IT TURNED OUT TO BE FRAUD!!!!!!

Saying I'm devastated is an understatement!!!!

You got an agent's number, called him requesting for an apartment.. You meet, he takes you to a nice affordable house....you like the house, he asked you to pay on time before someone else takes it up, you did and he said he won't give you the key yet until the completion of the house, because they are still working on it. He said, the keys would be given to you by a lawyer and the lawyer will give you another receipt in exchange for the one given to you by the agent and developer. So you are here waiting till that date given to you for collection after making full payment.

Has anything like this ever happened and turns out to be genuine or are they fraudsters?

They claimed all the houses have been taken, but another number was used to call the agent and he still mentioned the area of this particular house that they claim the apartments are all taken?

If they are fraudsters, what advise do you suggest in finding out their genuineness and what actions to be taken to recover the money before they flee.

I wonder why I would pay for an apartment that is still under construction.

dingbang:
I wonder why I would pay for an apartment that is still under construction.

Not really, it has been painted, tiled infact everything is intact... Just minor things like clearing up and cleaning up the apartments.

BecaciaBarbie:

Not really, it has been painted, tiled infact everything is intact... Just minor things like clearing up and cleaning up the apartments.

well, have you met the developers or the landlord? Its risky doing business solely with an agent.

dingbang:
well, have you met the developers or the landlord? Its risky doing business solely with an agent.

Yes I have... He spoke to me, told me not to worry that in 8 days time we can come for the keys, but my fear got triggered when another agent did a private investigation and told me to run, that they ain't genuine. But no evidence...?

BecaciaBarbie:

Yes I have... He spoke to me, told me not to worry that in 8 days time we can come for the keys, but my fear got triggered when another agent did a private investigation and told me to run, that they ain't genuine. But no evidence...?

wow, that's something to be mindful of, and I suppose the 8 days has elapsed?

Do you have the lawyer's number and name? I don't think a lawyer with a valid licence would embark on a shady deal.

You can run a check on the lawyer's name to know whether he's licensed or not.

Also, you can run a quick check on the agent's number on Google and Truecaller. Compare the results with what you were told.

If the building is situated within a well-regulated gated estate, the estate management should have some information for you.

dingbang:
wow, that's something to be mindful of, and I suppose the 8 days has elapsed?

No it hasn't... It starts from today.... I'm confused, whether to go request for my money or wait

BecaciaBarbie:

No it hasn't... It starts from today.... I'm confused, whether to go request for my money or wait

I think you should request for your money to be on the safe side until when the apartment is completed.

dingbang:
I think you should request for your money to be on the safe side until when the apartment is completed.

Okay thank you so much....

Acidosis:


Do you have the lawyer's number and name? I don't think a lawyer with a valid licence would embark on a shady deal.

You can run a check on the lawyer's name to know whether he's licensed or not.

Also, you can run a quick check on the agent's number on Google and Truecaller. Compare the results with what you were told.

If the building is situated within a well-regulated gated estate, the estate management should have some information for you.

Thank you so much.

Mistake I made was to ignore asking for the lawyer's number as the thought came to me. I did a check on Google, nothing shady came up... On true caller his number appeared as "Alhaji landlord" this made me relax a bit, but then I'm still super worried as I can't imagine anything going wrong.

Acidosis:


Do you have the lawyer's number and name? I don't think a lawyer with a valid licence would embark on a shady deal.

You can run a check on the lawyer's name to know whether he's licensed or not.

Also, you can run a quick check on the agent's number on Google and Truecaller. Compare the results with what you were told.

If the building is situated within a well-regulated gated estate, the estate management should have some information for you.

Thank you so much.

Mistake I made was to ignore asking for the lawyer's number as the thought came to me. I did a check on Google, nothing shady came up... On true caller his number appeared as "Alhaji landlord" this made me relax a bit, but then I'm still super worried as I can't imagine anything going wrong.....

BecaciaBarbie:

Thank you so much.

Mistake I made was to ignore asking for the lawyer's number as the thought came to me. I did a check on Google, nothing shady came up... On true caller his number appeared as "Alhaji landlord" this made me relax a bit, but then I'm still super worried as I can't imagine anything going wrong.....

The lawyer's number shouldn't be so difficult to provide if he's genuine. You can give him one or two reasons why you need to speak with the lawyer

I don't want to add to your fears, something similar happened around Ogba area (Ikeja) and was reported here on NL. The story sounds the same and it ended up being fraud.

