Many fall prey to realtor scam

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 25 people have claimed to have lost over RM200,000 to a “real estate” agent who promised to negotiate rental for their shoplots.

One of the victims, Dr Major Singh, said he became RM4,800 poorer in July after falling prey to the scam following a call from one Wilson Yong, who claimed to be from Oriental Realty.

“He told me that a company, Tong Kee Food Corp Sdn Bhd, was interested in renting my shoplot at RM4,000 a month. Two weeks later, a lady claiming to be Yong's assistant came by with a RM16,800 cheque as a three-month deposit,” he said, adding that he gave her a RM4,800 cheque made out to Yong as commission.

“He demanded that the cheque be made out to his name instead of his agency's as he wanted to save on income tax payments.,” he said at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department here.

Poser over poser: Chong (second from right) with the victims, including Major (standing middle) at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department in Kuala Lumpur. With them are (from left) Lee, department legal adviser James Ee and Hoong.

The following day, however, Dr Major received a call from his bank, saying that the RM16,800 cheque had bounced. He immediately asked for the payment of his own cheque to be stopped but it was too late.

All victims of the scam, believed to have been active since last October, have lodged police reports.

None of those conned have seen the man as he had only communicated with them via phone and he is believed to have at least one female accomplice who collected his “commissions”.

Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said that besides claiming to be a senior negotiator with Oriental Realty, the man used aliases such as “Raymond Yong Sai Toong”, “Raymond Lam Yew Soon”, “Wilson Yong Michael Yong”, “Vincent Yong” and “Andy Lum”.

He said the man would approach potential victims to tell them he had tenants interested in renting their property.

The con man, added Chong, would even provide details of one Lim Bee Bee from Tong Kee to convince the victims.

“We urge Lim to come forward to clear the air,” he said.

Oriental Realty senior manager S.S Lee said the con man had forged his company's name card to pass himself off as one of their senior negotiators.

Tong Kee owner Hoong Heng Chuan denied Lim was an employee, adding that the firm did not plan to expand for now.