An online scammer chose the wrong target when they swooped in on a Tauranga real estate agent and attempted to steal $6000 disguised as rent for a fake rental property.

The real estate agency employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, is warning others to heed the old saying – 'If it looks too good to be true then it probably is”.

An online scammer has tried to swindle a Tauranga woman out of $6000 by falsely claiming to have a property for rent.

The scammer tried and failed to swindle the woman out of $6000 by offering a rental property on Williams Street they did not own.

The woman has been looking for a rental property in Tauranga and as part of her efforts placed an advertisement on the Virtual Realty website.

From the listing she was contacted via email by a person identifying themselves as Christine Ann Curtis. They asked if she was still needing a rental as she owned a property on Williams Street.

'So I went back and said yes I was still looking and asked for more details of the property and photos.

'She explained she had moved back to the UK with her husband, so they were going to take their house off the market and rent it out to someone suitable.”

Alarm bells first started when the scammer said the rent would be $250 per week – far too cheap for the area. The woman thought it was possibly due to desperation.

With the address of the property, she did a drive-by of the house and discovered people were still living there.

Confused she contacted the scammer again and asked if the house was actually vacant.

The scammer then said the house was empty because she was living overseas.

'I decided it didn't sound right. I searched for the property through Tauranga and discovered the name of owner listed was completely different.

'At that stage I realised what she was doing so I played along to get as much information as possible so I could warn other people.”

She kept up her ruse and the scammer then sent her an application form to complete and send back – which she has not done.

To entice the scammer further the woman said she wanted the property for a minimum of six months and would pay up front.

'I knew that would catch her and straight away she started talking about money and sent me her details.

'She wanted me to pay $6000 up front by MoneyGram and then she would send me the keys to the property. It would be mine and I could go and rent it.”

That last email was sent yesterday and since then she has had no contact with the scammer.

A Google search of the email address ‘christ2kiwiann@gmail.com' reveals this particular scammer has been around since at least 2012, and targeted people as far away as Northland.

The address has also been linked to two other addresses – evansduncan559@gmail.com and waughpatricia5@gmail.com – because they all share the same contact number +447024069413.

Western Bay of Plenty area prevention manager Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair says the message from police remains the same – if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

'The internet is now part of everyday life and there are people all too willing to take advantage of complacency.

'It is vital that you always validate who you are communicating with online before you agree to any kind of transaction.”

Karl says it's also vital to never part with any money or give out bank account information unless you are 100 per cent confident the transaction is genuine.

In the case of a rental police urge people to seek proof of ownership of a property, says Karl.

'Never rent a property without first viewing it with the owner or agent and preferably take someone with you for greater personal safety.

'No-one likes paperwork but legally binding rental agreements may save a lot of time and inconvenience in the longer term.”