The real estate business already has enough surprises. A client can disappear after promising to buy, a property owner can suddenly change the price, and a "serious buyer" can develop a mysterious allergy to viewing fees.

But now there is another problem real estate agents need to watch out for: scammers selling ridiculously cheap products and services.

It has come to our attention that scammers are currently targeting members within real estate WhatsApp groups, offering deals that sound almost too good to be true, mainly because they usually are.

Please be especially careful with people offering "unlimited" data or airtime bundles at unbelievably cheap prices. You may receive a message saying something along the lines of:

"Unlimited data. Very cheap. Activate now."

And suddenly, a bundle that normally costs a certain amount is being offered for a fraction of the price. Your first reaction might be: "This guy has discovered a secret telecom deal!"

No.

He may have discovered your wallet. The same warning applies to suspiciously cheap electricity activation tokens and, more recently, heavily discounted DStv packages. Whenever someone offers you a service at a price that makes you wonder whether the company itself knows about the promotion, that is probably a good time to investigate.

One of the more recent scams involves people offering extremely cheap DStv packages.

According to Solomon, a real estate agent with Sorah Estates, there is a person operating under the account name "Legit Business Uganda" who has allegedly cheated more than six people he personally knows using the DStv packages advertised in the screenshot accompanying this article.

Ironically, the account name is "Legit Business Uganda." You have to admire the confidence. If you are going to run a scam, apparently the modern strategy is to put "Legit" directly in the name and hope nobody asks the obvious question.

To be clear, these are allegations based on information shared with us, and anyone accused of wrongdoing should have an opportunity to respond. However, the warning itself is important regardless of who is behind the account.

Interestingly, the individual is not in any of the real estate groups that I manage or where I am an admin. Otherwise, I would have already removed him from the groups, as we always do, since all the Real Estate Community groups are strictly for real estate-related content only.

The attraction is simple: price. Someone offers you a service or products at a price significantly below the normal market rate.

You think: "Why pay the normal price when I can get the same thing for much less?"

You send the money. Then comes the familiar sequence.

"Please wait."

"System is processing."

"Network is down."

"Activation is almost complete."

"Send another small amount."

And eventually: Silence.

Your airtime has disappeared, your money has disappeared, and the person who promised you an incredible bargain has also disappeared, apparently faster than a buyer after being told the property is no longer negotiable.

It is not clear whether companies whose services are being abused in these schemes, such as DStv or telecommunications and electricity providers, are aware that their customers are being targeted in this manner.

And if they are aware, it is also unclear what measures they have taken to address the problem.

There is another interesting question here. When a customer tries to use an unauthorized or "backdoor" method to obtain a service and gets scammed, does the company simply blame the customer for trying to bypass the normal activation process?

That is certainly something worth thinking about. Customers should obviously use legitimate channels. But companies also have an interest in protecting their brands and customers from fraudulent schemes operating in their names.

Here is a very simple rule: If a deal looks suspiciously cheap, investigate before you pay. Do not let greed make the decision for you.

Ask yourself:

• Is this offer available through the company's official channels?

• Is the person an authorized agent or reseller?

• Can the offer be independently verified?

• Is the payment going to an official business account?

• Does the price make commercial sense?

• Why is this person selling it so much cheaper than everyone else?

• What happens if something goes wrong?

And most importantly: Do not assume that because several people in a WhatsApp group are talking about something, it must be legitimate.

WhatsApp groups are excellent for networking, marketing and sharing information. They are also excellent hunting grounds for scammers.

Another common trap is social proof. Someone says: "My friend used him and it worked." That does not necessarily prove anything.

Some fraudulent schemes work initially. A scammer may successfully process a few transactions to build trust before disappearing with a larger amount of money. The fact that someone received a service yesterday does not automatically make the person legitimate today.

The safest approach is boring, and boring is good when money is involved. Always use official websites, official apps, authorized agents, recognized payment channels and established activation procedures whenever possible.

If you want DStv, obtain your package through legitimate DStv channels.

If you need electricity tokens, use the recognized channels provided by the relevant electricity provider or authorized vendors.

If you need airtime or data, use legitimate telecom channels.

Yes, you may occasionally find someone offering a cheaper alternative. But ask yourself whether saving a few thousand shillings is worth risking your entire payment.

Real estate agents deal with money, property information, clients and businesses every day. That makes real estate groups attractive targets for people looking for unsuspecting customers. So please remain vigilant. Do not let a tempting bargain override common sense.

And whenever somebody arrives in a real estate group promising unlimited data, unbelievably cheap electricity tokens, heavily discounted DStv packages or any other "special" deal, take a moment before sending money.

Because sometimes the cheapest deal in the room is actually the most expensive mistake you can make. When the price is unbelievably good, don't just ask, "How much can I save?" Ask, "What could I lose?" That question could save you a lot more money than the bargain ever would.