"I would be very upset about losing $78,000." A Belarusian woman timely refused to buy an apartment

Viktoryia and her family decided to move to Minsk from the Homiel region. For this, it was decided to sell their country house and buy a good apartment in the capital instead. The first step went smoothly for the girl, but the second one turned into an unpleasant saga.

— It was May 2025. The "Dolina scheme" was still far off. But I had already read about some dangers when buying an apartment both online and in the media, — Viktoryia recounts.

The family's attention was drawn to a 2-room apartment on Surhanava Street priced at $78,000. Middle floor, brick house, apartment size — all these criteria seemed literally ideal. The living space was clean and tidy. Since the family planned to move in immediately after the deal, the condition of the premises was also an important point.

— It was being sold by a woman who was 69 years old. By the time of the deal's registration, she would already be 70. This is an important point. We saw her in the photograph — for us, age was crucial.

There were many contenders for such a lot. But Viktoryia had a significant advantage in the form of the full amount in cash. The parties quickly shook hands, and the purchase process began.

Everything as it should be: the deal was handled by an employee of a well-known capital real estate agency, who checked all the documents for the apartment and found no suspicious hooks.

When did the "red flags" start?

However, one strange circumstance did emerge: it turned out that the pensioner did not want to deal with money obtained through credit. For Viktoryia, this was the first "red flag." The second "red flag" also did not make her wait long:

— The woman seemed very active, energetic. We are sitting, talking, and then she asks: "What, do I have to deregister from the apartment?"

The agent replies that by the time the ownership right is transferred, she must have already deregistered from the apartment, and the housing must be vacant. She was also explained that after signing the contract, she is given one week to vacate the apartment.

The pensioner became very nervous. She says: "Wait, I thought I would still live there for 2-3 more months." The agent is surprised: "Well, great! And why do people buy an apartment? So that they can use it themselves. What 2-3 months?"

Павялічыць

As a result, the pensioner agreed to accept the terms, but Viktoryia's heart was already uneasy:

— Even though the "Dolina scheme" was still ahead, I sat and recalled stories where relatives of elderly people challenged a completed transaction due to the owners having cerebral atherosclerosis, or dementia. And I very calmly tell her: "Please forgive me, yes, the law does not require this, but I would very much like to ask you to get an extract from your medical record."

Because if it turns out that there is a diagnosis, then the deal can simply be canceled later, because the person was not aware of their actions. The owner agreed. The necessary mental health certificate takes approximately several weeks to prepare.

The parties then continued their communication. According to Viktoryia, the owner of the housing again started saying strange things:

— The agent continues to articulate our further actions. And the woman suddenly says that she wants to take all the money in cash immediately.

They reply: no problem, but you need to deregister from the apartment. And then I remember that there were many photos of her relatives and grandchildren hanging in the apartment, but she always came to all meetings alone. I ask that relatives be present at the bank during the money transfer. I ask: why cash specifically? I suggest transferring the money from one account to another. Her answer: "That shouldn't concern you."

And here my heart starts to pound. I begin to understand that she is seemingly being led by someone. To every phrase, she reacted very nervously and acutely. One had to filter everything one said so as not to make her nervous.

Viktoryia recalls that there were also questions about the pensioner's future place of residence. At first, she mentioned that she would deregister to her daughter's place. Then the "testimony" changed: the move and deregistration were planned for a friend's apartment. Despite a million "red flags," the parties still signed a preliminary agreement.

At the same time, the girl asked the agency to meet with the owner one more time and clarify all the vague points: the health certificate, the absence of relatives, a clear answer about her future place of residence, and her fixation on cash.

— After this meeting, the realtor calls me: "You know what, you were right. She is unstable. She has a rather aggressive manner of behavior. She does not provide contact information for relatives. She demands cash. I say: "This is an elderly person. If anything goes wrong, we will be to blame. Let's decide something."

Termination of the deal

The deal was ultimately terminated. Since then, Viktoryia has had no communication with the suspicious owner of the dream apartment. And the agent let slip that she had seen this property on other real estate agency platforms.

— Unfortunately, I don't know the grandmother's further fate, — concludes the interviewee. — Most likely, scammers were "leading" her. It's a very similar scheme. She would have given them the money after the sale. I want to note: despite the agency conducting a full collection of information about the apartment, it must "press" the sellers, clarify all disputed points, especially when it comes to an elderly person. I'm not saying all elderly people are like that. People often make objective decisions even at 80 or 90, teach at universities, and so on. But everyone needs to be double-checked.

— I hope the pensioner sold the apartment well, bought another one instead, and lives near her daughter. May God grant her health. But I was worried about my money. Perhaps some people get it easily, but I would definitely be very upset about losing $78,000.

Viktoryia emphasizes once again that all this happened during a period when fraudulent schemes related to real estate buying and selling had not yet received such widespread coverage as they do now. Therefore, the agent also acted somewhat carelessly. Today, specialists in the real estate sector are already more attentive to suspicious transactions, beginning to understand how people behave when they are under the influence of fraudsters. After all, thanks to such meticulousness, many potential victims can be saved.

• 11
• 0
• 0
• 2
• 0
• 0
• 1
• 0