A WOMAN has told how she lost nearly £20,000 after falling for an elaborate scam while hunting for a studio flat.
Alma Talbot, 20, had her savings plundered when she made two payments to a “landlord” for a years’ rent upfront.
She told The Sun: “I was promised a 25 per cent discount if I paid all in one go and I had the money after working all summer.
“So I paid it. I’d been sent contracts and I was told they were good so had no idea the offer wasn’t real.”
Alma was left devastated after building her hopes on moving into the modern studio with her boyfriend Bruno Jones, 21.
Alma and Bruno viewed the flat, in the Strata Tower, Elephant & Castle, on Sunday, August 4 and quickly fell in love.
“We imagined our lives there. We were going to spend New Year’s Eve just the two of us and it would have been so cosy. We were so excited,” she said.
They were told the flat could be theirs for £1,500-a-month as long as they paid 12 months’ upfront.
Otherwise they’d have to pay £2,000 – which was out of their budget.
Alma added: “I’d heard of landlords offering incentives before so didn’t think anything of it.”
On August 6 she sent two payments from her Monzo account – £10,000 and £9,730.
While the first payment went through fine, the second was flagged as potential fraud. But after sending the contract to the bank, it was allowed through.
She added: “My parents looked over the contract too and said it looked great, it seemed like such a good deal. We knew it was below market rate but it was a studio and it wasn’t incredibly below.”
It was only two hours after Alma made the payments the housing service called back to say they’d found an issue with the contract.
The name of the landlord didn’t match the name on the flat’s land registry documents.
She added: “I went into power mode, scouring social media for any signs anything could be wrong. It all looked completely legit. There were tonnes of positive comments and even articles praising him as award winning.
“But further down I found one comment warning to watch out and that he was a scammer. When I messaged the poster I realised I’d been conned.”
She emailed the website listing the flat for rent in a panic late at night, and woke to a call from them confirming her suspicions.
They told her they’d gone through their background checks and found problems.
“It was devastating,” Alma added. “But now I had hope that I had a complaint. Maybe I can get my money back.”
Alma and Bruno’s lawyer Martin Richardson, Senior Partner of Richardson Hartley Law, told how he was considering legal action to get their money back.
He added: “The conman takes on a tenancy in his own name and weirdly uses it as a means by which to pretend he’s a landlord.
“He has registered a company with Companies House although there’s no sign of trading. It gives him an heir of responsibility. He’s spotted a weakness in the system and produced a fraudulent land registry document.
“I went on the land registry for a free summary of the title. When I put the number in it comes back to a parking space in Battersea.”
A University of London Housing Services spokesperson said: “We provide a full service to students, including a website with accommodation from reputable landlords, letting agents and private hall providers, as well as advice and guidance.
“We also provide a contract checking service, which helps support students on matters such as unfair terms or potential issues when they are living in private accommodation.
“We would always urge students to be cautious, to check details carefully and not to hand over money until they have been through appropriate checks.
“And remember, if a deal looks too good to be true then it probably is.”
‘DESPICABLE’
Meanwhile, Craig Spokes paid £19,500 after paying 12 months’ upfront for a flat using inheritance from his late dad.
The resort entertainment manager moved into the property but was evicted three weeks later and left on the street surrounded by his belongings at 7am.
“The conman was actually renting the flat and stopped paying for it. He just ran off with my money,” Craig, 36, told The Sun.
“I was left on the street after bailiffs came knocking and it sent me on a downward spiral.
“He has no idea of what I’ve been through to get myself back up.”
He said the conman had been living in the property before him and the eviction notice had his name on it.
“He’s a disgusting, despicable human being in my eyes.”
The flat was rented via Cobblestone Reality Group, owned by Samy Daim.
Craig said he had been “proud” to finally find somewhere to live in London.
But his joy slowly unravelled. He told how a Chinese couple once knocked on his door thinking they were moving into the house.
After the eviction he was forced out of London, lost his job and had to move in with his sister in Northampton, where he has now rebuilt his life.
“It was emotionally draining – the fear of embarrassment that I’d fallen for the scam.”
Adding that it was like a “scene from a soap”, he said: “I just never thought it would happen to me.”
A Monzo spokesperson said: “Falling victim to fraudsters is very distressing and we’re sorry it happened to this customer.
“This was a sophisticated scam and we’ve reimbursed them in full.”
The Sun has contacted Cobblestone Realty Group for comment.