West Aussies warned over rise in rental scams
According to Consumer Protection, the WA ScamNet team have received 35 reports of rental scams so far this year with 12 victims losing a total of $27,875.
The figures are not far off the numbers from the entirety of 2024 where 45 reports were made and 16 victims lost a combined $39,935.
The scam works by someone claiming to be a landlord or real estate agent and offering to lease a non-existent rental property.
An email claiming to be from Consumer Protection is then sent demanding payment to secure the lease.
One man who fell victim to the scam was Samier Rouze, 45.
Mr Rouze lost $2400 on a fraudulent bond for a northern suburbs rental property.
While he did meet with the so-called landlord in person and became friends with them on social media, the scammer did not allow him into the home by falsely saying it was currently tenanted so he could not go inside.
Mr Rouze said he was frustrated by the events.
'I was furious actually, I don't know why some people do that, taking advantage of the rental prices,' he said.
'I guess she just earned our trust very much because she was very engaging with what we asked.
'Our only mistake was to not knock on the door.'
Mr Rouze warned others to be careful and always see the property first-hand.
'Please check the place, if you can do it twice, thrice or just go to a Real Estate agent properly,' he said.
'I know it's a bit tough this stage due to housing issues but I think we should not let our guards down by means of checking the property itself so it doesn't happen to anyone else again.' News. Press Conference. Commerce Minister Sue Ellery releases Consumer Protection's WA ScamNet Year in Review report which details the impact scammers are having on Western Australians outside Dumas House in West Perth. Pictured is Trish Blake, Commissioner for Consumer Protection. Credit: Jackson Flindell / The West Australian
Consumer Protection commissioner Trish Blake said perspective renters should be extra careful to avoid being scammed.
'Online marketplaces and social media platforms are the primary hunting grounds for rental scammers, who use fake property listings and respond to 'rental wanted' ads to find victims,' she said.
'To outsmart rental scammers, always insist on an inside inspection before parting with any money and be wary of 'too good to be true' rent prices as that's a common tactic to lure more victims.'
Among the tips to avoid becoming a victim of a rental scam include being suspicious of properties that are listed well below the expected price, reverse image search photos given to you, do an online search of the address to check it is not being listed with another company and never make a payment without physically inspecting the property.
Ms Blake said you could also see if the bond payment request was legitimate by checking the email address.
'While scammers can replicate many things, they can't make their email addresses originate from the State Government,' she said.
'Hover over the sender's email address. If it doesn't end with wa.gov.au, then that's a very clear sign any correspondence claiming to be from Consumer Protection's Bonds Administration team is fake.'
Consumers with concerns about whether their bond has been lodged can call the Bonds Administration team directly on 1300 853 829 or email bondsadmin@demirs.wa.gov.au.
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Sydney Morning Herald
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- Sydney Morning Herald
What a Perth mum's death tells us about the city's darkest corners
Little is known about the life of Nardia Spice. More is known about the 40-year-old's bleak, violent death in a dog park on Perth's far south-eastern fringe – and there is a wealth of data about the factors that led to it. One of the few things known about her life is that she mothered six children, and was described as a fundamentally sweet person. On the steps of Western Australia's Supreme Court – where the last of those responsible for her death in the foothills suburb of Byford was sentenced on Thursday – her father had described her as 'kind'. 'She went through a lot,' he said. 'We tried to be there for her.' Another friend described her as 'a very nice person … a 'mum' to a lot of us.' Even the person eventually convicted over helping cover up her murder called her 'kind and generous'. So how did she end up attacking a woman who'd taken her in from the streets, pushing her over, tying her hands, spitting at her, humiliating her, threatening her then stealing her car? 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Marsh and Brough phoned a friend of a friend, Ziggy Vanags, who sat with them in the Brookdale living room and discussed what to do about her betrayal. What made Brough madder than the attack on his ex was that Spice had stolen his tools along with the car, it was revealed in court. 'Together you formed a common intention to find Ms Spice and recover those items, during which it was agreed that Ms Spice would be seriously assaulted,' Justice Amanda Forrester said in her sentencing remarks. On September 22, 2022, Brough set the trap. 'You phoned Ms Spice and left a voicemail saying that you had been able to get some drugs and were heading to see her,' court documents said. Marsh later conceded she knew Nardia Spice had feelings for Brough, setting up Spice to become one of the at least 31 per cent of West Australians who were in 2022 willing to engage in risky behaviour such as exchanging sex for money or drugs. 