Students are being duped by online scams
BOGUS landlords are swindling young people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam that sucks flat-hunters into putting down rent and bond money on apartments that do not exist.
The online scam, which has seen at least a dozen foreign students lose up to $2000 each this year, is believed to be on the increase as the rental market tightens.
A Sun-Herald investigation has identified five people claiming to be renting out rooms in Sydney flats that do not exist. In each case the supposed owner demanded up to $1600 be paid to them by money transfer or into an Australian bank account on the basis of fake passports and tenancy agreements supplied as proof of ownership.
At least one is using passport details stolen in a previous scam from a 19-year-old student from country NSW.
Universities, still reeling from the damaging publicity surrounding attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, are concerned at the potential for such scams to deter foreign students from coming to Sydney.
The University of Sydney has put up a warning on its website that states: ''Students are being targeted by people pretending to be landlords. Students who have not yet visited accommodation being advertised are told to transfer money into bank accounts or through money transfer companies. A number of students have lost thousands of dollars.''
The University of NSW has emailed all foreign students, warning them to beware of flat-share deals that seem ''too good to be true''. The university has run two seminars highlighting the problem.
Student Representative Council president Osman Faruqi said the fraud would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. So far this year, up to eight foreign students have lost money, some before they even landed in Sydney.
It is understood the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is looking at accommodation scams but a spokeswoman would not confirm or deny that an investigation was under way.
Mr Faruqi said: ''The universities are looking to nip this thing in the bud … but the problem is you warn people and then a whole new wave of students arrives every few months and gets done again.
''There seems to be four or five standard scams, including one where landlords demand money before an international student even arrives. The landlord then gets in touch saying the room is no longer available and sends back a cheque that bounces or is from an account that no longer exists.''
In one scam, fake flat-owners place ads on websites, including share-accommodation.net and easyroommate.com, and claim to be out of the country. In each case the rent was just $600 a month despite offers of CBD location, pools, gyms and underground parking.
One, who gave his name as Harry Ramage, claimed to be living at luxury apartments on Bond Street, Sydney, known as the Mantra. Building services staff in the block told The Sun-Herald no one by the name of Ramage lived in the building.
Eventually, the real Harry, a 19-year-old student at Macleay College, was tracked down to Coonabarabran. His father Joe Ramage told The Sun-Herald yesterday the family had ''stupidly'' sent a scan of his son's passport to one of these people when they were looking for accommodation for him in February.
In an email the bogus Ramage said: ''I await your payment confirmation and I am happy for we would be the best flatmates ever … Pls find attached the contract documents and make your payment for you to reserve the room.''
Another scammer going by the name of Tracey Anne Burford said: ''I'll be willing to send you a scanned copy of my passport, police clearance, drivers' licence and certificate of ownership of the apartment you will be paying for, so as to prove to you that I truly own the apartment … you are in safe hands.''
She requested $1000 be deposited into a St George Bank account held by her lawyer ''Larry Pineda''. When The Sun-Herald requested a face-to-face meeting with Mr Pineda he did not reply.
''Landlords'' advertise rooms on flat-share website offering luxury accommodation in central locations for far less than the market rent.
Once interest is expressed by the flat-seeker, the landlord sends pictures of interiors, building facilities and views.
The landlord then tells a story about being overseas temporarily, saying keys can be forwarded by DHL or FedEx.
If concern is expressed, the landlord forwards a scan of a passport - often stolen from previous victims of the scam - and lease agreements.
The landlord then talks about getting their ''lawyer'' to draw up contracts.
Finally, the landlord requests that a month's rent and a bond to the same value is placed in an account or sent by money transfer, with the promise of keys to follow.
Once the money has been deposited the landlord is never heard from again.
