West Australians looking for rentals are being warned to be extra careful with the rise of scammers impersonating government agencies demanding payments for fake bonds.
According to Consumer Protection, the WA ScamNet team have received 35 reports of rental scams so far this year with 12 victims losing a total of $27,875.
The figures are not far off the numbers from the entirety of 2024 where 45 reports were made and 16 victims lost a combined $39,935.
The scam works by someone claiming to be a landlord or real estate agent and offering to lease a non-existent rental property.
An email claiming to be from Consumer Protection is then sent demanding payment to secure the lease.
One man who fell victim to the scam was Samier Rouze, 45.
Mr Rouze lost $2400 on a fraudulent bond for a northern suburbs rental property.
While he did meet with the so-called landlord in person and became friends with them on social media, the scammer did not allow him into the home by falsely saying it was currently tenanted so he could not go inside.
Mr Rouze said he was frustrated by the events.
“I was furious actually, I don’t know why some people do that, taking advantage of the rental prices,” he said.
“I guess she just earned our trust very much because she was very engaging with what we asked.
“Our only mistake was to not knock on the door.”
Mr Rouze warned others to be careful and always see the property first-hand.
“Please check the place, if you can do it twice, thrice or just go to a Real Estate agent properly,” he said.
“I know it’s a bit tough this stage due to housing issues but I think we should not let our guards down by means of checking the property itself so it doesn’t happen to anyone else again.”
Consumer Protection commissioner Trish Blake said perspective renters should be extra careful to avoid being scammed.
“Online marketplaces and social media platforms are the primary hunting grounds for rental scammers, who use fake property listings and respond to ‘rental wanted’ ads to find victims,” she said.
“To outsmart rental scammers, always insist on an inside inspection before parting with any money and be wary of ‘too good to be true’ rent prices as that’s a common tactic to lure more victims.”
Among the tips to avoid becoming a victim of a rental scam include being suspicious of properties that are listed well below the expected price, reverse image search photos given to you, do an online search of the address to check it is not being listed with another company and never make a payment without physically inspecting the property.
Ms Blake said you could also see if the bond payment request was legitimate by checking the email address.
“While scammers can replicate many things, they can’t make their email addresses originate from the State Government,” she said.
“Hover over the sender’s email address. If it doesn’t end with wa.gov.au, then that’s a very clear sign any correspondence claiming to be from Consumer Protection’s Bonds Administration team is fake.”
Consumers with concerns about whether their bond has been lodged can call the Bonds Administration team directly on 1300 853 829 or email [email protected].
https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/consumer-protection-warns-against-those-impersonating-own-agency-through-rental-scams-c-19098321
