity but we are also warning clients at this stage to please carefully check the credentials of anyone claiming to be a RealNet rental agent,” said group MD Gerhard Kotzé.
Kotzé said two clues to the fact that a rental listing might not be legitimate are when the stated monthly rental is unusually low for the area, and when the property is not being advertised on well-known property websites or in the classified sections of well-known publications.
“Consumers who would like to establish whether an agent is indeed legitimate or not are of course also always entitled to ask to see a valid and current fidelity fund certificate from the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority,” he said.
The MD added that the agents whose identities have been stolen have opened cases with the police and bank accounts being used by scammers have been reported to the fraud division of the relevant banks and that various fake internet profiles have been blocked and removed.
“In addition, the RealNet group has retained the services of a private forensic investigator who has been successful in tracking the swindlers and is currently working with the SAPS case officer to effect arrests and ensure convictions,” Kotzé said.
“We are aware that the fraudsters have been active in Bloemfontein, Durban, Durbanville, Johannesburg and Rustenburg, but there may be other areas involved. We are doing everything we can to protect our valued customers as well as our reputation. This is why we have decided to make this information public as soon as possible.”
The Star