A Scam or Not?

Once upon a time, a foreigner rented a condo in BGC for three years. The lease ended in 2019, and the tenant returned to his home country.

Four years later, he received an email from a collection agency saying he had unpaid bills with an internet service provider. The agency also stated that they were initiating court proceedings against him. The foreigner was sure he settled everything before he left the Philippines.

Was this a scam or not?

The tenant checked the claim's validity:

+ The details (e.g., account number) stated in the email were accurate.

+ The person who sent the email had an email address that bore the company's name.

+ The company likewise has a full-blown website.

Yet, articles from the internet stated that scammers were pretending to be collection agencies. In particular, the same internet service provider said they do NOT use collection agencies for individuals' accounts (only for companies).

So is this a scam or not?

If it were a genuine claim and the tenant didn't settle the unpaid amount, the internet provider would refuse to install a new connection to the unit. Thus, the owner will be on the losing end of this problem.

Lessons:

Tenant - Keep digital records of all your payments for five years. I suggest getting receipts via email; they're easier to organize.

Owner/Broker - Make sure to get proof that services have been terminated before releasing tenants' security deposit. It's possible that the tenant merely paid for the last bill but failed to end the service. Also, keep digital records of these documents (just the other week, I thought of throwing away documents from previous leases).

Collection Agencies - Have your client (e.g., internet service provider) email the collection request so it looks more legit.