Residential landlords, beware of a key-cutting scam.
Fraudsters are targeting landlords with apartments for sale or rent, making contact and asking to borrow the key to look around the property. The scammer then cuts a duplicate key, finds a new tenant for the property and agrees a letting. The scammer demands a cash deposit and three months rent up-front from the tenant and disappears with the money.
What they say
Mark Briegal, a solicitor at Manchester law firm Betesh Fox, says the con is a growing problem: "We are dealing with a number of these cases. Both the landlord and the supposed tenant are victims of this fraud. The apartment owner finds himself with squatters and has to embark on expensive legal action in the County Court. Even if the landlord wins his case he is still landed with a large bill. The innocent tenant ends up on the street and is also considerably out of pocket. The fraudster is a man of straw and has disappeared. Landlords need to beware of handing over their keys to strangers, even if they appear to be legitimate buyers."
