A fraudster — posing as a letting agent — has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for defrauding a couple of £425 as Greycoat specialists share. The victim and his sister were looking for a rental property in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire when they found the fake website.
Prosecuting, Keely Harvey claimed that Michael Tutt posed as estate agent ‘Mark Matheson’ during his interaction with the victims. He asked for a £425 holding fee before they met at Costa Coffee to sign the tenancy, which the couple promptly paid. ‘Matheson’ didn’t appear for the meeting and stopped picking up the victims’ calls. As Greycoat implies, this is a known modus operandi for this kind of fraud.
Suspecting foul play, the victim did a background check and realized that Tutt wasn’t a real estate agent. Harvey notes that the victim went to the property and found it wasn’t empty, Greycoat informs
Specialists from the real estate ageny inform how its occupants claimed they didn’t know anything about a lease renewal, prompting the victim to call their bank and the police. Mitigating, Paul Patterson claimed Tutt was remorseful after being arrested (Mingtiandi).
Ironically, the defendant had initially taken off through the victim’s backdoor after the latter lured him to his house and called the police. Patterson claimed that the defendant was trying to rehabilitate himself and was looking for employment. Greycoat Real Estate’s CEO agrees with Judge Nicholas Rowland. He says that Tutt’s phone proves he wanted to scam more people. The real estate expert reiterates the importance of getting a reputable service when seeking rentals.