AS the housing crises grows ever-deeper, unscrupulous scammers are coming up with new and inventive ways to use the emergency as a money-making opportunity.
This week an Ipswich resident contacted Local Ipswich News to report her personal experience of yet another unlawful scam.
The resident who has asked not to be named for safety reasons said last month she had been the unknowing victim of a fraud and although it had not affected her financially, it had given her considerable distress and left the other party involved, homeless and with $1000 less in their pocket.
Over the past month, the resident who has lived in her own home in Eastern Heights for decades and has not listed it for rental, has been subjected to not one, but two separate rental scams.
In the first case, after answering a knock on her front door, she was surprised to find herself face-to-face with a stranger claiming he and his family were set to move in after paying a $1000 bond.
It was a shock and also gave her pause to consider her own safety.
“When people realise, they’ve lost a large sum of money like that, they can go off the deep end and you never know what they could do.”
Within the same month, the resident received a second visit resulting from a similar scam.
Director of Walkers Real Estate, June Frank, said that this was another case of private rentals causing dramas and scams. To protect personal interests, she urged people to use a registered real estate office to locate rental homes.
“The old saying is correct, if it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” she said.
“This would not happen with a (registered) real estate office, as the tenant has to contact us, and we then do all of the checks.”
The Queensland Residential Tenancy Authority provides information on how to protect yourself and warns to ‘Trust your instincts’. If something feels off, investigate further or seek advice from a trusted source. It’s better to be cautious than fall victim to a rental scam.
TIPS TO AVOID RENTAL SCAMS
- Treat all ads for rentals on social media as suspicious
- Reverse images search the photos to find out the address and agency who manages it. Using Chrome right click and select search image with Google or download image and use search by image.
- Be cautious of any contact encouraged using personal email addresses not linked to an agency.
- Contact the agent responsible for the property directly and only use official application services.
- NEVER send any personal information over social media or funds into bank accounts not linked to a real estate agent.
- If getting a private rental, ensure you inspect the property and meet the landlord in person.
