Beware estate agent sharks

ESTER SMIT: 15 FRAUD CASES OPEN AS HOME BUYERS FACE LOSSES TOTALLING R1.9 MILLION

- Sipho Mabena

LOCATION UNKNOWN. The suspect is no longer answering calls or e-mails. Picture: iStock

(iStock)

A “rogue” estate agent is in hiding after allegedly swindling unsuspecting home buyers out of R1.9 million, leaving a trail of destroyed lives and shattered dreams.

At least 20 alleged victims have come forward and many have opened fraud cases in a growing scandal involving estate agent Ester Smit of Ester Smit Eiendomme in Zeerust in the North West.

The representative of the victims, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, has called for a prosecutor-directed arrest and the consolidation of more than 15 fraud cases reportedly opened against Smit with the police.

In correspondence to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the police and the department of human settlements, the representative provided a full evidence bundle, including SA Police Service case numbers, bank records, Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) correspondence, company documentation and trust records.