Experts at the property search service The Meters have named ways in which cybercriminals can deceive apartment buyers. On April 6, writes “Lenta.ru” about this.
Fraudsters operate at different stages of the transaction. So, people can be deceived at the stage of making a deposit or advance payment, as well as when working with documents and challenging a transaction.
In the first case, the fraudsters act according to the following scheme: a small amount of advance payment is assigned, “which is not a legal security for obligations.” Further, after the person pays the required amount, the owner of the home appears and if the buyer refuses the transaction, the amount of the advance remains with the seller.
As for the deposit, buyers are offered an apartment for which a deposit has been charged, which must be repaid with their own funds. In case of refusal to conclude a deal, the amount of the deposit will not be returned to buyers either. Among other things, scammers use fake documents, as well as counterfeit bills, to return money to their victims.
In turn, experts urged to be wary of ads with a minimum number of photos or without them at all, as well as to bypass ads with notes that the apartment is being sold after a flood, fire, or is under arrest. Suggestions with a lower market price should also cause suspicion.
“Of course, all this cannot be called pure fraud if the seller informs about these moments in advance. But, nevertheless, it is important to be attentive and clearly understand what exactly you are going to buy, ”explained Danila Trivaylo, the co-founder of The Meters service.
On April 2, experts told what you need to pay attention to first of all when buying an apartment. Buyers should take into account that only the owner can be a seller of real estate. An extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate (USRN) also helps to check the information about the object before the transaction. Information about the transfer of rights to the real estate object will also be relevant – the history of the change of apartment owners based on specific documents.