I suggest you demand for the keys and do the cleaning by yourself rather than waiting for the 8 days.

Acidosis:


The lawyer's number shouldn't be so difficult to provide if he's genuine. You can give him one or two reasons why you need to speak with the lawyer

I was there this morning, met another guy who told me no lawyer is giving me any key, that that's a false news, he will give me the key himself. I took pics of one of the men there and got busted, deleted it fast but he was so sure I took his pics as he insisted on checking my phone. Anyways, I still have the pics in my delete folder.

BecaciaBarbie:

I was there this morning, met another guy who told me no lawyer is giving me any key, that that's a false news, he will give me the key himself. I took pics of one of the men there and got busted, deleted it fast but he was so sure I took his pics as he insisted on checking my phone. Anyways, I still have the pics in my delete folder.

You took a big risk o! I think the guy's reaction should get you worried. Is the new guy and the agent connected in anyway? Can you visit again tomorrow, this time with a friend/hubby/bf/etc. Please, don't go alone.

Acidosis:


You took a big risk o! I think the guy's reaction should get you worried. Is the new guy and the agent connected in anyway? Can you visit again tomorrow, this time with a friend/hubby/bf/etc. Please, don't go alone.

Yes it did, he was calmed down by the other guy who told him there was no big deal in me taking his pics. Actually I later found out, it is the Agent's pic I took, I guess I couldn't recognize him again because I met him only once. But now the confusing part is, when my friend called him this morning asking for an apartment in pretense , he mentioned that same area, and told my friend he'd get back to him because he wasn't there now...he'd call to find out if there are still more apartments available, after he had already told me that there was absolutely none available few days ago. So getting there, I didn't even recognize him on sighting him, because he already told my friend he wasn't there , meanwhile he was right there. It was after sending his pic to the person that paid for the house, that was when I realized he is actually the agent, but he lied that he wasn't there....though in his words, he mentioned that there was no parking space to my friend, but this particular one has a parking space.....so confused you know.

BecaciaBarbie:

Yes it did, he was calmed down by the other guy who told him there was no big deal in me taking his pics. Actually I later found out, it is the Agent's pic I took, I guess I couldn't recognize him again because I met him only once. But now the confusing part is, when my friend called him this morning asking for an apartment in pretense , he mentioned that same area, and told my friend he'd get back to him because he wasn't there now...he'd call to find out if there are still more apartments available, after he had already told me that there was absolutely none available few days ago....so getting there, I didn't even know he is the one, because he already told my friend he isn't there , meanwhile he was right there. It was after sending his pic to the person that paid for the house, that was when I realized he is actually the agent, but he lied that he wasn't there....though in his words, he mentioned that there is no parking space to my friend, but this particular one has a parking space.....so confused you know.

Agents are pathological liars but not all are scammers. He told you there are no apartments in order to make you pay on time. That's what many business people do, the whole idea is to create a false impression that there are few apartments.

From what you've said, there are no strong reasons to draw any conclusion but continue to visit the site. 9 days is a long wait o, and like many business people, you really cannot trust these guys when it comes to time management.

If by day 4 or 5, you don't see substantial evidences that your house would be ready on the 9th day, please get a refund. Make him realise you have a short time to leave your current apartment and can't deal with delays. The possibility of getting a refund na another wahala sha!

Acidosis:


Agents are pathological liars but not all are scammers. He told you there are no apartments in order to make you pay on time. That's what many business people do, the whole idea is to create a false impression that there are few apartments.

From what you've said, there are no strong reasons to draw any conclusion but continue to visit the site. 9 days is a long wait o, and like many business people, you really cannot trust these guys when it comes to time management.

If by day 4 or 5, you don't see substantial evidences that your house would be ready on the 9th day, please get a refund. Make him realise you have a short time to leave your current apartment and can't deal with delays. The possibility of getting a refund na another wahala sha!

You are absolutely right....there are no reasons yet to draw any conclusion which seems annoying lol because now I just have to wait, anyways I will put this in prayers as God is the only One who can help me right now, and He knows their real identities. Thanks for your advice and concerns as talking about this helped eased this whole stress. I will give you more details as I go check the apartment and also once I have the key by God's Grace.....thank you so much.

Bantino:
I don't want to add to your fears, something similar happened around Ogba area (Ikeja) and was reported here on NL. The story sounds the same and it ended up being fraud.

I suggest you demand for the keys and do the cleaning by yourself rather than waiting for the 8 days.

