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Every Friday we will feature a story from an agent on the ground. Today's is a genuine story from overseas that will no doubt get you questioning the next time you deal with a property lawyer.
Some people never learn. In this recent case, one bogus South African Lawyer serving a five-year stretch behind bars for fraudulently pretending to sell properties has managed to get caught again for the same scam.
It was alleged in the Durban Magistrate's Court that Ashni Singh, 37, lied that she had a number of flats for sale and was authorised to sell them. The problem for Ms Singh was there weren't any flats for sale. In fact, one property did not actually exist.
It's been reported the latest victim of Ms Singh's alleged dodgy dealings only picked up on the swindle when she spotted a story about Ms Singh pleading guilty for the same crime in the Commercial Crime Court late last year.
Despite not completing a law degree, Ms Singh posed as a lawyer for almost a year between 2008 and 2009, duping people by telling them she was selling repossessed homes on behalf of the eThekwini municipality.
It's reported she approached potential buyers and offered them properties before they went to auction.
One victim, Jay Singh, signed on the dotted line on two property deals, but when he realised it was a scam, he questioned Ashni Singh and she returned his money.
During sentencing Ashni Singh’s lawyer admitted his client had defrauded others to pay Jay Singh.
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