Did you know that students in Edinburgh have lost thousands of pounds? This is due to falling for a scam which preys on the demand for rented accommodation around the city.
The BBC carried out an investigation regarding this rental scam, and met with Tony who helped carry out the scam but without even realising he was doing it. Tony was looking for work as he had only just moved to the city with his wife and child. After looking through job adverts online, he came across an advert for a viewing agent in Edinburgh’s bustling rental market.
In only a few days, Tony was carrying out a trial shift for a boss he had never even met. He had to show potential tenants around an affordable yet pristine apartment, located right next to the Royal Mile. Sadly, Tony didn’t know that his boss didn’t exist and that the property was owned by someone else. Tony was playing an unknowing part in a scam that caused students to lose thousands of pounds.
The Victims:
During the beginning of October, an Edinburgh student and his friend were invited for a viewing at the flat. The student said that his friend had found this flat listed on Facebook marketplace which is where flats in the city are advertised for renting. The advert listed this property at £950 a month for rent and bills, which is a very attractive price in Edinburgh, as the average rent for a two bedroom flat is £1,041.
The student, named Hamish, said he had arranged the viewing with the property’s apparent landlord, who went by the name ‘William Wilson’. Hamish said “He sent us a landlord registration number, a limited company, all the things that made us think it was a legitimate property.”
Tony showed Hamish and his friend around the flat, and Hamish paid £2,300 to Wilson through bank transfer to secure the property. However, when the landlord stopped replying to their emails, Hamish realised that he had been scammed. He quoted, “We were really quite angry about it because it was a lot of money for us. A fair chunk of our savings each, so it was quite upsetting”.
William Wilson was able to take advantage of Edinburgh’s abundance of short-term lets made available via online booking platforms. The property used in this scam is actually owned by a private company which provides accommodation to tourists. The photos of the property were used in online advertising, and it was these images that the fraudster collected before reposting them with his own advert on facebook marketplace.
He managed to lure potential tenants with his low prices and the promises of a home “at the heart of the Royal Mile within a short walk of from all local amenities”. To make it more compelling, Wilson sent those rushing to secure the property a list of documents which included Registers of Scotland paperwork and a fake passport of William Wilson.
However, the bank statements and ownership papers did not match. It turned out that his landlord number was linked to a different company in Orkney. The passport was also suspicious, its unique number wasn’t visible and it looked like it had an electronic signature.
In similar scams, the scammer might ask for money upfront before property viewings. Some unsuspecting customers may send money to find out later on that they had been a victim of fraud. Wilson decided to play it differently. He gained access to the flat on the 2nd and 3rd of October before casting his net for someone looking for quick work.
Once Tony had responded to the job advert, he arranged to meet Wilson’s assistant named ‘Abigail’ at the flat to pick up the keys and start his trial shift. Tony said “We didn’t speak on the phone which was quite unusual, but i thought maybe this is just how things are now with the gig economy, you turn up, you do the job. There was no reason to think anything dodgy at that point.”
Before Tony arrived, he received a text from Wilson telling him that Abigail wasn’t going to make it. He was left with a code to a lock box which is where the keys for the flat were kept. According to Tony, “a lot of people who were viewing the flat were very keen on the property. I would say over 50% were students. They were all very interested in it as it was just a nice flat and it was a very good price as well”.
Another victim was Mary, a recent graduate from Heriot-Watt University. She viewed the property with the hopes of moving in with her undergraduate friend. Mary quickly paid Wilson £2,300 to secure the property and signed a tenancy agreement but admitted to skimming over the details. Wilson went quiet for days after receiving the payment and stopped responding to emails. Mary and her friend soon realised that they had been scammed.
A few days after his shifts, Tony received a message of thanks from someone who thought that they had secured the property. However, a few days later, he receives another text from someone else saying that they had also been offered the property. He then got a call from a potential tenant that said they had some questions as some things didn’t add up, which is when alarm bells started ringing for Tony.
The Outcome:
After failing to get in contact with Wilson, he realised that he had been complicit in a scam without realising it. Hamish, Mary and Tony have all reported this incident to the police. While Hamish managed to get his money back, Mary is still out of pocket.
Meanwhile, another student named Thomas managed to spot Wilson’s scheme before he handed over any money. Only a week later, he was scammed out of £450 after another fake landlord asked for money upfront to view a property. Thomas’s mum sent the money but a viewing was never arranged.
A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed that an investigation was under way after officers received reports of potential fraud involving flats on Old Fishmarket Close and in other areas of Edinburgh.
Have you ever been a victim to a scam like this? Let us know in the comments below!
Share Your Thoughts. Join The Conversation Below!