Subject: Urgent Complaint: Scam Activity on Property Listing Sites
Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to bring to your attention a serious issue regarding scam activities occurring on popular property listing sites such as 99acres, Housing.com, No Brokers, and Magicbricks. Despite the widespread awareness of such fraudulent activities, it appears that little has been done to prevent them from recurring.This morning, I listed my 2BHK flat for rent on 99acres, and within moments, I received a message from an individual claiming to be Mr. Deepak Bajrang Pawar expressing interest in renting the property. Subsequently, I received a phone call from this individual, who identified himself as an army personnel from Pune and expressed a keen interest in renting the flat. He requested that I share pictures of the property via WhatsApp for his family's review, which immediately raised suspicion.Upon further conversation, Mr. Deepak insisted on paying a token amount without visiting the property, citing urgency due to a transfer. Despite my reservations, I shared my concerns about security and requested his Aadhar and PAN for police verification purposes. Shockingly, he promptly provided what appeared to be genuine documents.However, upon conducting a quick internet search, I discovered that this modus operandi aligns with a well-documented scam involving individuals posing as army personnel urgently seeking accommodation due to transfers. These scammers exploit the trust of property owners by convincing them to share personal information or make payments through fraudulent means such as pay request links or QR codes.Despite numerous complaints and media coverage dating back to 2022, it is disheartening to learn that this scam continues to operate unchecked, with the same fraudulent identities still in circulation. Despite my ongoing correspondence with the scammer, I am aware that the authorities are unlikely to intervene given the lack of effective measures taken thus far.I implore you to take immediate action to address this alarming issue. Mandatory KYC and police verification procedures should be implemented for all property listings on these platforms to verify the authenticity of potential tenants. Additionally, stringent measures should be enforced to identify and ban individuals engaged in fraudulent activities.As a concerned citizen, I urge you to prioritize the safety and security of users on your platform by taking proactive steps to combat fraudulent practices. Failure to address this issue not only undermines the integrity of your platform but also puts unsuspecting users at risk of financial loss and emotional distress.I eagerly await your prompt response and action on this matter. Yours sincerely, Aastha Sharma
