Facebook scam targets Manawatū real estate company’s customers

A savvy customer avoided being scammed when they were targeted by someone pretending to be from real estate company Watson Integrity. Photo / 123rf

A new Facebook scam targeting renters has popped up in Manawatū.

Family-owned real estate company Watson Integrity, which covers the Feilding, Palmerston North and wider Manawatū area as well as Horowhenua and Kāpiti, posted on Facebook on October 22 warning that someone on the social media platform was using the company’s listings to scam customers.

“We wanted to make sure that no one else would experience what this person had experienced, which is deception and the forceful nature of trying to compel some payment,” Horowhenua Kāpiti branch manager Greg Watson said.

The post alleges the scammer, posing as the owner of a listing posted by Watson Integrity, contacted a customer and requested money for a bond and first week’s rent. They even created a fake rental contract.

“The scammer was very aggressive in their texts, demanding they get the money to them,” Watson said.

The target of the scam contacted Watson Integrity directly to verify the message before sending any money.

Although this was the first time the company had been targeted in this type of scam, Watson said he was aware of its existence and has seen it pop up throughout the country.

Netsafe chief online safety officer Sean Lyons said it was not a new method for scammers.

“There are unfortunately a lot of scams where they use property as a target rather than the goods or services that people are more familiar with,” Lyons said.

This type of scam was first noticed, and was still most commonly found, with holiday rentals.

“The most common form is people will find a listing that exists somewhere, copy that listing and put it up somewhere else and try to encourage people into it, then take booking and deposits or full costs, knowing people won’t discover it until they are right on top of it,” Lyons said.

The scams varied from requesting money to be placed on lists or to submit references, or for money for the property itself.

Lyons commended the targeted customer and Watson Integrity for how they handled the incident.

“The way in which that has worked is a textbook case of how it should and could work.

“What you’ve got there is a really vigilant customer.

“We need to be on our guard ... just because it seems to ring true, we can’t assume that it does.”

Lyons also acknowledged the company’s courage in posting about the scam and warning its customers to be careful.

“Amazing that the organisation that is at the heart of this, that was about to be used as a part of the scam, is brave enough to talk to its customers and say ‘hey this is out there and you should be careful’.

“They all need to be commended for what they have done because it’s exactly the right process.”

Scams were increasing, especially in the online space, so people should be vigilant and learn to spot the signs when something was not right.

If you are unsure of the legitimacy of something online, Netsafe has a free and confidential helpline that operates seven days a week. Netsafe can be contacted via text at 4282 or call 0508 638 723.

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.