A 27-year-old woman has shared her devastating experience of falling victim to a rental scam after paying £8,000 upfront for a property that did not exist. Anna Gonzalez appeared on Good Morning Britain to recount how she was tricked into believing she had secured her ideal London home.
During the busy Christmas period, Anna turned to a well-known renters' forum to find a property quickly. She was contacted by a supposed landlord who claimed the property she had enquired about was unavailable but offered another managed by an estate agent. After a viewing with multiple other people and a suited agent, Anna negotiated and paid six months' rent in advance to avoid a bidding war.
On the day she was meant to collect the keys, Anna received no response. When she went to the property, she found a confused man opening the door. It turned out the property was an Airbnb that fraudsters had rented for a single day to conduct fake viewings. The genuine owner had no idea the property was being used in a scam.
Anna eventually recovered her money and now has a legitimate landlord. Exclusive figures revealed on Good Morning Britain show that rental fraud losses have more than doubled, from nearly £6 million in 2020 to almost £14.5 million in the past year.
