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Malaysian Man Loses RM5k In Rental Property Scam In Bangsar South
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Malaysian Man Loses RM5k In Rental Property Scam In Bangsar South

Twitter user Ray got to view the property in person and met the alleged agent representative who stood-in on that day.

by
November 11, 2024

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Rental scams are still prevalent in Malaysia and it’s sometimes scary to think about how far these scammers will go to pull the wool over someone’s eyes.

Twitter user Ray (@rayperture) recently shared online that he was a victim of a rental listing scam.

It started on 29 October 2024 when he came across a listing on PropertyGuru about a unit at Camellia Serviced Suites. Ray has used the property search platform before and reached out to a real estate agent to ask about the unit.

The agent acknowledged receiving Ray’s details but did not follow up with details to view the property. After a few days with no response, Ray reached out again and they set a viewing appointment for Wednesday (6 November) at 5pm.

This is where it gets chilling because Ray did get a tour of the property on Wednesday. However, the agent informed Ray at the last minute that her colleague would show him around instead. Ray said this was the first red flag he should have clocked earlier.

The colleague introduced himself as “Quadir Intisar” and showed Ray the unit. Ray was excited because the unit looked as advertised on the PropertyGuru listing and the fully furnished property was properly maintained.

The unit rental cost RM1,500 per month, which Ray admitted it was the second red flag he ignored because it was much cheaper than similar units in the same condo listed on the site.

During the tour, Ray asked questions about the unit but the person showing him around admitted that he wasn’t familiar with the area and was only sent as a substitute for the viewing.

Ray said he tried cross-checking the unit details provided against the PropertyGuru listing but discovered it was no longer listed on site. When he asked the person he first messaged, she said the listing was removed due to overwhelming enquiries about the property.

Since he was interested in the unit, Ray negotiated the rent and was told the owner was willing to reduce the rent.

After much discussion, they agreed Ray could move in on Sunday, 10 November. The offer letter was sent over, which Ray and the alleged owner signed. Ray said the letter looked legitimate as it came complete with the official masthead, logo, and formal elements in place.

On 7 November, Ray made the advanced deposit payment and was assured the tenancy agreement would be sent the next morning. Ray received nothing until he followed up with the agent.

While going through the contract, he had a lot of questions. The next big red flag he found that made him hesitant was the requirement to pay the remaining deposits before the handover on 10 November. Ray said he usually pays the deposits on the day of the handover itself before the agent passes him the keys.

Ray also had his family review the agreement. On 8 November, he signed the agreement but decided to only make the full payment once the owner had signed. The agent forwarded a signed agreement from the owner and they proceeded to set the time for the handover.

They agreed to meet at 10am instead of 1pm and Ray transferred the remaining payment to the owner. He asked for a receipt and the agent said she would tell the administrator to issue one.

Gut instincts said something wasn’t right

Ray said he stayed up all night trying to pack everything and admitted he couldn’t sleep due to excitement and anxiety. His gut instinct said something wasn’t right.

On 10 November, he texted the agent to confirm the exact meeting spot. He didn’t receive any replies from her or the substitute she sent during viewing. He waited for an hour and texted them several times.

Ray was now in denial mode and was unwilling to accept that his suspicions were true. In a final ditch effort, he decided to call the property agency since the management office was closed for the weekend.

He also called the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) but was told they couldn’t help him because he met the scammer in person so it couldn’t be classified as an online scam.

Right after his call with NSRC, Ray received a call from an unknown number and thought it could be the agent. To his surprise, it was another agent from the same agency who realized Ray kept calling the company line.

Ray filled the person in on his situation. It was discovered that the person Ray had been dealing with was merely impersonating an actual agent from the agency.

This was a punch in the gut for Ray because he essentially lost RM5,000 in this ordeal.

He collapsed on his knees in the parking lot and tried to compose himself and process the harsh reality of what happened to him.

Ray said it was like he experienced all five stages of grief in an instant. After sitting for a long time, he finally lodged a police report. The police also advised him to report to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The police didn’t sugarcoat the matter and said they could only investigate the alleged mule bank account.

It was a sad affair because Ray was excited to move into the new unit. After all, it was 10 minutes away from his workplace. Since the plan went up in smoke, he has to return to his old place which was in disarray from packing.

Ray thanked people for their kind words but wanted no pity because he would get through it eventually. He hopes anyone reading his post will learn from his mistakes.

Scammers rent Airbnb to market “available” properties

Ray also found the same property listing on Airbnb and has tried reporting the unit to Airbnb.

It turned out that scammers would rent Airbnb properties for a few days to market “available” properties for rent.

A netizen shared that anyone can verify a property agent’s Real Estate Negotiator (REN) license number if they’re a registered agent at the Board of Valuers, Appraisers & Real Estate Agents Malaysia (LPPEH)’s site here.

People are also advised to avoid making payments to personal account(s) except to the property agency.

Despite still dealing with the sense of loss, Ray has taken steps to outline a list of things to look out for while looking at rental properties to avoid the same fate.

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