Property investor scams

Some scammers make unsolicited calls to the victim, asking them to hand over money to attend a property exhibition seminar or presentation. Instead, the organisers provide educational material to explain how to make money through such investments. 

The fraudsters may seek to sign into a scheme that offers unlimited opportunities in unbuilt properties at a discount, or the seller offers a chance to participate in the firm's buy-to-let plan. The buyer is asked to pay the registration fee, but they may not get the property. 

How To Spot and Avoid It?

• Authorities have been issuing a warning not to fall for such tricks. One should always check the seller's background and confirm that the people involved in the trade are authorised before handling the money or sharing any contact information. 

• In addition, one should verify the firm is registered or licensed and should try to gather information related to their project history. 

• The tricksters use multiple schemes to attract buyers. They show promotional videos, send personalised emails, call on the phone, hold in-person meetings, or contact through social media sites to lure buyers into divulging information and funds for their property projects. 

• One of the most common ways to get investors is to quickly lure them into offers with huge profits. The investors believe they will make millions by investing small amounts, like some hundred pounds. 

• They are shown lavish settings, luxury lifestyles and all kinds of future riches, fancy locations and royal vehicles. They create a kind of urgency where the victim finds himself trapped to pay the fee or upfront cost of buying. 

• They make the investor believe it is a limited-time deal, and the marketing material features a counterfeit countdown to grab it. 

• All the supporting testimonials and claims from previous buyers are often bogus and unreliable. The testimonials explain how they got rich after buying into the schemes. The review may appear unbiased or independent but is mostly misleading and fake, often a scam plan. 

• Consequently, one should not rely on such reports and depictions where one sees skyrocketing earnings graphs from fake property deals, which come with no or very little risk. 

• If you suspect such fraud, you should report it to the authorities.