The Block: Why this high-five by Omar, Oz, raised dummy bids questions

A top buyer’s agent has questioned a high-five by The Block winners Omar and Oz during the finale of the show,  as they furiously reject claims a ‘dummy bidder’ drove up the price of their property well above other competitors.

During the final episode on Sunday night, Melbourne businessman Adrian Portelli opened the bidding for the stunning home at an eye-watering $4.5million – significantly higher than the $4.08million reserve price. 

The aggressive bidding by Mr Portelli – known on the show as the ‘Lambo Guy’ – meant the eventual buyer Danny Wallis ended up paying $5,666,666.66 for the property – with even the buyer admitting he ‘spent too much’. 

His purchase of House 5 made Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman ‘Oz’ Abu Malik instant millionaires with the pair taking home a record $1,686,666.66. 

However, some viewers have since accused the western Sydney mates of ‘rigging’ the auction by using Mr Portelli as a ‘dummy bidder’ to drive up the price – which Omar said in a radio interview on Monday ‘couldn’t be further from the truth’.

Dummy bidding is illegal and attracts significant penalties across all states and territories in Australia.

In Victoria, dummy bidding is punishable by fines of up to $97,000 and is either a false bid made up by the auctioneer or a bid accepted by the auctioneer from a non-genuine bidder in the crowd, usually to influence the sale price. 

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, property experts revealed what they think went down at the auction and revealed the tell-tale signs that gave them pause during the tense final episode. 

Walter Nanni, a buyers agent with iBuy Property Buyers Agency, said two things stood out to him when he watched the season finale with his wife on Sunday night. 

First, an interaction between the winning auctioneer Tom Panos, Omar and Oz, and Portelli – a Melbourne-based online promotions guru – had caught his eye. 

‘They were chatting on the porch and they high-fived each other,’ he said.   ‘I thought back to it when they won.’

Mr Nanni told Daily Mail Australia the second thing that stood out to him was that the other contestants’ homes didn’t sell for nearly as much as House 5. 

He said Mr Portelli simply ‘disappeared’ after he was outbid by Mr Wallis but that bidders usually stayed until the final home was bought – even if they didn’t bid again. 

The expert said he thought Sarah-Jane and Tom had been the favourites to win the entire show after the panel of judges voted their individual rooms the best. 

Walter Nanni (pictured), a buyers agent with iBuy Property Buyers Agency, said two things stood out to him as he watched the season finale with his wife on Sunday night

The Block’s ‘Mr Lambo’  Adrian Portelli (left) was grilled on live radio after going head-to-head with Danny Wallis in a bidding war for Omar and Oz’s winning house during Sunday’s finale

However, the couple only made a $20,000 profit on their home after it sold for $4.1million – the lowest profit a house has made since Series 9 in 2014.

In comparison, Omar and Oz set a new record for the highest profit on the show – and became the second pair to pass the million-dollar threshold in 18 years. 

Mr Nanni, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, said the huge gap between the sales results ‘points to a dummy bidder’.  

However, Mr Nanni said the legitimacy of the buyer could only be verified through an investigation by Consumer Affairs Victoria – but either way it had been a ‘gutsy move’.

He said it had been ballsy for Mr Portelli to bid so far above the $4.08million reserve before Mr Wallis outbid him with an eye-watering offer of $5,666,666.66.

Mr Nanni said either way, the producers of The Block weren’t immune to the law. 

Pictured is winning The Block team Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman ‘Oz’ Abu Malik

Omar and Oz set a new record for the highest profit on the show – making them the second pair to pass the million-dollar threshold. Pictured is their stunning four-bedroom home 

Sydney-based buyers agent Walter Nanni said it was ‘ballsy’ for Mr Portelli to bid so far above the $4.08million reserve before Mr Wallis (pictured) outbid him with an eye-watering offer of $5,666,666.66 – a figure the IT entrepreneur admitted was ‘too much’

Mr Nanni said dummy bidding is no longer ‘alive and thriving’ but would always exist. 

These days, bidders who put an offer in for a property are required to register for a bidding number and share their contact details. 

Mr Nanni said that if there was a dummy bidder, he said well-known and respected auctioneer Tom Panos would not have had any knowledge of it.

James Anderson (pictured) is the founder of Bluestone Property Corporation and said he strongly disapproves of dummy bidders for throwing the market value of homes ‘out of whack’

James Anderson, the founder of Bluestone Property Corporation, said while he was wary of pointing fingers at a potential dummy bidder, their presence at auctions made it impossible for experts to get a true gauge of market value. 

He said dummy bidders pushed the value of properties to unrealistic prices in order to extract as much as they can from other bidders. 

The property expert explained dummy bidders usually worked in collaboration with the owner of the home or the auctioneer – who may even tell the dummy bidder approximately what the reserve on the house is to kickstart the bidding. 

He said there were a few tell-tale signs that a dummy bidder was at an auction. 

Mr Anderson said phony bidders would usually arrive early in order to receive last-minute instructions from the auctioneer or homeowner. 

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, Omar said he was ‘disappointed’ viewers would accuse him and Oz of bringing in a ‘dummy bidder’ to drive up the price of the home 

Conspiracy theories have been running wild on Facebook with some viewers baselessly accusing Oz and Omar, both 30, of ‘rigging’ the auction by roping in their ‘millionaire friend’ Adrian Portelli (pictured) to drive up the price of the home

He said while legitimate buyers usually bring someone for moral support, dummy bidders usually arrived alone and tended to look quite ‘blasé’. 

Mr Anderson said it was also important to watch the body language of the auctioneer who may use small gestures to signal to the dummy bidder to put in another bid by touching his nose or adjusting his tie or glasses. 

As a property buyer, Mr Anderson said he ‘strongly disapproves’ of dummy bidders because they ‘screw us around and throw the market value way out of whack’. 

He said dummy bidders were becoming far less common due to a recent crackdown on phoney people and the significant fines that come with being caught.