Opinion: How I almost fell for a rental scam in Toowoomba as housing market tight

Here’s how I was almost scammed into paying money for a rental property that didn’t exist.

OPINION: How I almost got scammed into paying a bond for a fake rental property.

When the opportunity arose to move to Toowoomba I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

It meant we could be closer to family, escape the humidity and check out all the incredible things this beautiful region has to offer.

There was just one problem – how could we move without a place to call home?

It was a situation I was all too familiar with.

After living in the Bundaberg region for two years, we had struggled with the rental market which was sitting at a low 0.1% vacancy rate.

I was somewhat aware of the challenge I’d be facing but nevertheless remained positive.

Toowoomba is a larger region and has a higher population which means more houses … right?

After four weeks of endless inspections, discussions with real estate agents and desperate searching for a rental, we were at a loss.

Not only were we in between houses but we were in between regions.

We couldn’t afford anymore overnight stays to attend inspections and the commute was starting to weigh heavily on us too.

As the weeks passed with no solution in sight and my start date nearing, I reached out to some local community groups on Facebook with the hope that someone could help.

I received a few private messages including one from what appeared to be a lady aged between 60 and 70, who was looking for someone to rent her property.

The ‘woman’ said she had recently moved to New Zealand with her family due to a job transfer before getting stuck due to COVID-19.

She said while she had planned to return to Australia, her family had settled in well in New Zealand and her job which had been delayed due to the pandemic, had been extended.

We spoke in-depth about her expectations – she was very well-spoken, told me the address which checked out with a quick Google search and sent me all the details.

I asked to see photos of the property and she instead supplied a video of the entire house.

It might sound naive but I didn’t once question it – it wasn’t like those types of scams you hear about and nothing happened to raise alarm bells.

Until she asked for the bond payment upfront without keys, a contract or even a phone call.

I eventually confronted the scammer and reported them on Facebook.

Not long after they deleted their account completely.

At first I felt silly for almost falling into the trap but ultimately the whole experience made me think of people in worse situations than me.

Families with children who are struggling to get into the rental market who may be feeling stressed about the future and anyone who has actually lost money in a scam.

Fortunately I managed to find a rental property not long after through a real estate agent.

I hope everyone else searching finds a home soon.