A Sydney man has issued a warning about a potential house-sitting scam sweeping the country – and hundreds agree with him.
The lower north shore resident said he’d recently noticed an increase in online messages from people offering to house sit or pet sit for free while families are away over the holidays.
Sharing his theory in a local Facebook group, he wrote: ‘I have seen a large number of people looking for places to “watch” or “house sit” for a few days over the Xmas period.’
He went on to say that he’d observed a formulaic element to these posts, with the person offering to house sit always explaining their willingness to do it at no cost is because they have their own family coming to stay at their house for a few days.
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Continuing his cautionary message, the Sydney man explained that after looking deeper into the profiles of these would-be house sitters, he found reasons for concern.
‘I have looked into several of the profiles and found some serious issues. For instance, most have only been members of the page for less than a month.’
‘They are often profiles from overseas,’ he said, adding that it made no sense why such individuals would have family visiting in Australia.
The man summed up his suspicions with a theory for fellow homeowners: ‘Essentially what these people are doing is gathering information about which houses are empty during these periods. Then, while empty, they are robbed of valuables.’
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A Sydney man took to his local area Facebook group to share a theory after spotting several online posts offering free house-sitting or pet-sitting over the Christmas holiday period
The Sydney lower north shore resident shared his suspicions that homeowners in the area were being targeted because it’s a ‘higher value area’
He added that scammers likely target certain Sydney suburbs because they are ‘a higher value area’.
His final word of advice? ‘My suggestion is DO NOT tell anyone online when you plan on being on holiday.’
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The post quickly gathered hundreds of likes and many comments expressing agreement with his theory.
‘Spot on!’ read one reply. ‘Have definitely noticed an increase in this sort of post.’
Another woman pointed out that if this happened, your insurance would also likely be void because you had permitted the thief into your house.
‘Your insurance does not cover anyone you willingly let into your home who is thieving or damaging property, so I don’t know why anyone would let someone other than a professional Sydney-based pet and house sitter with an ABN and police check look after the most important things in their life,’ she explained.
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Another local woman said she was stunned that anyone would allow an unvetted stranger to live in their home while they weren’t there. ‘It’s just so creepy to me,’ she said.
‘Wouldn’t you just get people you know to house sit (or even someone known by someone you trust)? What kind of benefit is there for the homeowner?’ she wondered.
Many households require a house-sitter or pet-sitter to stay at their place while they are on holidays. Some online comments suggested that they would only ever allow a stranger to stay at their house if they had been vetted by an accredited house-sitting service, or had come by way of a trusted personal recommendation
Another lower north shore resident said they had encountered a similar ploy in the area, where people masquerade as meter readers to gain entry into homes
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One woman shared her own horror stories of twice allowing complete strangers to pet sit while she was away.
‘I had a stranger come and pet sit for me on two occasions,’ she recalled. ‘Once, my house was used as a location for a swingers’ party without my knowledge—my neighbours later told me about the formal complaint.’
‘The second time, they cracked my mirrored furniture worth thousands, which I couldn’t claim on insurance.’
Her hard-learned advice? ‘If you need pet sitting, go with a vetted professional or use services like Trusted Petsitters or Mad Paws.’
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A separate comment from another local referenced a similar ploy that she had encountered in the area, where people masqueraded as meter readers to gain entry into homes.
‘Thankfully, I was on my way out and didn’t let them in,’ she said. ‘Unfortunately, two women down my street did. One of them was home alone with her kids when they were robbed during the Christmas period.’
However, one Sydney woman offered a devil’s advocate view of the free house-sitting offer.
The Aussie woman explained that she and her teenage daughter are sometimes the strangers who accept free house-sitting or pet-sitting opportunities in waterside suburbs.
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‘I’m a mature single mum and it’s a lovely way for me (and sometimes my teenager) to have a little holiday near the beach,’ she explained.
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-11-25 01:04:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
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