Bengaluru man narrowly escapes rental scam while apartment-hunting in JP Nagar: ‘Deal too good to be true'
The post, shared on Reddit, has since gone viral, prompting warnings to prospective tenants to remain cautious while house hunting online.
A social media user has raised concerns over a new rental scam allegedly operating in Bengaluru, after sharing a detailed account of their experience while searching for a flat in the city. The post, shared on Reddit, has since gone viral, prompting warnings to prospective tenants to remain cautious while house hunting online.
According to the user, the incident occurred while they were looking for a rental property in and around JP Nagar. They came across multiple listings on a popular real estate platform advertising fully furnished two-bedroom apartments for ₹15,000 per month within gated societies.
The listings claimed to include amenities such as a gym, swimming pool, television, refrigerator and washing machine, which immediately raised suspicion due to the unusually low rent.
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''So, I was looking for a flat in and around JP Nagar, and came across a couple of to good to be true listings on 99 Acres, I was already skeptical as it was fully furnished 2BHK, for just 15K inside a society. TV, Fridge, Washing Machine everything, the society had Gym, Swimming Pool whatever you could think about. I was pretty confident it's a scam, still wanted to find out,'' the user wrote on Reddit.
Despite doubts, the user contacted the listed phone number to verify the offer. The caller reportedly confirmed availability but claimed that direct visits were not allowed as the property was located within a society.
Instead, the caller said an entry ID card would need to be created and asked the user to share a photograph and a government-issued identity document.
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The caller further demanded an upfront payment of ₹2,500, stating that the amount was refundable if the tenant did not like the flat.
The user said this was the point at which the scam became clear. When the user suggested meeting at the society gate with security verification before making any payment, the caller allegedly ended the call abruptly.
'' First things first, never ever share your photo or any other details with any person without actually meeting the person, in this world of AI a single photo can be used to blackmail you into doing many things. Then the guy didn't stop there, he mentioned I need to pay a ₹2500, for creating the ID which is refundable if I don't like the flat. This is where the SCAM is, as the moment you pay the money, you'll never hear from this guy again. I told him, I didn't have a problem with doing any of that, as long as I come and see him at the society gate, and the security verifies the same, he ended the call right away. I came across two such instances, I'm sure there's hundreds more,'' the user further added.
The user claimed to have encountered at least two similar instances and warned that there could be many more such fraudulent listings targeting unsuspecting home seekers.
Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