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He physically and mentally abused Eve Marsh, a young mother herself and desperate to create a stable family after her father was jailed while she was young. Marsh told the court her grandmother used to take her to visit her own father in prison. Now, the same grandmother takes Marsh's own daughter to see her in prison. Jesse Jones also had a life marked by drug abuse and homelessness. She struggled with suicidal ideation for most of her life, and was a prolific cannabis smoker. Despite having transitioned genders she spent more than 800 days in the male-only Hakea Prison while awaiting Thursday's sentencing. Loading 'Everybody in this matter has had, quite frankly, a quite tragic upbringing,' Justice Forrester said in giving Jones a two-year suspended sentence on top of the time already served. She also sentenced Eve Marsh to eight years' jail, with eligibility for parole in six. Earlier this month, Ziggy Vanag was sentenced to seven years' jail, eligible for parole in five. 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Little is known about the life of Nardia Spice. More is known about the 40-year-old's bleak, violent death in a dog park on Perth's far south-eastern fringe – and there is a wealth of data about the factors that led to it. One of the few things known about her life is that she mothered six children, and was described as a fundamentally sweet person. On the steps of Western Australia's Supreme Court – where the last of those responsible for her death in the foothills suburb of Byford was sentenced on Thursday – her father had described her as 'kind'. 'She went through a lot,' he said. 'We tried to be there for her.' Another friend described her as 'a very nice person … a 'mum' to a lot of us.' Even the person eventually convicted over helping cover up her murder called her 'kind and generous'. So how did she end up attacking a woman who'd taken her in from the streets, pushing her over, tying her hands, spitting at her, humiliating her, threatening her then stealing her car? 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In this south-eastern suburb, the average household income in 2021 was about $1300 - about $400 less than Perth's average. About a third of the population is unemployed. Despite the lifeline, despite being this person thought of as kind, nice and motherly, Spice's desperation and addiction took over. She became one of the 70 per cent of drug users appearing before the WA courts who have become violent. She and Jesse Jones wanted to head to the eastern states, but lacked money and transport. Spice turned on Eve Marsh, who had taken them in, and attacked her in the manner described above. All the while, Marsh alleged, her former partner Zachariah Brough watched on and laughed. Spice and Jones then stole Marsh's Ford Territory and drove away to their planned new future away from Perth. But another fate was being decided for Spice. A living-room revenge plot Marsh phoned Brough and told him about the theft. Marsh and Brough phoned a friend of a friend, Ziggy Vanags, who sat with them in the Brookdale living room and discussed what to do about her betrayal. What made Brough madder than the attack on his ex was that Spice had stolen his tools along with the car, it was revealed in court. 'Together you formed a common intention to find Ms Spice and recover those items, during which it was agreed that Ms Spice would be seriously assaulted,' Justice Amanda Forrester said in her sentencing remarks. On September 22, 2022, Brough set the trap. 'You phoned Ms Spice and left a voicemail saying that you had been able to get some drugs and were heading to see her,' court documents said. Marsh later conceded she knew Nardia Spice had feelings for Brough, setting up Spice to become one of the at least 31 per cent of West Australians who were in 2022 willing to engage in risky behaviour such as exchanging sex for money or drugs. 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She became one of the 1800 missing persons reports lodged annually in WA. The actual figure is again likely much higher, as people who live in lower socio-economic areas and suffering from drug addiction often go missing unreported. On October 7, her shallow grave was found. She became one of 42 homicides in Western Australia in 2022, and one of the 30 per cent of them that were women. Tales of tragedy The four responsible for Nardia Spice's death have their own troubling stories. Vanag's childhood was marked by transience, unpredictability, abandonment and his mother's own drug abuse. He had very few friends, and used drugs as a way to make connections. Brough started using methylamphetamine at just 17, and had a family life he claimed was marked by mental abuse. He was estranged from his father when young, was unemployed, and in and out of jail for petty crimes. He physically and mentally abused Eve Marsh, a young mother herself and desperate to create a stable family after her father was jailed while she was young. Marsh told the court her grandmother used to take her to visit her own father in prison. Now, the same grandmother takes Marsh's own daughter to see her in prison. Jesse Jones also had a life marked by drug abuse and homelessness. She struggled with suicidal ideation for most of her life, and was a prolific cannabis smoker. Despite having transitioned genders she spent more than 800 days in the male-only Hakea Prison while awaiting Thursday's sentencing. Loading 'Everybody in this matter has had, quite frankly, a quite tragic upbringing,' Justice Forrester said in giving Jones a two-year suspended sentence on top of the time already served. She also sentenced Eve Marsh to eight years' jail, with eligibility for parole in six. Earlier this month, Ziggy Vanag was sentenced to seven years' jail, eligible for parole in five. Brough was in March sentenced to life imprisonment. The cycle continues, with one of Spice's six children in jail. The whereabouts of the other five are unknown.
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