KUALA LUMPUR: A 25-year-old man lost RM1,150 after falling victim to a rental scam involving a fake housing agent and a homestay property misrepresented as a rental unit.
Cheras district police chief Assistant Commissioner Aidil Bolhassan in a statement today said that the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
According to the police report, the victim, Ahmad Naqiuddin Rohalim, said that he discovered the rental advertisement on a property services website and contacted an agent to rent an apartment for RM1,150 per month at Razak City Residence, Jalan Razak Mansion, Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.
The victim, a risk officer, arranged a viewing via phone with an agent named Coco Chan.
Two days later, on April 25, at 7.45 pm, he met a different person for the viewing – a woman named Natasha, who introduced herself as the agent.
After the viewing, Coco Chan requested the victim to pay a deposit of one month’s rent to secure the unit. The victim transferred the sum later that evening into an AEON bank account belonging to an individual whose name did not match either of the agents’.
However, after receiving the payment, the agent allegedly made various excuses and failed to provide the victim with a rental agreement.
The victim realised he had been deceived when he discovered that the property was a homestay belonging to someone else and was not available for rent.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
