SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services to low income seniors in San Mateo, County, California.

June 19, 2019

RENTAL LISTING SCAMS

Moving to a new city? Planning a vacation? As you consider issues like size, cost, and location of the rental, also consider this: A rental listing could be a scam. When you’re looking for a rental, it’s caveat renter — renter beware. Taking time to do a diligent search is well worth the effort. Do an online search of the rental company. Enter its name plus words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” If you find bad reviews, you may want to look elsewhere.

How Rental Scams Work

To trick people into sending money, scammers often advertise rentals that don’t exist or aren’t available. They know that finding the right apartment or vacation rental can be hard work. A seemingly good deal may be hard to pass up.  Their goal is to get your money before you find out it’s phony.

Some scammers hijack a real rental or real estate listing by changing the email address or other contact information, and placing the modified ad on another site. The altered ad may even use the name of the person who posted the original ad.

Signs of a Scam:

Here are some warning signs of a scammer:

*They tell you to wire money

This is a sure sign of a scam. There’s never a good reason to wire money to pay a security deposit, application fee, first month’s rent, or vacation rental fee. That’s true even if they send you a contract first. Wiring money is the same as sending cash — once you send it, you have no way to get it back.

*They want a security deposit or first month’s rent before you’ve met or signed a lease

It’s never a good idea to send money to someone you’ve never met in person for an apartment or house you haven’t seen. If you can’t visit an apartment or house yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it’s for rent, and that it is what was advertised.

*They say they’re out of the country

But they have a plan to get the keys into your hands. It might involve a lawyer or an “agent” working on their behalf. Some scammers even create fake keys. Don’t send money to them overseas. If you can’t meet in person, see the apartment, or sign a legitimate lease before you pay, keep looking until you locate something that meets your needs.

Other tips to help you avoid rental scams:

*Rental home listings may appear in several places, including rental company websites and online listing services like Zillow, Trulia or Craigslist. If you see a rental company’s listing on one of those online listing services, do a search of the home’s address to make sure it appears on the rental company’s website. If it doesn’t, it may be a scam.

*Compare prices. Is the rent a lot less than comparable rentals? That could be a red flag.

*Take a tour. Ask for identification. Rental agents should have photo ID badges issued by the company that owns or manages the property.

*Before you sign a lease, look for signs at the rental unit with the name of the property owner or manager. Call that company before making a deal with anyone.

*Never pay with cash, wire transfers or gift cards. If anyone tells you to pay this way, it’s a sure sign of a scam. Wiring money is like sending cash — once you send it, you have no way to get it back. As for gift cards, they’re for gifts, NOT for payments.

If you spot a rental scam, report it to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.FTC.gov. ff