Booking fee on rental - pay to owner or agent?

[visaTerebi]

Had agent ask I pay 1 month rent as booking fee, but they asked money be sent to her account.

Then she will forward it to owner.

 

I asked to meet owner in person to do booking, but was told to 'trust her' (the agent)

 

Last time I met with owner and did booking fee and contract with agent present.

 

Everything screams, 'about to get scammed'

 

Any advice on proving this agent is trustworthy?

 

I met agent on FB, so the only thing I have is a FB account and apparently a copy of her thai id (but that stuff is easy to fake). 

She doesn't work for a real estate company and seems like a private gig. 

 

Literally no recourse if she decides to pocket the deposit and run away.

 

[asiam110]

If you send 1baht to the account, your thai banking online banking will show the recipient name, check it matches ID.

 

Google search the telephone number and variants of it, drop the 66, try different spacing, etc.. to see where and what else she is advertising..

 

Save each image of property, reverse search the property images https://images.google.com/ to see where else the property is advertised and who by. It would be unusual for the property not to be advertised by several totally incompetent and useless agents.

 

Screenshot all interactions and save them safely. You can file a police compliant if backfires, probably wont lead anywhere though.

 

[TimBKK]

Sounds fishy.  In this rental market you should be able to dictate terms not a fly by night “agent.”  

[The Hammer2021]

If in doubt why bother?