Rental Scam

Scammers are reportedly targeting persons hoping to rent houses in the gated Phoenix Park Village housing development in St Catherine, swindling over one million dollars in the latest case of rent fraud via illicit players in the Airbnb industry.

Police sleuths in the parish say at least three houses have been used to lure unsuspecting victims via online and in newspaper advertisements in recent months, and that, cumulatively, roughly $1.6 million has been taken from seven victims in rent and deposit fees.

“They ask them (victims) to send all sorts of supporting information: job letters, TRN, etcetera, to an email address; and that deposits are to be made to specific accounts before they can collect a key to the homes. The problem is, there is no key to be collected, or they turn up to homes already occupied,” a senior cop from the Greater Portmore Police Station told The Sunday Gleaner last week.

Lanny Mayne, president of the Phoenix Park Village Citizens’ Association, confirmed that he knew of two instances of rent fraud in the community since its opening in 2018. One was last year and the most recent was in February.

Mayne said the association has turned over recordings from its 24-hour security surveillance system to the police, and that it will be working closely with them to weed out intolerable criminal activities.

“I don’t think it is a frequent situation and we would have put measures in place from the first incident. It is also not unique to Phoenix Park Village. These sorts of persons have targeted other communities, both gated and opened,” he posited.

“Considering this latest occurrence, we will be engaging with both residents and Airbnb operators to institute additional safeguards. Some are already in train and other methods will be rolled out over the next week or so,” he continued. “A strong signal will be sent to these criminals to avoid Phoenix Park Village.”

IGNORED THE RED FLAGS

The Sunday Gleaner understands that the fraudsters gain access to the property via Airbnb rental and, from there, they photograph and fraudulently advertise units online. With access to the premises and security clearance, they then invite victims for viewings. If ‘selected’, they are directed to make the first month’s rent and deposit to an account number provided before collecting their keys.

Information technology specialist Guwayne Jem*, one of four persons reportedly scammed at one of the properties, said he lost $160,000 in rent and deposit fees.

He is hoping that his bank can help recover the funds, as they were wire transferred. Some victims reportedly made direct lodgements to the account number provided by the scammers. In hindsight, Jem said there were so many red flags and he blames himself for ignoring them.

He explained that, after making arrangements with a man over the phone, he was directed to the house and there he met with a woman claiming to be the presumed landlord’s spouse. He said she told him the “landlord” would not be available for the visit.

Jem said he was among several persons allowed to look around the premises that day.

He said he was soon informed that he was successful in securing the house for rent and that he should turn over personal documents and payments. He was sent a bogus contract and, days later when he turned up at the community, he was directed by a security guard to the office.

“They said I was like the fourth or the fifth person who came there since that morning. The house had been evacuated and was locked up,” Jem explained, now laughing at the warning signs he ignored. One of them was that the $80,000 a month rent covered utility bills.

“I’m in IT and I just feel real foolish to know that I fell for it, because that was like the first sign, water and light cannot be included,” he said. “Maybe it was because I saw that it was a gated community, so I just thought this wouldn’t happen.”

“That is what I think put me to sleep; the fact that it is a gated community and you feel a little bit safer,” he noted, adding that the experience has not turned him off renting in the community.

Instead, he has become much more skeptical, ensuring that he does business through reputable realtors.

ACCESS TO PERSONAL INFORMATION

Stating that rent fraud was not uncommon in the Portmore municipality, the investigator said they did not have any reports of other gated communities being targeted, but noted that it was quite possible, as many cases may have gone unreported.

The cop further noted, “It is not only that the criminals are stealing people’s money, they also have access to certain personal information that can be used for other crimes.”

He continued, “So the warning is that people wishing to rent homes should be wary of online transfers. It is sometimes better to set up a time and place in a safe location or do business through reputable establishments.”

[*Name changed to protect identity]

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com