This is the story of how a Malaysian woman was scammed by a fake agent while trying to rent a property in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
Finding a suitable rental in KL is hard enough without being scammed by fake agents. I urge prospective tenants to do their due diligence and be more vigilant as I have lost almost RM13,000 due to this.
Early last year, I had finally put aside enough money to secure a new place to rent. I was living in a shared unit and was eager to move out to my own place, where I could feel more comfortable. My new job had also given me a huge jump in salary where I could afford to live in a more comfortable place.
I started looking on all the major property websites and spent plenty of time messaging agents after agents to get a viewing.
There was one apartment unit in Cheras that stood out. It was a 2-bedroom condo in a well managed condominium. It was fully furnished with modern fittings, fully equipped kitchen, washer/dryer and even a dishwasher.
The unit resembled a serviced apartment and the amenities included a swimming pool, gym and even a karaoke room. It was well kept and close to my work.
The monthly average rental for a unit at this condo was between RM3400 – RM3800 for a semi furnished unit. The unit I was interested in was going for RM3700.
A false encounter
I reached out to the agent, named Chris on the property rental website. He was quick to respond and we set up a viewing for the coming week.
On the day of the appointment, nothing weird or suspicious happened. I met him for the 5.30pm appointment right after work. He greeted me at the lobby and used his access card to bring me up to the unit.
I had a walkthrough, took some pictures and videos and asked him some questions about the landlord and the unit as we toured the facilities floor.
I was impressed with the place. It was really well kept and it seemed that the owners were not based in Malaysia, so they wouldn’t have too much issue with potential visits.
I tried my luck and asked Chris right before we left, if the unit was negotiable. He said he will try his best to ask the landlord. He mentioned it was already a bit below market rate for the amount of amenities available in the unit but he might be able to push them if I was ready to commit. I eagerly said yes.
The next day he got back to me and said he did manage to reduce the monthly commitment down to RM3500, but the owners wanted me to lock-in the unit by that evening, as their condition for reducing the monthly rent.
He said if I could transfer the deposit to the account by that night, I would be able to keep the rate. I asked about the contract, and as it was a Friday, he said his agency will only be able to prepare it by Monday, and I should transfer first and sign later.
A hefty lesson
At that moment, I was eager to lock in the unit, especially since I thought I was getting a good deal. I didn’t really think twice as there was nothing suspicious at that point. I transferred the money after work that evening, and went out to celebrate with my close friend. I felt it was a new chapter in my life and I wanted to have a nice dinner to commemorate it.
It was only on Monday that I started to realize something was wrong. After I had transferred the money, I had received a thumbs up reply from Chris, noting that I had done my part.
As it was the weekend, I wasn’t concerned with the lack of reply as he did mention that he could only get the tenancy agreement ready by Monday.
By Monday evening I had sent him a couple of messages asking for updates about the agreement and none of my messages were being delivered.
That’s when I started worrying. It was a hefty mistake that was almost RM13,000 of my savings.
Here’s the total breakdown of my costly mistake:
2 months’ security deposit – RM7000
1 month utilities – RM1750
Administration and stamping fees – RM500
Card deposit – RM100
1 months advance rental –RM3500
Total = RM12,850
I realized by that night that I was blocked, and tried to remember anything I could about his credentials. After some research I realized that the agency did not exist.
The surprising truth
I immediately made a police report the next day then went to the management of the condo to find out who the landlord is. Within two hours, I was having a meeting with the landlord at the management’s office.
To my surprise, the landlord said that his unit was never for rent to begin with. He does AirBnb and rents out his unit to mostly tourists. When I told him about the scam, he looked through his Airbnb profile to find the user that booked it, but they had already deleted their account.
And then I found out that this was a new form of scam that has been happening in Malaysia.
According to the owner, he is in a group chat with other AirBnB owners in Malaysia and there were a few cases like this recently.
I have been working with a lawyer since then to see how I can get my money back but to be honest, the prospects do not look good. The bank will not refund the money as well as I was the one to make the transaction.
On top of that, it was a Wise bank account that I had transferred it to. I am still trying my luck with getting Wise to do an investigation, but it seems like it is pointless as the Wise account was set up in the Philippines.
My message to those looking to rent a place, is to truly be vigilant. Do not fall for “pay-now” schemes especially without signing any documents.
If possible, also try to visit the property rental office, to see that it’s a legitimate business. Make sure you have the agent’s ID. Articles like this can also help you identify actual real estate agents.
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