Anna:
A friend decided to sell the dacha. I took a photo, posted an ad on a special website. The price for the property was quite low, so she decided not to get involved with any agency or spend extra money. They called almost immediately. The woman introduced herself as a suburban real estate agent and said that she already had a ready buyer who had long wanted to buy a country house in these places. She immediately warned that she was taking 1% of the amount from the seller for accompanying the transaction and assistance in paperwork. The percentage was small, it was announced immediately, no suspicions arose.
The agent offered to make an appointment the next day, because both she and the client are ready for the deal. A friend considered it a huge success and, herself not believing that everything was going so well, she agreed. The next day, the realtor and the client arrived, the client really liked everything, he said that he was ready to buy and agreed on a new meeting, right now to make a purchase.
After the meeting, the realtor recalled that she had fulfilled her part of the transaction and asked to sign the contract plus pay her a commission for the organization. A friend transferred a percentage - about $ 150 - to the account number given to her by the fraudster. Well, the buyer called a couple of hours later and said that he suddenly changed his mind about buying a dacha.
My friend naturally suspected that something was wrong, but the money could not be returned - it turned out that the terms of the service contract she signed included information and consulting services, as well as simply organizing the meeting with a potential buyer.
Financial Culture Expert:
The scheme described by Anna is quite common and is used by cybercriminals in cases when a major transaction is planned and it is not easy to find a buyer - for example, when it comes to selling a car or real estate.
The first thing that immediately catches your eye is the too low percentage demanded by the "realtor". Real estate agents take an average of 3–6% commission, it is simply unprofitable for them to work for less.
Fraudsters play on human weaknesses: the more modest the requested amount, the easier it is to part with it. A dummy customer plays an important role in this scheme. He shows the seller his desire to buy a house as soon as possible, constantly calls with additional questions, lulls the seller's vigilance.
How to keep yourself safe
If you have a serious deal in which you plan to sell or buy a house or a car, be extremely vigilant and do not rush to make a decision.
A friend decided to sell the dacha. I took a photo, posted an ad on a special website. The price for the property was quite low, so she decided not to get involved with any agency or spend extra money. They called almost immediately. The woman introduced herself as a suburban real estate agent and said that she already had a ready buyer who had long wanted to buy a country house in these places. She immediately warned that she was taking 1% of the amount from the seller for accompanying the transaction and assistance in paperwork. The percentage was small, it was announced immediately, no suspicions arose.
The agent offered to make an appointment the next day, because both she and the client are ready for the deal. A friend considered it a huge success and, herself not believing that everything was going so well, she agreed. The next day, the realtor and the client arrived, the client really liked everything, he said that he was ready to buy and agreed on a new meeting, right now to make a purchase.
After the meeting, the realtor recalled that she had fulfilled her part of the transaction and asked to sign the contract plus pay her a commission for the organization. A friend transferred a percentage - about $ 150 - to the account number given to her by the fraudster. Well, the buyer called a couple of hours later and said that he suddenly changed his mind about buying a dacha.
My friend naturally suspected that something was wrong, but the money could not be returned - it turned out that the terms of the service contract she signed included information and consulting services, as well as simply organizing the meeting with a potential buyer.
Financial Culture Expert:
The scheme described by Anna is quite common and is used by cybercriminals in cases when a major transaction is planned and it is not easy to find a buyer - for example, when it comes to selling a car or real estate.
The first thing that immediately catches your eye is the too low percentage demanded by the "realtor". Real estate agents take an average of 3–6% commission, it is simply unprofitable for them to work for less.
Fraudsters play on human weaknesses: the more modest the requested amount, the easier it is to part with it. A dummy customer plays an important role in this scheme. He shows the seller his desire to buy a house as soon as possible, constantly calls with additional questions, lulls the seller's vigilance.
How to keep yourself safe
If you have a serious deal in which you plan to sell or buy a house or a car, be extremely vigilant and do not rush to make a decision.
- Try not to use ad sites for big deals. Sell your car through special services, and your house or apartment through a trusted real estate agency. You will pay a percentage of the proceeds, but you will be calm about the outcome of the transaction.
- Avoid making big deals alone. Let your acquaintance be with you, and even better a few. If there are relatives who have experience in buying and selling a car or home, ask them to help you. We advise you to leave the place of the transaction by car - this is due to the fact that some especially dangerous fraudsters first make a purchase, and then, having caught up with the seller, take money from him by force.
- Invest in a lawyer. Fraudsters draw up sales and purchase agreements or the provision of services in a very clever way - a person without legal education may not notice suspicious points. If it is not possible to hire a lawyer, prepare yourself - carefully study the documents, look for what conditions should be described in a standard contract, prepare your copies for the transaction. Be careful if you are offered a deal without original documents, powers of attorney or duplicates.
- If the other party insists on prepayment, sign the contract. Fill in the prepayment clause. If this is not possible, draw up a receipt for the money, which the recipient will have to sign. The most reliable way to transfer money is to transfer it to a bank account.
