A new useful thread has appeared on Twitter. In it, the girl talks about her experience of working in a real estate company, which, as it turned out, was engaged in fraud. In a thread, she described how such agents deceive people.
You can meet announcements of such companies anywhere.
these so-called realtors in huge HUGE numbers on all possible sites place advertisements for renting out housing. any city. any prices. any photos. apartments, rooms, dachas. these ads appear to be real. except that the price may be slightly lower than the market price.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
the coverage is really huge - from Moscow to the very last village. ads are stamped in the hundreds and thousands. the likelihood of stumbling upon this depends only on your personal luck. most likely - you will stumble upon. and get interested.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
You liked the inexpensive option, you call the ad, and "realtors" come into the business.
the call will be answered by a polite and pleasant manager who will explain that yes, of course, the apartment is up-to-date and for rent, You can see it, now I will send you the amount of the commission and a link to the agreement with the agency, but for now I will agree with the owner about viewing.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
the contract is quite legal and real. you hardly read it, you just scroll and wait for what the owner will say there.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
At the same time, we remember that there is actually no apartment - which means there is no owner either. A few minutes later they call you back, saying that everything is in order and you can go to watch. This is where the fun begins.
you are offered two options for working with an agency. first: an agent can visit you and personally help you look at the apartment and fill out the documents. commission - for example 10k. or you can work with the agency remotely, watch it yourself, and pay only 5k.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
well, who will overpay, you are not small, you yourself can look at the apartment and check the meters, well, you are not some suckers to pay twice as much)))))))
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
Although it seems from the text that such a trick is not a problem to figure out, in reality the scammers are doing everything to convince them otherwise.
then the manager very competently and convincingly explains to you why the commission must be paid before viewing. until you sign an agreement with the agency (until you pay) you are a third party and we cannot give you the personal data of the owner. first - an agreement, then - a meeting.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
all agencies work like that, call anyone. you read the contract, why are you worried? we will guide you to the fact of check-in. if you do not like this apartment, we will select other options for you, we have a huge database. if you donāt like anything, all the money will be returned to you under the contract.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
I understand that you are worried about your funds, but we are an official company, three years on the market, do you think that we will risk our reputation for five thousand? nothing will come to me from your commission, I have my own salary. so do you pay or not?
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
in short: it affects so many people. and yet so beautiful and formal. and the keys to a beautiful cheap apartment are almost in your hands.
let's say you pay.
you are told that everything is all right. you, joyful, are leaving for the address of the apartment.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
And here the wonderful fairy tale with a good cheap apartment ends.
you are already standing at the entrance when you are informed that the owner has abruptly changed his mind about renting the apartment. unfortunately, the option is no longer relevant. but don't worry! now we'll find something else for you. we have an agreement with you.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
you will be sent a couple more addresses (lucky if they are at least in your city). money will never come back to you. you have been selected addresses, but nothing else is obliged to you under the contract. lucky if you have a place to live. lucky if it wasn't your last money.
- - vasilina (@ Instlar2) June 16, 2020
Further in the thread, the author talks about the other side of the coin - his 3-day experience in such a company. You can read this in her twitter. Several readers who also encountered similar scams joined in the comments, while others provided useful advice on the topic.
Well, apparently, I'm a shot sparrow. To my phrase "I won't pay anything before watching" I was answered "well, live in a doghouse" and hung up)))
- kotan (@kondkons) June 16, 2020
the easiest way is to stupidly take and google the company name
or, for example "ooo house about scammers"
or else looking here https://t.co/ROMlueyIEa
not a 100% method, of course, but still- love spoken out š« #SheRaMovie (@meowmintroll) June 16, 2020
And the saddest thing is that they cannot be punished: in most cases, the contract includes āconsulting servicesā, and not āsearch + arrange inspection + attend negotiationsā. Consulting services - a couple of numbers will be thrown off and that's it.
ALWAYS READ WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING BY YOURSELF.- lady kus (@linavecher) June 16, 2020
It really happened to me (prepayment, and then the agent disappeared altogether). I was 19 years old and then for the first time in my life I took up such a serious matter as renting an apartment. And she lost 3500, which is a lot for a student.
Thanks for talking about this, I hope this helps someone- yulenka (@themvsyou) June 16, 2020
To summarize:
- Do not pay agents until the conclusion of an agreement with the owner (it does not matter whether we are talking about a commission or a fee for contacts of the person who rents out the apartment).
- Read contracts and other documents carefully.
- Sometimes it is enough to google the name of the company or its address. In the case of scammers, you are almost guaranteed to see negative reviews.
Read alsoš§
- "Are you sure a Lifehacker?" Fraudsters represent themselves as employees of our publication. Here's how not to fall for their tricks
- Traed: how scammers cheat buyers of used equipment
- How scammers cheat those who sell things over the Internet