Rental scam hits Canberra

Prospective tenants in all capital cities have been warned to beware of con artists while searching the internet for rental properties.

What the con artists does is target rental websites and the latest target is the capital's traditional early-year influx of new public servants and students seeking houses, flats and units to rent.

Authorities are warning the public to be wary of deals on Canberra real estate rentals that seem ''too good to be true''.

How the scam works is by the con artist uses legitimate websites to post details of the property on ''offer'', often including photographs, at a much reduced rental asking price.

When prospective tenants express an interest in inspecting the property, there is often an excuse offered why it cannot be seen, usually that the owner is overseas, but the scammers will ask for personal details before asking for a deposit to ''secure'' a rental agreement.

If the deposit is paid into the bank account provided, the victim stands little chance of getting the money back.
In recent incident, details have appeared on rental websites for rooms in a luxury apartment in Allawa Street, Civic, for the bargain basement price of $150 a week and another for the same price in an upmarket house in O'Connor.

The con artists are so good at spinning their stories they show real photos and also use various shared accommodation sites to post these fake listings.

There were several things that renter could do to protect themselves against the scammers, such as insisting on an inspection not a drive-by of a property they were interested in. Prospective tenants should also try an internet search of the person offering the property or their email address and avoid making payments by transfer.

By dealing with fully qualified agents that are backed by reputable agencies will definitely get rid of the scammers that are after a quick buck from you before moving on to new prey.