MIEA: Johor broker who committed fraud was illegal agent

PETALING JAYA (June 7): The agent who was convicted of fraud was an illegal property agent as he was not registered with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents (Bovaea), clarified the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) president Erick Kho (pictured).

* Property agent gets jail time and the cane for cheating

“The public can check whether a real estate agent is a registered agent through the Bovaea website. If the agent’s information cannot be found on the website, it means he or she is operating illegally,” he told TheEdgeProperty.com through a phone interview.

According to a Bernama report on Monday, the illegal agent Muhammad Asid Abd Jalil was sentenced to 16 years’ jail and ordered to be given 30 strokes of the rotan by the Magistrate’s Court for 30 counts of cheating in the purchase and investment of auction homes.

TheEdgeProperty.com did a quick search for Muhammad Asid Abd Jalil’s name on Bovaea’s website (http://www.lppeh.gov.my/) which yielded no results.

Kho said Bovaea began registering legal real estate agencies, real estate agents or negotiators three years ago.

A licensed real estate agenct (REA) will carry a four-digit REA number, while a real estate negotiator (REN) who has attended Bovaea’s two-day course will have a five-digit REN number.

He urged the public to search the website to verify a real estate agent’s status before entering into any transactions to protect themselves.

“We (MIEA) and Bovaea are aware of the news and will issue a press statement soon. We have to protect our profession and not let the illegal agents ruin our reputations,” he said.

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