KUALA LUMPUR: International students seeking to rent accommodation should do it through proper channels, says Datuk Seri Michael Chong.
The advice from the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head comes after more than 50 students from China recently lost more than RM1mil after renting from a bogus property agent here.
"Go through (your) respective student affairs office.
"Universities and colleges here must also make it mandatory for students to go through them when seeking off-campus accommodation," he told a press conference at Wisma MCA on Tuesday (Nov 12).
So far, he said he had received over 30 complaints from students from China who fell victim to a bogus property agent.
"He would approach the students on online chat platforms such as WeChat to offer his services.
"We believe that more than 50 students from China have fallen victim to this bogus property agent with losses amounting to more than a million ringgit," he said.
To entice victims, he said the man, believed to be a local, would offer rental at below market rate.
Chong said the man would request deposit payments including up-front rental fees of between six months and two years from the students before absconding.
"The man would ask for the rent in Chinese currency via online payment platforms such as Alipay.
"This would make it more difficult for the authorities here to conduct investigations," he added.
Chong said the incident came to light after a Chinese student realised he was duped after being issued with an eviction notice from the landlord several months into the "tenancy agreement".
He said the landlord of the affected properties realised something amiss after not receiving rental payments promptly from the man.
Chong said a police report has since been lodged and the Chinese Embassy here alerted as well.
A student from China named Wang Sai, 34, said he arrived in the country two years ago and was living on campus at a local private university in Cheras.
He added that he decided to move out in December last year after seeking help from the property agent through an online chat group.
However, he said he entered into a tenancy agreement in February but was shocked when the landlord evicted him last month.
Wang, who was speaking on behalf of several victims, said that they had lost more than RM600,000.
