Police Investigate After TikTok Villa Ad Defrauds Woman of Thousands

A young woman from Port Louis is warning others after she was conned out of thousands of rupees in an online scam that turned her planned ‘dream family weekend’ into a nightmare. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, saw an advertisement on TikTok for a villa rental and made several payments for a property that, she claims, does not exist.

A formal complaint has been filed with the Roche-Bois police, who have launched an investigation.

The woman was searching for a villa to rent in the north of the island for the weekend of August 23rd for a family getaway.

She found an ad on TikTok for a villa in Chemin Vingt Pieds, Grand Baie, priced at Rs 4,500 for the weekend.

The ad did not have a contact number, so she emailed the supposed agent. She was then told the price was actually Rs 6,500, a higher amount than the initial advertisement.

Unfamiliar with such transactions, she did not suspect it was a scam.

On August 14th, she made an initial payment of half the requested amount. The next day, after several failed attempts to contact the number she was given, she finally received a call.

The person on the other end of the line claimed they were absent because of a death in the family.

Growing suspicious, the woman asked to see the property in person. The supposed agent agreed, but only if she sent an additional Rs 1,500.

After some hesitation, she sent the money and a meeting was arranged for Monday, August 18th.

However, when she arrived at the location in Grand Baie, the woman was unable to reach the agent.

She followed the provided location on her phone, only to find the area did not match the photos from the advertisement.

After a lengthy search, she found no villa resembling the one she was promised.

She immediately called the police, who advised her to file a report with a copy of her bank statement.

Shortly after, the scammer contacted her again, claiming the property owner was busy with a relative’s funeral and that she would be reimbursed later. Since that call, the number has been unreachable.

Source: Defi Media