With stolen identities, the scammers contacted apartment owners via online housing ads. During the apartment viewing, an assistant was sent to inspect the apartment, and contracts were signed remotely.
The scammers used identities from people with well-paid jobs that often involve travel, such as pilots, according to Theresé Nimborg, investigator at the police fraud section.
"Then the apartment owner does not question the contact being made remotely," she says in a press release.
Once the scammers gained access to the apartment, it was advertised for rent again. After viewings with fake real estate agents, fake rental contracts were signed digitally, and the apartment seekers sent deposits and advance rent.
According to the preliminary investigation leader Robin Jansson Engström, the fake real estate agents could arrange up to 40 viewings a day, and then try to sign contracts with as many as possible.
Three of the five accused women are now sentenced to prison terms for gross fraud. The other two are sentenced to day fines.
