KUALA LUMPUR: A group of 30 Chinese students studying in Malaysia, filed a police report against a suspected scammer posing as a real estate agent after they collectively lost an estimated RMB1 million (RM 660,000) in advance rental payments.
They were led by student Wang Sai, who arrived in Malaysia in 2022 to study at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).
He initially stayed in the university's hostel on campus. In 2023, he met with an alleged real estate agent through a friend's recommendation and after two months, decided to rent a room from the agent for a trial period in December last year.
"After talking to him for nearly four months, I felt that he was trustworthy," said Wang during a press conference at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department today.
He said he had paid a two-year rent for two rooms in full in January this year and signed a rental agreement, as he planned to extend his stay in Malaysia.
Wang believed the agreement was legitimate when the agent assured him that it would be finalised with the property owner's approval.
However, the agreement Wang received lacked an official stamp, raising doubts about its validity.
Last month, Wang attempted to reach the agent regarding urgent repairs but was met with various excuses.
Shortly thereafter, the agent disappeared entirely, becoming uncontactable as of Oct 26.
Wang later received an email from the property owner, demanding he vacate the premises due to unpaid rent.
Confused, Wang explained he had already paid two years' rent in advance to Win, but the owner revealed that no payments had been received.
Wang soon discovered that he, alongside several other Chinese students, had been similarly deceived.
The students reported the case to the authorities on Nov 1.
According to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, the students bypassed their universities' student affairs offices to save money on housing.
Malaysia-China Friendship and Mutual Aid Association (MCFAMAA) deputy president Datuk Goh Boon Keng who was also present at the press conference, explained that the suspect employed a strategic approach to defraud the students, by directing them to pay in RMB via overseas payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay.
By doing so, the agent avoided Malaysia's domestic banking system, making the funds difficult to trace locally.
Goh also highlighted an alarming trend in similar scams targeting Chinese students and residents, involving not only housing fraud but also false services for currency exchange, driving licenses, and identity cards.
He urged international students and expatriates to secure all official documentation and services through authorised channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The police and MCFAMAA are actively working to trace the agent's whereabouts and secure justice for the victims.
He also advised international students and others planning to stay in Malaysia to use verified real estate agents and consult with their student affairs offices for assistance with housing matters.