In this episode of the WA Property Q&A Podcast, Peter is joined by Ches Rafferty, owner of Scantek, an expert in identity verification technology.

Peter and Ches unpack the lessons from a recent near miss where a property scammer almost sold a property without the owner's knowledge. They take a deep dive into the obligations of real estate agents to help prevent property frauds and they look at the ways the state government and industry stakeholders could do more to prevent future property frauds. 

Listen to the full episode to learn more about

• The full story of the fraud attempt and how it was discovered
• What role do real estate agents play in preventing fraud
• Understanding the telltale signs of fraudulent transaction
• The importance of doing your due diligence
• Why human led identify verification is vulnerable to “bias”
• How technology can play a pivotal role in a more effective identity verification
• And more…

Chapters:

00:01 Introduction and disclaimer

00:48 Special Episode introduction: property fraud

01:36 Narrating a real-life property fraud incident

06:29 Unpacking the incident: The role of conveyancers

06:52 The importance of verification of identity

07:31 The role of real estate agents in preventing fraud

07:57 The concept of 'reasonable steps' in verification

14:59 Limitations of current verification methods

21:24 Risks of emailing identity documents

23:50 The importance of online solutions for real estate agents

24:40 Understanding back to source checks

28:35 Biometrics in identity verification

29:02 Human factor in identity recognition

31:45 The role of location in identity verification

43:57 The need for improved protection for property owners

44:47 Conclusion: The value of asking one more question

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

• Leanne Phoebe from Cockburn Central Property Settlements 
• REIWA
• Landgate 
• Scantek
• Leanne’s Story
• MPR Guidance note

Visit our website: https://rezzi.com.au/ Subscribe on these channels:

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wa-property-q-a/id1698464149

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/31Nnigbr2rHmUffkEUxRWY

Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-wa-property-qa-5401298