GEORGE NEWS - A woman, desperately looking for accommodation for her daughter, has recently fallen victim to alleged rental scammers in George.

The victim, who wishes to have her name withheld, told George Herald that she recently enquired about an apartment that was advertised on Facebook by a person under the profile of a certain Monique van Wyk.

According to the victim, Van Wyk advertised a one-bedroom apartment in Caledon Street for R4 000/month. This included water, electricity and Wi-Fi and the two cats were welcome as well.

At the bottom of the post it said to call a certain Karin Botha, which is in all likelihood a fake identity, in connection with renting the apartment.

Desperate to find her daughter a place to stay, the victim contacted ‘Karin Botha’ immediately to arrange viewing and deposits.

“When I asked to view the apartment, she said that she was assisting her parents in the Northern Cape with the sale of their farm. She said she would be back this weekend and we could view the place,” said the victim.

“Desperate to find accommodation and, in hindsight, not the smartest thing to do, I offered to pay a partial deposit to secure the place as she already sent me pictures and it looked lovely,” she said.

Botha told the victim that she would remove the advertisement as soon as she had paid. But according to the victim things started getting strange after she paid the amount into Botha’s bank account.

“She didn’t want to know anything about dealing in cash – only EFTs. And when I asked to do a video call with her she started avoiding me and made excuses as to why she couldn’t do a video call. When I paid the partial deposit via Capitec it showed the registered account holder is a ‘GW Smit’. She told me it was fine, as that was her husband’s account, and sent me a copy of his ID and a photo of his Capitec card with his details on it,” she said.

After continuously avoiding video calls, Botha sent the victim a WhatsApp message saying she’s not really one for video calls, and if she wanted her money back she would repay her.

Smelling a big fat rat, the victim agreed. However, the alleged payment was done via a cash send transaction and the reference number Botha sent the victim didn’t work and, needless to say, the victim didn't get her money back.

"She also didn't want to give us the exact address as she said her husband doesn't want a bunch of people driving past their home. She also told me that it won't help to drive there as you can't see the apartment from the road anyway."

An 82-year-old man from the area was allegedly also defrauded by the same person. He lost R8 000 after paying the first month’s rent and a deposit on the same apartment.

George Herald made numerous attempts to contact Karin Botha, but all calls went straight to voicemail.

The Facebook post by 'Monique van Wyk' has also since disappeared from Facebook. 

Red flags to watch out for:

• Don't transfer money without meeting the landlord or rental and seeing the actual property. It is best to see the property and inspect it before any money changes hands - know what you are paying for. Be cautious if the landlord expects payment based on website images alone.

• Landlords and rental agents will have a vetting process, which will include a credit check, before they select a tenant. Beware of ‘landlords’ or ‘rental agents’ who are willing to sign contracts without following the correct protocols.

• Be wary of ‘landlords’ or ‘rental agents’ who request excessive deposit amounts or too many months upfront, or are never able to meet and show you the property in person.

• A lease agreement is an essential contract that protects both parties, so don't trust a landlord who says there is no need for one. A landlord who doesn't want to enter into a lease agreement may not have a property to offer in the first place.

• Before signing a lease agreement, have legal representation review the contract.

The kitchen of the apartment that was advertised. 

‘Ons bring jou die nuutste Tuinroete, Hessequa, Karoo nuus’