Scammers exploit WA rental squeeze, leaving people homeless and out of pocket

Two young mothers are among a growing number of people losing thousands of dollars to rental scams in WA, with regulators linking the rise to the end of the state’s rental moratorium almost two weeks ago.

The moratorium ended on March 29, leaving many renters without accommodation and allowing landlords to raise prices and evict tenants with far fewer restrictions than had been in place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Consumer Protection WA said those fearful of the end of the moratorium were easy prey for…