Money’s tight right now for many Western Australians, so the last thing any hopeful tenant needs is to be scammed out of their hard-earned money, on top of having no-where to live.
Unfortunately, that’s the reality for a growing number of WA renters, as scammers pretending to be landlords flood online marketplaces and social media platforms with fake property listings and responses to ‘rental wanted’ adverts.
So far this year, the WA ScamNet team at Consumer Protection has heard from 41 victims who have lost $86,525 – record-breaking figures that already far eclipse the total $63,610 lost by 34 victims during the whole of 2022.
We want would-be tenants to know that scammers will spend time grooming their victims, often telling them they would be the ‘perfect tenant’ for the property, before the grab for money begins.
They will also often make-up excuses about why they can’t show their victims through the inside of the property, before telling them to pay the bond and rent upfront via bank transfer.
A time is then arranged to meet at the property to receive the keys and that’s when the would-be renter discovers that it’s a scam – the home is either already occupied, not available, or is in-fact for sale instead.
There are some checks all renters can do to give scammers a wide berth, including making sure they can view inside the property and being suspicious of properties advertised well-below the current rental value, as this is a common tactic used by scammers to entice more victims.
You can also do a reverse image search on the images provided to you to see if they have been used elsewhere previously in legitimate listings – simply use the feature on your preferred internet search platform.
Only deal with landlords who can meet face-to-face, or go through a licensed real estate agent. Be careful if asked to pay funds via direct bank transfer, unless you’re sure the money’s being paid into the trust account of a licensed real estate agent and is therefore protected by legislation.
Make sure you receive the keys and a copy of the signed lease (on the correct form) in exchange for any funds you have agreed to pay.
Report rental scams to WA ScamNet via the website: www.scamnet.wa.gov.au or contact the team on 1300 30 40 54 or consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au
