Singles fall for Japan apartment fraud

[TOKYO] A group of singletons in Japan who claim that they were tricked into buying apartments by real estate agents feigning a romantic interest in them launched legal action yesterday.

Two men and 10 women, all in their 30s or early 40s, filed a lawsuit against 14 firms, including real estate agencies and loan companies, demanding a total of 200 million yen (S$2.5 million) in compensation. According to their lawyers, the plaintiffs had become emotionally involved with people they met on online dating sites, with many being led to believe that they were heading towards tying the knot.

Their intendeds, however, were more interested in pushing property and talked each alleged victim into buying at least one condominium, with an average price tag of 26 million yen, the lawyers said. Once contracts were signed and sealed, the romance disappeared and the estate agent skipped out of the relationship, leaving the new homeowners with the keys to a new front door but not to anyone else's heart. One victim was persuaded to buy three properties, the lawyers said.