London: A 28-year-old Indian-origin man who advertised his parents home online as part of a scam to con people into fraudulently paying rent deposit money has been sentenced to two years suspended jail term.  Former estate agent Sumeet Vij, known as Sunny, narrowly escaped jail this week for fleecing house-hunters out in London of more than 20,000 pounds.

Vij advertised his parents' three-bedroom house worth 4,00,000 pounds in Ilford, north-east London, on an online classifieds website and arranged viewings when they were out.  Once would-be tenants had signed up, they handed over hundreds of pounds in deposit money only for Vij to delay the moving-in date, claiming that renovation work had to be done, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Vij's mother, who asked not to be named, said she had no idea her home was being advertised, ‘Evening Standard' reported.

She said: “If we had known we would have stopped it. When we found out people were coming to our house we shouted at him and he said I need help.”

Vij had been jailed in January for six months for the same offence and had only served the licence period when he began re-offending.

Vij, who now works for a double glazing firm, admitted to 13 counts of fraud.

He was sentenced to two years suspended jail term and ordered to pay 1,000 pounds to each of his victims within nine months as well as complete 240 hours of unpaid work.