Renter beware
FLAT DEPOSIT FRAUDSTERS CONNED VICTIM OUT OF £700
IMAGINE losing your home and business, then flying all the way to England from a far away country, then having to start a new life with few connections in a strange city.
It’s so tough to find somewhere reasonably priced to live, that you find yourself having to stay in a hotel, and then just when you think you’ve finally found somewhere decent to live, you find you’ve been scammed out of your rent deposit.
This was the awful sequence of events that happened to Lesley Claassens and her husband, who lost £700 after trying to secure a flat in West Drayton after flying to London from South Africa to start a new life.
She was so upset by the experience she wants to warn others to watch out for London rental scams.
But the sad fact is, she is not alone. London is the scam capital of the UK. Action Fraud, found there were 92,154 reports of fraud since 2017 in London. Data shows that so-called ‘advance fee’ fraud where people are persuaded to pay fees for property that doesn’t exist, is the second most reported type of fraud in the UK.
Lesley Claassens first saw an advert for a seemingly perfect studio apartment in West Drayton on Gumtree, but a week later found her deposit withdrawn from a money transfer service by an unknown person.
Her ordeal began after she contacted the owner of the advertised flat, who claimed to be a woman named Muriel living in Norway.
The woman said she required proof that Lesley had the money for the flat before showing her around.
“She said she could show me the place on Sunday [July 7] on the condition I could prove I had the £700 deposit in my name by a Moneygram,” said Lesley.
“She didn’t want the money in her name, she didn’t want me to give her the reference number.”
To prove she had the funds, Lesley, 64, received a wire transfer of the funds from her daughter through the Moneygram service, and provided a screenshot to prove it was ready and available.
The screengrab had Mrs Claassens’ name, the date and time of the transfer, the amount, and that the transfer was for a cash pickup.
She covered up the transaction reference number and the sender’s name and address in the image – thinking that would be enough to secure her against fraud.
The money was transferred on Sunday June 30, but on Monday Mrs Claassens’ daughter received a notification that the money had been withdrawn from Moneygram somewhere in London .
“Immediately we phoned MoneyGram and they said now you have to go to the police, and basically you should be aware of fraud,” she said.
“My question is: how was the money released when they did not have identification or the reference number?”
The crime has now been reported to the online fraud page.
Lesley said: “It was a big shock. I’ve come from South Africa where there’s a lot of crime, but I was never a victim, fortunately.”
“We’ve only just arrived in the country in March, and desperate to find a property to rent we’ve been living in a hotel since.
“I’m absolutely devastated.”
What does Moneygram say?
The Local Democracy Service contacted MoneyGram to find out how scammers were able to withdraw the money. The company said its customer care is looking into the case.
The company said: “We have put a priority on this and I will get back to you as soon as I have a response.”
However, correspondence shown by Lesley suggests the company has already closed her case.
It reads: “Our records show that a person identifying themselves as the intended receiver of the transaction visited a MoneyGram location in United Kingdom on 01/07/2019, and completed a MoneyGram ‘receive form’ requesting payment of the funds.
“The case will be considered closed based on the information you provided during our conversation.”
Lesley wasn’t sure what the “information” referred to might be, but suspected it related to a question over an unsecured link the fraudster had sent her.
She said her daughter had closed the link without entering any detail, seeing that it wasn’t secure and instead logged onto the official MoneyGram site.
Lesley wants to know how the person completed a ‘receive’ form, without having the reference number or identification.
MoneyGram did not respond to follow-up questions on the matter.
Lesley said she was “desperate to get a little home” and start putting down roots.
“She [the scammer] could obviously see how keen I was, and that I was an easy target,” she said.
The adverts for the flat have since been taken down from the Gumtree site, she said.
A Gumtree spokesperson said: “We do not tolerate fraudulent activity by users and we are sorry to hear of this unfortunate incident.
“We require that all property ads on our site comply with the Advertising Standards Authority requirements and all government regulations for property advertising.”
The spokesperson recommended that all tenants meet landlords and ensure that a tenancy agreement is in place before exchanging money.
Staying safe
Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith, said: “Whether you’re booking a well-earned holiday or looking to secure university accommodation, it’s important to be wary of devious fraudsters who are looking to take your money.
“The impact of rental fraud can be severe, both emotionally and financially.
“By taking simple steps such as visiting the property you intend to rent or checking that the owner is on an approved accommodation list, you will be able to protect yourself from this type of fraud.”
Look for accreditation membership such as National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).
Call 0300 123 2040 or see Action Fraud online to report scams.