Rental scam turns dream home into nightmare for man after losing RM5,000

SHAH ALAM - What started as a simple rental search turned into a nightmare for a man when he lost RM5,000 in a scam.

Muhammad Rahiman Abdulmanab shared his story through a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) which struck a nerve, amassing over 800,000 views and sparking reactions of shock, sympathy and outrage.

"Got scammed of RM5,000 is definitely not a checklist that I want to get ticked off my bucket list this year, if not ever," Rahiman wrote as he recounted the harrowing experience.

He said it all started on Oct 29 when he came across what appeared to be a perfect rental listing for a fully furnished unit at a serviced suites, posted on a trusted house listing platform he had used before.

He said the real estated agent who introduced herself as "Esther Siow" seemed trustworthy and everything appeared to be in order at first.

The agent, he said then transferred the viewing arrangements to a colleague named "Ady."

He said the red flags began appearing when Ady could not answer his questions about the property saying that he was merely a substitute.

Despite his misgivings, Rahiman said he found himself moving forward with the rental, captivated by the property and the surprisingly low price.

"When I arrived for the viewing, the unit looked exactly as advertised on the the listing. I was thrilled—fully furnished and beautifully maintained, it was everything I’d hoped for," he wrote in his post.

He said the RM1,500 monthly rental was enticingly lower than the other listings in the same building, a fact he later regretted overlooking.

The following days, he said he exchanged messages with Siow, signing an offer letter and later a tenancy agreement.

In his posts, Rahiman described a sinking feeling that hit him each time she insisted on full payment before the handover.

Despite voicing his concerns, he eventually transferred the money, feeling reassured by her prompt responses and polished documents.

On Nov 10, the day he had been eagerly waiting for which was the day of the handover, Siow disappeared.

What followed was a gut-wrenching sequence of unanswered messages and calls.

In his post, Rahiman wrote about his growing panic and disbelief.

"Throughout the car ride, my heart was pounding, praying she would respond and that my instincts would be proven wrong. But upon arriving at the designated spot, there was nothing. I waited another half an hour—nothing," he shared.

Left with no choice, Rahiman sought help from the National Scam Response Centre, only to be told that since he met the scammer in person, it did not classify as an online scam.

His last attempt was calling the property platform, hoping to confirm "Esther Siow’s" legitimacy.

However, he discovered a disturbing truth: the real "Esther Siow" was not involved.

As he read out the phone number, a voice on the other end delivered the crushing blow: "I’m sorry, but this isn’t our Esther Siow’s phone number."

In his post, Rahiman described his reaction as pure numbness as he sat in the parking lot, completely still, trying to process the harsh reality of what had just happened to him.

"It felt as though I experienced all five stages of grief in an instant. I didn’t even cry as much as I wanted to. I was numb, completely emotionless," he said.

Encouraged by friends and family, Rahiman lodged a police report, although he acknowledged the grim reality of recovering his money.

"The police didn’t sugarcoat anything. They made it abundantly clear that there wasn’t much they could do on their end. In other words, it was game over," he said.

He said when a police sergeant asked him why he lodged a report, he replied he wanted justice to be served so that no one else would go through what he went through.

The response to Rahiman's story has been overwhelming, with many people sharing their own experiences with similar scams and expressing their outrage on his behalf.

"I hope everyone reading this will share my story for awareness and take a lesson from it," he said.