BAKU, Azerbaijan - Journalist Aziza Ismayilova said she transferred 800 manats to a person she contacted through a rental listing but was never shown the apartment.
Ismayilova was looking for a home for an acquaintance. The apartment was advertised for 550 manats a month, and she asked to arrange a viewing.
The meeting was first postponed after the contact said the owner was attending a birthday party. The next day, Ismayilova was told the owner had urgently left after a relative died.
She was then asked to transfer part of the rent in advance. The contact said the owner had a foreign bank card and could not immediately withdraw money. Later, he claimed another prospective tenant wanted the apartment and asked Ismayilova to pay the full monthly rent.
Ismayilova said she transferred a total of 800 manats. Another planned meeting did not take place: she arrived at Samad Vurgun Park at the agreed time, but the person who had promised to meet her did not appear.
“I said I would not be deceived, but I fell into the scammers’ trap myself,” she said in a television report.
Ismayilova later contacted police. According to the report, the loss was reimbursed through the mother of the person accused of the fraud.
Source: Vesti Baku