[Image: Flickr]
A fake real estate agent, who happens to share a name with a real agent, has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment following her conviction on charges of cyber fraud and money laundering in the Eastern Cape.
The bogus professional managed to defraud a home buyer of R650,000 before getting arrested in Johannesburg in September 2023. She was promptly transported as a prisoner back to the Eastern Cape, where she faced the music.
Hlobisile Mdlalose, 42, was sentenced in the Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday.
It all started to unravel when on July 7, 2022, the complainant saw an advertisement on the internet for a house for sale in Newtown, Lusikisiki, according to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana.
“Upon seeing the aforesaid house, the complainant contacted the estate agent on the number that was shown on the advert, informing her of her interest in purchasing the house. Therefore, Mdlalose ordered the complainant to make a payment and sent an offer to purchase via email,” Mhlakuvana said.
The victim apparently received an offer to purchase, signed it, and sent it back to Mdlalose on the same day.
Mhlakuvana says the attorneys contacted the victim, who requested her Financial Intelligent Centre Act (FICA) documents. He says that once the papers were processed, the victim received another email with banking details for a Nedbank account, in which she was told to transfer R650,000.
The victim realised something was wrong when the lawyers informed her that they had never received payment and that the Nedbank account was not affiliated with their firm.
The matter was referred to the Mthatha-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation for probing. The Hawks team based in Bizana managed to track down Mdlalose in Johannesburg, where she was arrested.
Following her arrest Mdlalose was released on R8,000 bail.
Next time you want to buy a house in South Africa, be sure to ask the real estate agents for their registration numbers and cross-check them on PPRA (Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority). Better safe then Rand-less!
[Source: Citizen]
