06/22/2024
Don't fall prey to one of these rental scams. Talk to me for rental needs!
Are you moving and looking for a place to rent? So are a lot of other people which means there is a market for scammers to try and make a profit! This week's is all about rental scams.
How they work:
Scammers will look for photos of homes online, often times from legitimate rental ads. They will then create a bogus rental ad with the same photos and property details, but will include the scammer's contact information and often times they lower the rent or include utilities to make the property more enticing to people who are looking to move.
Potential renters will think it is a great deal and they need to move fast before someone else gets the property, so they unknowingly contact the scammers. Most of the time the scammer will have an excuse of why he/she is unable to meet with you, but there have been instances where scammers provided information to potential renters that allowed them to actually see the property first. The scammers will send you a lease and ask you to pay the deposit.
โ While it may not be an immediate red flag if a property manager asks you to do paperwork electronically, be very cautious about it if you have not met anyone who represents the property in person.
๐ฉ If you are asked to pay the deposit via Zelle, Western Union, Bitcoin, pre-paid gift cards, etc.
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Ask who owns the property then do your own research to verify if it is legitimate. Most counties have interactive GIS maps that make this easy to do. Even if the name matches, find the phone number for the owner (do not use the one provided by the scammers) and contact them to verify if it is legitimate. Here is Washington County's: https://gisdata.washcowisco.gov/
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Check other popular sites for duplicate rental ads.
๐ฉ There are multiple listings for the same place, but the rent and contact information is different.
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Talk to neighbors. Find out about the neighborhood and ask who owns the property. You may get valuable information about the property from them.
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Closely review the lease before signing or paying the deposit. Look for discrepancies. If there are any, do not contact the scammer and ask about them. It just gives them a chance to correct their error in hopes they will still get money out of you.
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Look up the name the scammer provided to you. Scammers will pose as legitimate people, so find contact information for the person on your own, and reach out to find out if it is legitimate.
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Slow down. The scammers want you to feel a sense of urgency to snag a place in order to get you to put your guard down and not recognize the red flags.
Disclaimer: The ad shown in the photo is fake. There are no apartments for rent at the municipal complex; however, the Jackson Fire Department is hiring and they have dorms!