In areas where property is in short supply, it is not unusual for would-be tenants to be caught out from fraudsters pretending to be the legitimate owner of the property. What usually happens is this: the tenant sees a property they like and arrange a viewing. They like the property, hand over a deposit, and then make arrangements to move in. Unfortunately, when they try and gain access, the “landlord” is nowhere to be seen and can’t be contacted, and their cash has gone walkabout.
Property Scam
This is pretty much what happened in the above case. The fraudster, Atiqul Islam, scanned online adverts from tenants looking for a place to stay and contacted them, offering them the chance to view a property. Otila Baublyte viewed a house in East London and gave Islam a £1,000 deposit to secure the tenancy. When she went back to the house to organise a moving date, she was told by the occupiers that they had no plans to move out. Meanwhile Islam refused to repay her deposit.
Police Involvement
So, desperate to get her money back, Otila pretended to flirt with Islam and arranged to meet him for a date. He fell for the ruse, but when he showed up, Otila’s brother and boyfriend were waiting for him. At that point, British Transport Police got involved, which cued intervention by the authorities.
Islam ended up in court and was handed a suspended sentence, but the judge warned him that if he was caught committing any new crimes, he could expect to a prison sentence next time.
