Police and universities have raised the alarm about people who target students looking for accommodation to scam them of their deposit money.
In some instances, the scammers would advertise fake accommodation on Facebook Marketplace and then disappear once the deposit has been paid over to them via cashsend.
“They [accommodation scams] are a big thing, especially at this time of the year when students and their parents start looking for accommodation. It's hectic. A victim will see a post about accommodation and the scammer will pressure them to pay a deposit with the rental fee and then when the victim goes to the place it doesn't exist or it's a private flat owned by someone else,” explained Tshwane police spokesperson Capt Johan van Dyk.
One such victim is a 20-year-old from Polokwane who lost R1,800 to a scammer in Pretoria two weeks ago. He had seen an advert on Marketplace which was posted by an imposter using a stolen ID that belonged to Elijah Konyani.
“He [scammer] told us he found a place advertised on Facebook Marketplace and the landlord needed R1,800 for a deposit before moving in,” said the student’s sister.
The money was then paid into the scammer's bank account.
“We tried calling him [scammer] but his phone was no longer going through. When my brother went to the property, the security told him they didn’t know anyone by that name [Elijah].”
The sister said their experience has left her brother traumatised and he is squatting with a friend in Pretoria. “This has set the family back financially. We didn’t budget for this loss,” the sister added.
TUT former SRC deputy president Tlotlo Ngwenya emphasised the need to demand a lease agreement from the landlord before depositing any money.
“We know about this trend and it happens every year and we are calling on all students to be extra cautious. Another prevalent scam is the one whereby people promise students [academic] space and ask for students to pay money for admission. We just want to let people know that the university cannot ask you to pay any money unless you pay through a university account,” he said.
A victim will see a post about accommodation and the scammer will pressure them to pay a deposit with the rental fee and then when the victim goes to the place it doesn't exist or it's a private flat owned by someone else.
— Capt Johan van Dyk.
Last week, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) issued an alert against student accommodation scams.
Kganki Mphahlele, former SRC chairperson at the University of Limpopo, said though they have not come across any case this year, their experience has revealed two ways in which unsuspecting students are scammed.
“Someone from inside or an accommodation owner would demand money [R200 or R300] from a student to speed up their accommodation application. They also scam students and ask them to pay the deposit for a non-existing accommodation,” he said.
Another student, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she lost R1,500 to a scammer in Bloemfontein last year.
“My mom could no longer afford my rent, groceries and toiletries because I wasn’t funded for it. My mom said I needed a cheaper place,” she said.
She also came across a Facebook post advertising flats in Brandwag.
“The flat looked perfect and close to school, so I texted who I assumed was the landlord. He sent me his ID to convince me that he was legit. I also sent him mine so that he draft a lease. I was desperate and vulnerable.”
However, after sending the money she noticed red flags.
“He sounded genuine and even offered to let me pay the R3,000 deposit in instalments. But after I paid R1,500, he disappeared.”
Sowetan reached out to Konyani, whose ID was circulating on X with a user claiming that he was a scammer.
Konyani, however, told Sowetan that he was a victim of ID theft and that the person who stole his document had been using it to lure students to the accommodation scam. Konyani has since signed a police affidavit which Sowetan has seen.
Provincial police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed Konyani's affidavit.
Bronwyn Boavida, of the Private Student Accommodation Association, said accommodation scams are an ongoing battle.
“Last year, we dealt with cases where scammers even used downloaded pictures from legitimate adverts to deceive people. We have alerted the police. This year, so far we have two students who were scammed,” she said.
Capt Van Dyk urged the public to use reliable websites and avoid making deposits for accommodation before they physically view the place.
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