Update

GEORGE NEWS - The scarcity of decent, affordable rental accommodation in George is no secret. And heaven forbid that you have children or pets.

The reality is that the lack of affordable housing in George drives people to desperation, often leaving them vulnerable to opportunistic scammers who take advantage of their plight.

The scamming won't stop; as a matter of fact, chances are that it will only increase. The onus thus lies on every individual to be on their toes and hyper vigilant against these chancers.

This warning comes after a mother, desperately trying to find her daughter suitable accommodation in George, recently fell victim to alleged rental scammers.

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 using the profile 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 it was pet-friendly for small pets.

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.

The victim immediately contacted 'Karin Botha' 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 at the 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 only wanted to deal with 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. When I paid the partial deposit via Capitec it showed the registered account holder as someone else. 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 said she doesn't do video calls and the victim can have her money back.

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. Needless to say, the victim didn't get her money back.

"She also didn't want to give us the exact address and said it won't help to drive there as you can't see the apartment from the road anyway."

Since George Herald posted about this on Facebook on Wednesday 20 March, several people have contacted the paper with similar stories.

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

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

The Facebook post by 'Monique van Wyk', as well as the profile, has also since disappeared from the platform.

Read a previous article: Rental scams: Be aware, be vigilant

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 same apartment, that is actually situated in Fourways, Johannesburg, is advertised on Private Property at R7 000/month.

The profile that the alleged scammer is using.‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’