Real estate agency staff in parking scam

POLICE are investigating an inner-city car-parking scam in which workers at a real estate agency falsely claimed to be living at homes — without the real owners' knowledge — in order to illegally buy parking permits.

Police and a local council say the agency staff fraudulently bought parking permits for as little as $26, thereby saving themselves thousands of dollars in on-street parking fees and fines.

Three employees at a Richmond real estate agency have been charged with serious fraud-related offences. A former staff member faces similar counts.

Police have warned that because city parking is so costly, it is unlikely the scam is an isolated enterprise. Senior Constable Anthony Barro, from Richmond police station, said he "had no doubt" that the permit fraud was widespread and that other firms across the city were cashing in on unsuspecting residents.

In another case, City of Yarra investigators are examining leaflets that were dropped in Fitzroy letterboxes asking residents if they had permits they wanted to sell — for as little as $200. Under council law, it is illegal for residents to sell their parking permits, and anyone who does, or forges, gives away, rents, buys or otherwise falsely receives a permit, faces a $500 fine.

The scam involving the Richmond real estate agency began in August last year when the City of Yarra approved applications for four resident parking permits over a two-week period.

The employees — a 38-year-old real estate agent; a 65-year-old financial broker from Geelong; and two junior staff, a 20-year-old Altona North woman and a 22-year-old woman from Melton — gave the council false leasing agreements that claimed they lived at four different Richmond addresses.

Leasing agreements are accepted as proof of residence but the agreements must have the name of the owner and the owner's signature or the signature of a representing agent.

The agency staff used a title search database to obtain the property owners' names before fraudulently signing the papers.

Senior Constable Barro said three employees bought a year's parking permit at one of the council's town halls. The 20-year-old woman used a health-care card to obtain one for free.

Yarra Council says the scam would have saved them up to $5200 a year each in parking fees, and meant they didn't have to move their cars every few hours.

The alleged fraudsters targetted properties with off-street parking, thinking that the real residents would not seek a permit.

But the scam came undone when one resident did apply for a permit and was told that the maximum three permits for that property had already been allocated. She protested, the council investigated and the scam was uncovered.

Senior Constable Barro said the two junior staff and the financial broker were charged on Friday with making and using false documents and obtaining financial advantage by deception. Police have been unable to locate the real estate agent, who has left the company.

Senior Constable Barro said it was likely that residents or criminals were also selling visitor's parking passes that could be used by anyone. "It's money for jam if you're not using (your parking permit)," he said.

Buyer's advocate Christopher Koren said the price of inner-city car parking had doubled in 10 years. "When you have the city growing at the rate it is … and with half those people buying cars, that's an awful lot of car spaces required," Mr Koren said.

How the scam works

-Real estate agency workers get property owner's name from online database.

-They put that name on a leasing agreement obtained from their office.

-A colleague signs off on the agreement by falsely acting as the property's manager.

-Name of agency worker is put on leasing agreement as a tenant.

-Leasing document is presented as proof of residence to the council with $26 fee. A parking permit is issued in their name.