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Among the myriad of troubles faced by Jersey's housing market is a recent spate of online property scams - the perpetrators of which have pressured and charmed islanders out of thousands of pounds, and even left one family homeless...
If you're looking for a new place to rent, then you should be on the look out for some of tips and tricks used by Jersey's online scammers.
Pictured: Express reporter, Charlie Flynn, investigated numerous online rental scams.
Express spoke to local victims of these rental scams, and even interacted with scammers online, in order to gain an insight into how an estimated £22,000 has been stolen from islanders through this method so far...
Initially, the scammers were using Jersey Insight to con hopeful tenants but have since moved over to Facebook due to the lack of effective controls.
They are specifically targeting groups for those looking to rent property in Jersey.
The scammers run false adverts for properties to rent below the average rental price on local Facebook selling pages.
Often, the prices will be just low enough as to avoid ringing alarm bells which makes it difficult to spot which adverts are scams from the outset.
Pictured: Would you spot this as a scam?
However, there are two warning signs. Investigating Officer Faith Shalamon, who is looking into the crimes, said: "People are becoming far more aware of scammers and have started commenting on Facebook posts they know to be suspicious."
She explained that, as a result of this, the scammers have begun to remove the comment option from their posts so that the community can't warn potential victims.
Any post without the ability to comment is therefore a red flag.
The other way to spot a scam is if the images used to advertise the property have been used elsewhere as scammers will often take images from properties already being advertised to go on sale.
Pictured: A property for rent at for sale at the same time?
Indeed, the identity of one scam profile has been all but been identified online. Facebook communities have been continually pointing the finger to the profile of Siri Alexis Grindland.
Jersey Police have also confirmed this to be a scam account.
Siri Alexis Grindland ironically claims to be the European Finance Director at smoothie company, 'Innocent'.
According to the Facebook community, the scammer behind this account has previously gone by the name Peter Ford, and others have also been reportedly been scammed by profiles under the names of Phil Cairns and Samuel Scott.
Pictured: The identity of the scammer?
If it wasn't clear enough already, Siri Alexis Grindland has been spotted by astute members of the Facebook community to have posted adverts using the same photographs for different properties in multiple locations.
Pictured: The same flat in Nottingham and Gibraltar?
Who is at risk?
The scammers often target those who are desperate for housing, including families with young children and people without housing qualifications.
One family Express spoke to were trying to track down a flat for their child's godmother.
Luis* explained: "Me and my wife were looking for a two-bedroom flat for my little one's godmother. We were searching and searching and searching, we were desperate to get a place...we'd never been scammed before."
Pictured: Charlie visited the address of one of the advertised rental properties which turned out to be a disused guest house with no visible signs of being available to rent.
Another victim, James Cunningham - who supports fatherless households through his charity, James' Ark - was trying to find a flat for a family friend who had just left Luton with her two children.
James said: "She was desperate, she couldn't find anywhere."
He explained that his friend, Jersey-born Siobhan*, is a single mother of two children. Whilst living in Luton, she had left a toxic relationship with her the father of her children who had domestically abused her.
She spent a spell in a mother and baby unit, before moving into a block of flats in Luton.
Whilst staying there, she became increasingly concerned for her safety due to gang violence and shootings in the surrounding area.
"I was quite scared over there on my own as I didn't grow up in Luton," said Siobhan.
Siobhan also found herself being followed home on a number of occasions, and the neighbouring block of flats was set on fire.
"It was absolutely horrendous," she said.
She was desperate to leave when James - who Siobhan described as her "saviour" - offered his help.
The interested party will be encouraged to contact the scammer online, usually over Facebook Messenger.
When the viewer expresses interest, the scammer will likely use high pressure sales tactics such as exaggerating how much interest the property has received.
Pictured: "We've had a lot of interest..."
The back and forth can vary, but numerous victims have assured Express that the scammer can come across as professional, legitimate and charming.
One victim, Luis admitted: "Everything seemed legit at first. He spoke like a proper estate agent."
Another victim added that the scammer communicated in "a very professional manner".
For James, the scam was taken a step further.
He explained: "There was a lot of back and forth, chatting over the phone. I opened up about my family, he opened up about his family. He offered to take me and my partner out for a meal.
"There was a member of my family struggling with addiction at the time, and he promised to fully fund his rehab."
Not only that, but in the four weeks that they were discussing over the phone, James said the scammer offered to make a donation of £5000 to his charity, and even offered to provide the charity with the use of a property over summer, rent-free.
James said: "He told me: 'You're a lovely guy, you help people, I want to do something good for you!'"
Siobhan herself also had a phone call with the scammer, and described him as being "so believable".
She said: "Phone calls are tough for me as my son has ADHD and I'm not the best on the phone. But when he spoke, he was just so believable...I mean the depth he went into, he knew what I'd been though and that I was a victim of domestic violence. He was saying that he didn't want me to be isolated when I came back to Jersey."
The scammer also offered Siobhan a job and a £500 Dunelm voucher.
"I probably should have realised it was too good to be true," she admitted. "We just thought: 'It's amazing that someone could do that.' It's quite sickening really."
Siobhan added: "That day that I spoke to him, I had to build myself up and had to trust him...it sort of haunts me that phone call. He's just evil."
