Smith and Ken have not paid us our rental income - which is now a month and a half late. They have received the money from the tenant but have not paid it to us. We have tried contacting them several times for an explanation, but none is given. Our Property Manager Chloe Mcdonough has been avoiding phone calls, and has now switched off her phone. We are terribly disappointed by the unethical practices of this organization which is tarnishing Dubai's reputation as a safe place to do business.

Today Smith and Ken has returned the cheque for the amount we agreed to. This matter is now considered settled.

Today, Smith and Ken has agreed to settle this matter. They have agreed to return my deposit tomorrow at 9:30 am. The amount we agreed to had some deductions that I do not feel is entirely fair, but as we have both agreed to the amount, I will consider this matter settled if they bring the cheque tomorrow. I will not post any additional comments regarding this matter if they make good on their word

If you are currently involved in a property transaction which involves any of the names below, contact RERA right away to find out how to back out of the deal without your funds being stolen.

Beware of the following names in the Real Estate industry:
Benjamin Smith Company CEO / [email protected] 001 818 386 8040 (Los Angeles)
Susanne Adam (Smith) Head of Client Services +971 55 113 4302 [email protected]
Rhea Malagum Head of Conveyance +971 55 773 9768 [email protected]
David Kodama Senior Sales Negotiator +971 50 115 5406 [email protected]
Jeremy Bentley Head of Smith and Ken Homes and Loans +971 52 771 7061 [email protected]
Rebecca Cooper Admin Manager +971 56 979 3599 [email protected]

The authorities are trying to find out Mark Wallingford's involvement in the real estate scams but more can be read about his connection at the following link: http://www.redd-monitor.org/2013/06/05/the-carbon-platform-is-this-how-a-boiler-room-recruits-staff/

Other names to beware of is Smith and Ken associates working for Ben Smith right here in Dubai:

Peter Szumski
Scott Mitchell
Nicole Thompson
Adriana Kostic
Lisa Green
Wezley Clarke
Sean Orrett
Alex L. Smith
Sean Cope
Jelena Dzajic

If you, or someone you know, have been approached by any of the listed names and and been asked for money, in the form of cash or cheque, contact your local police or the authorities at RERA.

DO NOT GIVE THEM A 10% DEPOSIT FOR A PROPERTY TRANSACTION. You will never see it again. And be sure to check to see the MOU details match the information at the Lands Department. Just because Smith and Ken agents have the ability to walk into an empty property, it does not mean they are representing a real transaction. They use title deed details from sellers who left during the 2008 crisis. By the time clients find out they are being scammed, the 10% deposit is cashed by Smith and Ken.

As we learn more about this company and their ties, we will be posted it on this websites and several others.

I highly recommend contacting RERA if you are in the process of buying or selling a property through Smith and Ken. It is not too late to pull out of the deal and protect your investment.

Ben Smith, is the company CEO for Smith and Ken and and still collecting profits from illegal Dubai property transaction. He can be reached at Smith & Ken Los Angeles 14556 Ventura Blvd Los Angeles, California 91403 tel +1 818 386 8040.

He is currently running his US office as a legit company, but starting next week, if my deposit is not returned in full, his name and contact details will be all over the US Complaints Boards so American can be warned of his Middle Eastern property scams.

In the mean time, beware of Susanne Adam, David Kodama, Jeremy Bentley and Rebecca Cooper who are the heading the Dubai scams. REPORT YOUR COMPLAINT TO RERA TODAY AND HAVE THESE PEOPLE SENT TO PRISON!

DUBAI REAL ESTATE SCAM!!! WARNING TO ALL PROPERTY INVESTERS AND FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS!!!
Smith and Ken, also known as S&K, are the latest criminals to use a UAE registered company in order to conduct Real Estate scams in Dubai.

Beware of the following names in the Real Estate industry:
Benjamin Smith Company CEO / [email protected]
Susanne Adam (Smith) Head of Client Services +971 55 113 4302 [email protected]
Rhea Malagum Head of Conveyance +971 55 773 9768 [email protected]
David Kodama Senior Sales Negotiator +971 50 115 5406 [email protected]
Jeremy Bentley Head of Smith and Ken Homes and Loans +971 52 771 7061 [email protected]
Rebecca Cooper Admin Manager +971 56 979 3599 [email protected]

Beware of these names as they are all part of the same British criminal organization conducting property scams in Dubai. They set up their operation in the UAE in 2008 and started taking advantage of the fact that many property owners fled the country due to non-payment of mortgage loans which created an opportunity to set up fake property deals. Smith and Ken use names of previous title deed owners to get clients to commit to fake agreements. Smith and Ken is collecting 10% deposits in the name of their company, instead of the name of the seller. This is NOT legal in Dubai. The cheque should be in the name of the seller, NOT the agent. The funds should NOT be cashed until the transfer date.

They should be collecting a deposit from both buyer and seller which protect both parties. Smith and Ken collect deposits from only one party involved and do not return the deposit once it is determined the transaction will not close.

I have contacted each of their banking partners to show them the evidence and suggested they revisit their partnership agreements with Smith and Ken. I have also visited several online advertising websites to start the process to have this organization banned from advertising on several popular real estate sites. I have also been speaking to Gulf News about making my story public so others know how to protect themselves from these types of scams. Every day they hold my money, I will invest my own time in warning people electronically about Smith and Ken and their criminal activities in Dubai.

Please take this as a WARNING from someone who fell victim to their scam. Currently, police reports have been filed on each of the names above and criminal charges are warranted. RERA has threatened to suspend their licence and charge additional fines for not returning the money by Wednesday this week. Help keep this city free from the parasites that come here and exploit the real estate market for their own personal financial gain.

Protect the value of your home by spreading this message!

Couldn't agree more...So we sold our house in Dubai and used Smith and Ken. The say in their literature that they like to give clients the “WOW” factor and they certainly delivered that!
The transfer went through first thing on Thursday, and am expecting the money next day as advised..spend the next few days chasng and fobbed off with various escuses from being too busy to pay the cheque in to "the person in charge has left for the day”
On Tuesday, I am starting to get nervous so I ask for a receipt to be sent, on chasing I am told “I would like to inform you that the request form was submitted to the bank. The driver informed us the bank system was down and despite submitting the request the bank will only process tomorrow morning” I am in complete disbelief, this is on a par with the dog ate my homework! I ask for details of the bank branch with systems down several times of various people there and don’t get a response I am wondering if I am ever going to get my money..
Wednesday, still Mafiy folous ..now very stressed so I email the CEO who says “The funds have been sent today. Apologies for the delay; I had an unexpected emergency which led me to leave the country on Thursday morning and be outside of the country until last night. The transfer was pending my signature which was completed earlier today”. So if this is true, why didn’t someone just tell me that was the case? What was that about the driver going to the bank and the bank systems being down?

The money was sent at 12.15 on Thursday, arrived on Monday...a week after expected …the company‘s corporate principal is to “be ethical” and their values include TRUTHFUL and PROFESSIONAL, I am honestly struggling to understand how they can say this. They say they have won 7 International property awards and are RERA registered. It just goes to show that you really can’t trust anyone these days despite what awards and accreditation they have.