Share This

Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Fake property agents scamming renters

Calling for action: Chong (seated, second from left) with Lee (Chong’s left) with the six property agents during the press conference. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star


KUALA LUMPUR: Scammers have now ventured into new territory, posing as property agents to dupe unsuspecting renters in the Klang Valley out of thousands of ringgit, with 10 cases reported so far.

Apart from using the profile pictures of legitimate agents and copying their verification numbers on property sites, the scammers even conduct viewing sessions for clients and later collect rental deposits before going missing when the key handover is due.

Victor Lee, a spokesman representing six property agents whose profiles were duplicated by scammers to create identical accounts on a property site to dupe the public, said they only came to know of this after being alerted by their company.

“However, we were not aware of these transactions taking place using our names. Only after it happened did we realise that there were impostors,” Lee told a press conference held by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong here yesterday.

He said checks on the property site would find two accounts of the same agent, with one being fake.

“The contact number on the impostor account also redirects to a private number (which is not ours). Listed property prices in the impostors’ accounts are also lower than market rates to attract clients,” he said.

On viewing sessions conducted by the “agents”, Lee said he suspected the impostors rented the property through online rental sites, thus giving them access.

The scammers, he said, would then collect a three-and-a-half month rental deposit upfront, when the norm is that only one month’s advance rental is collected if the client agrees to the unit.

“The balance is usually paid when the unit is handed over to the tenant,” he said.

He said the deposits were also banked into an account number provided by the “agent” and once the transaction was made, the scammer would immediately block the mobile number of the client.

Meanwhile, Chong said losses from the scam amounted to about RM6,000 per case with approximately 10 cases reported so far.

Most of the scam victims are local and foreign students, he said.

“We want to warn the public about this type of scam and ask them to beware of the mobile numbers used in these cases,” he said, adding that he also suspected the scammers could be property agents themselves as they were well versed in rental procedures.

Chong said they would also hold dialogues with real estate associations to alert them on the matter.

Source link

Syndicate using names of real estate agents



Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Reptiles sneak indoors to stay cool

Unwelcome visitors: Officials removing snakes and a monitor lizard from houses in Penang
 


 

GEORGE TOWN: They come, they see, they hide.

It is not just humans who are seeking shelter from the scorching heat.

Reptiles, too, are coming out of their natural habitat to take refuge.

Snakes and monitor lizards were the most common to have encroached into homes, garages, parking areas, drains, toilets and other areas of late.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department director Saadon Mokhtar said during this period, there had been an increase in cases of snakes and monitor lizards entering homes.

“Most of them entered the kitchen area.

“The snakes would then hide behind the fridge or behind cupboards.

“Some would coil up behind the washing machine or inside the bathroom which is cooler.

“For monitor lizards, they have the tendency to enter and hide in the kitchen and in drains behind housing areas,” he said.

From January until April this year, the cases have almost doubled compared to last year, added Saadon.

“This year, there have been 427 reports of snakes entering various premises compared to 238 during the same duration last year.

“There were 73 sightings of monitor lizards this year compared to 47 last year,” he said.

Meanwhile, northeast district Civil Defence Force officer Captain Muhammad Aizat Abdul Ghani said on average, they could catch three to six snakes a day.

“This is only in our district, I am sure the others have more.

“Usually, the snakes hide in dark spaces either in the garage, parking areas, drains in the housing compound or sheds.

“It is not too often that they are found inside houses as it is usually too bright for them.

“There are, however, a few cases where they are caught inside the house.

“It is not only during the current heatwave that snakes are seeking shelter at housing areas and other premises, but also during the rainy season when we have caught some,” he said.

Captain Muhammad Aizat said Penang has plenty of snakes and they usually come out from the river or big drains.

“This is why houses and schools near rivers or drains are usually prone to snake intrusion.

“We received calls about the sightings of monitor lizards as well, but not as many as for snakes,” he said. 

Source link

 

 Related news:

Heat wave: 'No plans to declare emergency yet'

 

 Ahmad Zahid said the present weather conditions would last until September, with temperatures expected to soar above 40°C in August.

 

Related posts:

 

Record temperatures and heatstroke cases engulf South-East Asia nations

  SINGAPORE, May 14 (Bloomberg): South-East Asia continues to grapple with blistering heat amid reports of record temperatures and cases of.

 

While taking a shower or bath, fainting, slumping from washing the head in the bathroom