The inflation and threat of default in the country has lead the people of Pakistan to really push the boundaries. Most people relying on a fixed income have seen the worst time of their life in 2022-2023. There could be nothing better for a lot of people than having houses made available on easy installments. Which will mean that instead of paying the rents, they will be paying the premiums and will eventually end up owning a house in 10, 15 or 20 years. This sounds great, right?
The Scam / Fraud Behind ‘Houses on Installments’ in PAKISTAN
You will now find dozens of featured ads on Pakistan’s top real estate portal, zameen.com, and OLX, that would say “House on Installment”, easy installment plans, YOUR DREAM HOUSE ON INSTALLMENT…. when you call the person, he will ask for your location first. Then he will tell you that they are financing homes. Eventually lead you to send them a processing fee of a few thousand rupees. Once you pay the fee, you’ll join the club of the ‘defrauded‘
How did I find out About This?
I was working, someone came to me and asked if I know about this great new scheme in Lahore that offers 3.5 marla houses on such low rates, that too on installments that are lower than the rental value? I was really amazed. I thought someone has simply created a charity organization and is helping the middle class population of the country in the best way possible. So I went on to ZAMEEN.COM and searched for the keyword, ‘Houses on Installments’ in Islamabad and other cities of Pakistan consecutively.
NOTE: I am not sorry for sharing the contact details. These guys are openly looting the already struggling class of the country. I am just playing my hand to help stop them from doing it.
I found a number of Featured Ads on the platform, called some of them to know more. Guess what, each one of them had the same story line. Here is it
1- Someone with a FAKE name will talk to you, tell you that the house you are looking for is sold, however, you can look for any other house of your own choice and we will finance that.
2- Then he’ll tell you that the house you choose will be transferred on your name. We will not take any credit/documents/security. You will remain the owner of your DREAM HOUSE.
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3- Finally, when you ask how to apply, he will tell you that you will have to send them a processing fee of let’s say 8500 rupees. You can either submit the fee in their office or send it to them via EASYPAISA
4- Conveniently, they will first ask for the ad, this way they will know which city you are based in. Then, they will tell you that their office is located in another city ‘FAR AWAY FROM YOURS‘
We have been through a lot of scams. Pakistan, India and even the most developed countries such as USA are not free of such fraudsters. This ‘Houses on Installment‘ thing is one of the latest things that caught my attention.
Appeal to the Relevant Authorities
I am using this platform to voice my concerns. I appeal the government of Pakistan and relevant authorities to please look into this matter. I also urge ZAMEEN.COM and OLX to ensure that their platforms are not being used by these cone artists to defraud innocent working class of the country.
I also urge my readers to share this post with AS MANY people as you can. Who knows this could save someone’s fortune. Because these fraudsters may not stop after getting the processing fee, they may lure us into sending them a lot more in the end.
