KUALA LUMPUR: Six real estate agents claimed that their names and photographs were used by scammers to dupe people into taking up fake home rentals.
This was uncovered after they received several complaints from victims who paid deposits and suffered losses amounting to more than RM10,000.
The victims' representative, Victor Lee said the first case was detected at the end of last month when a victim lodged a complaint to a company about being duped by a 'real estate agent' who offered a rented unit in Kuala Lumpur.
Checks showed that the complainant was duped by someone who posted an advertisement in a real estate application using the name and photo of one of his colleagues.
"The scammer used a real advertisement, but he changed the telephone number and quoted a price which was very low to lure customers.
"Those interested to become tenants would contact the telephone number through WhatsApp, which also used the same photo as the advertisement, and this helped to convince the victims.
"Once a victim agreed, he or she would be given a fake form and asked to make a deposit into an account. The victim only realised it was a scam after contacting the company's phone number to check on the listing," he told a press conference at Wisma MCA yesterday.
Also present were MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, Kuala Lumpur MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau head Kok Weng Fhai and lawyer James Ee Kah Fuk.
When elaborating on the matter, Lee said the syndicate was allegedly masterminded by a foreigner who targeted houses that were turned into homestays in places with a high demand in real estate such as Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
He said the syndicate would use photos taken from apps focusing on short-term stays and syndicate members would obtain the keys to units whenever a potential tenant wanted to look at the place.
"So far, we received 10 complaints and six real estate agents from our company who have had their names and photos used by the syndicate.
"I hope people would be careful when they look for a house to rent. Check first with the real estate company and do not make any deposit into any personl account."
Ee said his team also received various complaints regarding real estate-related scams. The victims were mostly students. he said.
He urged the public against believing any advertisment promoting houses for rent on social media or on any other app; and to always check with registered real estate agents before doing anything related to real estate.