South Africans Lost Around R40 Billion to Scams Last Year
Projections attributed to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimated that South Africans lost around R40 billion to scams in 2025.
GASA's 2025 South Africa study reported that more than four-fifths of surveyed adults had encountered a scam.
A few verification steps can be inconvenient. Losing a deposit, advance rent and personal documents is far more inconvenient.
The R40 billion estimate relates to scams across categories and should not be interpreted as R40 billion in rental-scam losses.
Rental scams often work because every individual step feels believable.
The danger is usually in the sequence.
A very attractive property appears online
The photos may be genuine because they were copied from a legitimate listing. The price may be just low enough to generate a rush of enquiries.
The advertiser sounds helpful and responsive
You receive quick WhatsApp replies, voice notes, photographs and explanations. None of those things proves ownership or authority.
Urgency suddenly enters the conversation
“Three other people want it.” “The first deposit secures it.” “I can only hold it until tonight.” This is the point where caution gets replaced by fear of missing out.
You are asked to transfer money
It may be called a deposit, holding fee, application fee, first month's rent or reservation payment. Once transferred, recovering the money may be extremely difficult.
The person disappears — or invents another problem
The phone is switched off, the profile disappears, the “owner” cannot be reached or you are suddenly asked to pay another amount before keys can be released.
What should make you slow the transaction down?
One red flag may have an innocent explanation. Several together deserve serious attention.
The rent is unusually cheap
A bargain price can be used to create a large pool of anxious applicants very quickly.
Payment before proper checks
You are pushed to transfer money before ownership, agency or authority can reasonably be verified.
“I'm out of town”
Distance is used to explain why normal verification, documents, meetings or key handover cannot happen yet.
Different names everywhere
The advertiser, bank-account holder, owner, lease name and supposed agency do not line up clearly.
You are punished for asking questions
The advertiser becomes aggressive, evasive or threatens to give the property to somebody else when you request verification.
Sensitive documents requested too early
IDs, payslips and bank statements have value too. Identity theft can be part of the scam even when no deposit is paid.
Run the five-question test.
If you cannot answer these questions confidently, your next step should be verification — not EFT.
Do not verify the agent using only the details the agent gave you.
A fake profile can copy a legitimate agency's branding, photographs and listing content. The safer approach is to find the agency independently, call the office using independently sourced contact details and confirm that the person really works there.
In South Africa, property practitioners operate in a regulated environment. Consumers can also verify relevant Fidelity Fund Certificate information through the PPRA's official systems.
A professional practitioner should understand why a consumer wants to verify who they are before transferring a deposit.
How to Check an Estate AgentAct quickly and preserve the evidence.
Contact your bank as soon as possible and explain that you believe the payment may be linked to fraud. Whether funds can be stopped or recovered will depend on the circumstances and timing, so speed matters.
Keep screenshots, WhatsApp messages, phone numbers, email addresses, account details, advertisements, payment confirmations, documents and any voice notes or photographs that were sent to you.
Consider reporting the incident to the relevant authorities and fraud-reporting channels. If identity documents or financial documents were supplied, consider the additional risk of identity misuse rather than treating the matter only as a lost deposit.
Landlords can be targeted too.
False information, identity manipulation and fraudulent applications can expose owners to a different set of risks.
Verify the property side before handing over money or documents.
Confirm ownership or authority, check the agency independently, question unusual payment instructions and do not let urgency remove your normal caution.
Property Owner VerificationVerify the applicant side before handing over the keys.
Identity, affordability, employment, credit behaviour and other application information should be assessed before the tenancy begins.
Tenant Screening & Risk AssessmentUseful A+ Properties safety guides
Common Rental Scams
Know the different scam patterns before they appear in your inbox.
Property Owner Verification
Reduce risk by checking ownership or authority before making payment.
Is the Estate Agent Legitimate?
A practical guide to verifying a property practitioner before trusting them.
Property FAQs
Straight answers for tenants, landlords, buyers and sellers.
The figure is an estimate of scam losses across South Africa, not a measurement of rental scams specifically. It has been reported in 2026 with attribution to projections from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance. GASA's State of Scams in South Africa 2025 research also reported very high levels of scam exposure among surveyed South African adults. The purpose of this article is to apply the broader fraud lesson to rental transactions: verify the person, property and authority before transferring money.
A few minutes of verification can be worth far more than the time it takes.
If you are unsure whether the person advertising a rental property appears to own it or have authority from the owner, do not let payment pressure make the decision for you.