Would-be tenants on the Gold Coast have lost thousands of dollars after falling for Gumtree and What’s App scams.
Scammers have been duplicating rental properties advertised on website like realestate.com.au and domain.com.au – then advertising them on sites like Gumtree. They then pose as the property owners, promising that the keys would be mailed to the new occupants once the bond money and rent in advance had been received.
In some cases, the scammer even requires anyone wanting to inspect the property to transfer funds up front.
Unfortunately, we have now had multiple cases of LJ Hooker properties being used in these scams.
“It’s a terrible thing that our community are losing money because of these scams” said Shane Colquhoun, Director of 6 LJ Hooker offices.
“And it’s not just would-be tenants that are affected, but homeowners too, as they have to pay to fix any damage done by people trying to get into properties.”
In one case, an LJ Hooker property manager went to do an open home on a property when she came across a couple who had moved into the vacant property. The couple had been told to pay their bond and access the property via the unlocked garage, and that the keys would be express posted to them.
In fact, the lock to the garage had been broken and no keys were coming. The couple were given 3 days to vacate by the agency. Even more shockingly, when the couple left they had caused damage to the property which the landlord then had to pay for.
Other people have been asked to pick up keys from our agency by the “owner” only to be told by the office that they had been scammed.
Shane said that some people have been lucky not to lose money after calling the agency to clarify the different asking prices.
“The property on Gumtree had been advertised with a different price then on realestate.com.au so this person rang our office to confirm what the actual rental amount was. No doubt this phone call saved those people thousands of dollars.”
HOW TO AVOID RENTAL SCAMS
- Only ever pay bond monies to the RTA (Residential Tenancy Authority)
- Always inspect the property before signing paperwork or paying money. If you can’t be there yourself, get someone to inspect on your behalf.
- Meet someone – a property manager or owner – at the property. If you aren’t let into the home using a set of keys, something is wrong
- Don’t pay for bond or rent using wire transfers or unusual methods as this makes the money hard to trace
- Pay attention to wording used – you may notice that the conversation may be super casual to make you feel at ease or you may feel pressured to make a payment
- Watch for excuses – scammers will often say that they are out of town for work or they have a sick family member