Up until this point, it might be difficult to tell you are being scammed. However, the next phase of the scam should immediately set alarm bells ringing.
Once contact has been made, the interested party will usually be told that they must pay a deposit before they can view the property to secure it.
This is justified as being to "reserve" a place, due to the high number of applications. This deposit can often be a whole month’s rent.
After the transfer of funds has taken place, the scammer simply disappears and cannot be contacted.
Pictured: The request of the deposit.
Luis and his family lost £300 from the scam.
He explained: "We had to put in a £300 deposit, to reserve it, before we could view it. Then, he just went. My wife gave a full statement to the police."
Sofia*, who had moved to Jersey and was completely unfamiliar with the local property market, said: "He asked for a £250 deposit on a £1500 rental to secure my apartment. After I paid over the £250 I never heard from him again.
"My mum and I did some digging and found him on a 'wanted' list for the police in the Isle of Man."
Heather*, a woman in her twenties, said: "I had to move so I was looking on the rental pages, I saw a studio and I thought: 'That looks perfect!'. I asked for a bit more information and some pictures. He sent me beautiful pictures.
"When I asked about a viewing, he got funny and asked for a deposit. He wanted me to reserve the viewing with money, not just verbally. That's when I got a bit suspicious."
Heather refused to send the deposit, and the scammer disappeared.
Pictured: The rising cost of living and the difficulty of finding accommodation is driving the success of these scams.
However, James was not so lucky. He transferred £2000 of his own money over to the scammer, who promptly vanished.
He said: “It wasn’t the money, money comes and goes, but he was hurting a young girl. She had two children and she ended up homeless, how could someone do that?”
James added: “I got £1000 back from the bank so I’m still out of pocket but I was fine. It was more the fact that she was crying and her anxiety was getting really bad.”
Following the scam, Siobhan and her children were made homeless for three months. They were forced to sofa-surf at her brother's house until they could make another arrangement.
She explained: "I was on income support, and I had no job so it was quite difficult. For my son, it was even more difficult. He has ADHD and so change can be really hard to process. Children that age pick up on how the adults are feeling."
To see if the scammer was still active, Express contacted Siri Alexis Grindland after he posted on a rental property group.
Pictured: The ad posted by the scammer... too good to be true?
When messaged directly, the scammer predictably expressed that there had been an awful lot of interest.
He added that the property would be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis.
Pictured: "We have had 30 enquiries... it's crazy!"
The location, 17 Gloucester Street, is in fact the site of Telford Guest House - a disused guest house for which there is no readily available contact number and no visible signs of being available to rent.
Pictured: Could not send...
Investigating Officer Faith Shalamon explained: "We’ve been looking into these [scams] for two years. They were particularly prevalent during covid as the scammers used the pandemic as an excuse not to allow a visit. Recently, we've managed to make a link between cases and build up a picture."
The Jersey police are currently investigating 26 separate complaints of property scams, and an estimated £22,000 has been stolen from islanders using this method.
Officer Shalamon said: "It’s really sad. The people affected are often vulnerable, those who are struggling. They are wiping out people’s savings. Some people have lost £2000-3000. Others have lost less, around £200-300, but to some people that is an awful lot of money.”
She explained that the current housing situation is making people more susceptible to rental scams, adding: “People are desperate for accommodation. The housing situation in Jersey is horrendous so these people are really vulnerable to this sort of things.”
“Everyone is so desperate at the moment," added victim, James. "The housing situation is horrific."
When asked about how to prevent being scammed, Officer Shalamon said that people need to ensure that they go and see the property before they transfer any money.
"If it's too good to be true, it's not going to be true," she added.
Pictured: Charlie heard that an an estimated £22,000 has been stolen from vulnerable islanders who are desperate for housing.
Reform Jersey's Deputy Sam Mezec, former Housing Minister, said that the scammers are merely a symptom of a wider issue.
He said: "The point I always make is that we can talk about particular scams, but the fact is is that the whole property market is a scam. It's in an absolute state.
"When people see these boxes going up for £1400, often they won't even be able to afford that without going into rental stress. People are susceptible to scams because they are desperate that they will snatch up anything."
Here’s one advertised for rent for £1,400 a month in Westmount apartments.
— Deputy Sam Mézec (@SamMezecJsy) February 13, 2023
The view from the balcony is of a ten story building and a quarry face, both blocking any sunlight reaching you.
At least this one is private greed rather than government greed, I guess ????♂️ pic.twitter.com/5W1iAwZzaM
Deputy Mezec added: "These scams are already illegal, and there's not a lot we can do to prevent them from happening, but what we can do is try our best to make the housing market work better for ordinary people."
Deputy David Warr, current Housing Minister, confirmed that he is aware of the scams.
"I am sensitive to this," he said. "My son, who's based in London, has come into contact with the same kind of thing."
He added: "I appreciate there is a lot of demand for homes and people are doing their damnedest to get ahead of waiting list and get whatever they can. What we have to do is to cool demand and build more homes. When demand is high, it gives the scammer the opportunity."
Deputy Warr mentioned that plans put forward by Andium homes to build 262 new homes on the site of the Anne Street Brewery were approved by a planning committee on Thursday.
"People have to be aware that there are these kinds of malicious people out there," said Deputy Warr. "They have to take care."
He also repeated the phrase: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is."
*some names have been changed for the purposes of anonymity.
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