Wooow I think I saw that thread too, which increased my worries. They don't want anyone moving in now, until they do a certain muslim prayers on the land/house....so getting the key in a hurry seems futile, and asking for a refund without any solid evidence is another thing.

BecaciaBarbie:

No it hasn't... It starts from today.... I'm confused, whether to go request for my money or wait

Request for your key immediately. If they can't give you your key, let them refund your money IMMEDIATELY.

Every key has more than 1 copy. They can give 3 copies and hold 1 for those working on the property. If they can't give you the key and can't refund your money, pls update us and mention me on the thread.

I know what those agents are doing. Collect your key or money immediately.

MrMcJay:


Request for your key immediately. If they can't give you your key, let them refund your money IMMEDIATELY.

Every key has more than 1 copy. They can give 3 copies and hold 1 for those working on the property. If they can't give you the key and can't refund your money, pls update us and mention me on the thread.

I know what those agents are doing. Collect your key or money immediately.

Wooow okay I will inform the person who paid, because the person feels I am just being worried for nothing and so reluctant about requesting for payment or investigating them. I am actually the one running here and there. This is Lagos and I know how desperate people are when it comes to making money. I will keep you update as I need all the help I can get. Thank you so much.

BecaciaBarbie:

You are absolutely right....there are no reasons yet to draw any conclusion which seems annoying lol because now I just have to wait, anyways I will put this in prayers as God is the only One who can help me right now, and He knows their real identities. Thanks for your advice and concerns as talking about this helped eased this whole stress. I will give you more details as I go check the apartment and also once I have the key by God's Grace.....thank you so much.

I'm glad to be of help, my before before friend

Acidosis:


I'm glad to be of help, my before before friend

Hummmmmmmm Ade

BecaciaBarbie:
Hummmmmmmm Ade

LMAO

I've read a similar story here were an agent collected rent from over 20 people and he gave them the same excuse this one is giving you; wait for a few days for the house to get complete before they can collect key. By the time the victims realized that they have been duped, the fraudulent agent had already absconded with money running into over ten million naira.

@BecaciaBarbie. It is not too early to involve the police in this now that the agent is still reachable and accessible. That 8 days he gave you is most likely to buy time to escape and cover his tracks. Get the police involved before it is too late. I totally hope this lawyer/agent proves me wrong and give you your key at the stipulated date.

BecaciaBarbie:

Wooow I think I saw that thread too, which increased my worries. They don't want anyone moving in now, until they do a certain muslim prayers on the land/house....so getting the key in a hurry seems futile, and asking for a refund without any solid evidence is another thing.

What?!?!? These people are shady in every aspect of it. I just hope you get the keys after all these ridiculous excuses, getting a refund from an agent is next to impossible.

dominique:
I've read a similar story here were an agent collected rent from over 20 people and he gave them the same excuse this one is giving you; wait for a few days for the house to get complete before they can collect key. By the time the victims realized that they have been duped, the fraudulent agent had already absconded with money running into over ten million naira.

@BecaciaBarbie. It is not too early to involve the police in this now that the agent is still reachable and accessible. That 8 days he gave you is most likely to buy time to escape and cover his tracks. Get the police involved before it is too late. I totally hope this lawyer/agent proves me wrong and give you your key at the stipulated date.

Exactly my thoughts....I even sent the link to the person that paid, but he wasn't convinced and this hurts a lot. For every excuse he gets from them, he keeps trying to tell people that the excuses are reasonable. Now, I am thinking of involving the police just like you advised, probably they could carry out an undercover investigation or monitor them but I guess this will cost me a lot. I really cant sit down and do nothing, and like you said the 8 days he gave me, is most likely to buy time. Thank you so much, I will see if I can get the police involve....just so worried

Acidosis:



LMAO

Woooow!!! thought as much but this issue wouldn't even let me concentrate well.... Awwwwwwh so nice to know you are still here on NL, I believe you are doing great ?

BecaciaBarbie:

Woooow!!! thought as much but this issue wouldn't even let me concentrate well.... Awwwwwwh so nice to know you are still here on NL, I believe you are doing great ?

Yes oo, I am. Been around for a while. Nice to see you too

Acidosis:

Yes oo, I am. Been around for a while. Nice to see you too

I see you are behind those good advice on NL

BecaciaBarbie:

I see you are behind those good advice on NL

ahahaha, good or not, I do my bit and leave in peace. Let no one come back to say I ruined his/her life


How have you been btw?