It didn’t take long for Lian O’Grady to suspect he was being drawn into a scam.
Mr. O’Grady, a resident of the NSW Central Coast, met a woman named Putry, who he initially knew only as “P” on a dating app in early July.
During their second date, she proposed an investment opportunity: purchasing a Balinese villa they could rent out together. According to her, the arrangement would require an upfront payment, promising a five-year sublease in return.
Mr. O’Grady quickly grew wary of the subleasing scheme. He noticed that it seemed too good to be true, as he would ostensibly make money by leasing the property to others while only paying a year of rent.
“It seems like it’s a lot of money for them [the owners] to be giving up,” he remarked. “She even said, ‘Oh, they’re a bit stupid, and they like money up-front.’”