Of course, this is just another way to rob people of their money…
It seems there is no stone the crooks won’t leave unturned.
From imitating municipal employees to government officials, they have now moved on to imitating real estate agents.
Who would have thought it possible, but it seems that anything is possible with scammers…
Read more: KZN women scammed by man for over R100,000 after promising them marriage
“Fraudsters stole the identities of several legitimate RealNet Group agents and used them to try to defraud potential tenants and landlords in certain areas with deposits and so-called administration fees.” (IOL)
The real estate group’s managing director, Gerhard Kotzé, said he informed the police and has forensic experts who deal with these matters.
But he also warned people to carefully check the credentials of all RealNet agents before committing to anything.
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The RealNet Group is aware of scammers operating in Durban, Durbanville, Rustenberg, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.
And have tried to communicate this scam to people as soon as possible to prevent more scams from happening.
Kotzé says that “the easiest way to do this is to ensure that the agent’s email address ends in realnet.co.za, and no other format. Customers are also encouraged to verify the name against the agent database on our website at https://www.realnet.co.za/agents/, or to call RealNet head office on 0860 460 460.” (IOL)
Read more: WATCH: Would you buy this R33 million retail minimalist home?
He went on to say that the RealNet agents’ identity documents that were stolen were reported to SAPS, along with the corresponding bank accounts that were used in the scams.
Two other red flags to look out for include if the property’s monthly rent is abnormally low for that area, then beware, and if you find the property hasn’t been advertised on well-known real estate websites, you should beware. beware.
The best advice is that if you’re feeling unsure go ahead with anything, better safe than sorry.
East Coast Radio
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