Military family fall victim to rental scam
By Greg Collier
U.S. service members are one of the most targeted groups when it comes to scams. They are frequently victims of identity theft, romance scams, and employment scams. Again, this shows that scammers have absolutely no conscience when it comes to finding targets. Our service members have dedicated their lives to protecting our country, but scammers only think of them as a source of loot. Even when service members are looking for housing for themselves and their families, the scammers are lurking.
A member of the Naval Reserves was recently looking for a home to rent in the Denver, Colorado area. He used a platform designed specifically to help service members find housing near their respective bases. It should be noted that the platform in question is not run by the military itself.
The service member was able to find a rental to his liking and paid a $2700 deposit. However, the day before he was supposed to move in, the supposed landlord cut off all communication with the service member. Like with most rental scams, the home was actually for sale and not for rent.
Typically, in rental scams, the scammers will copy the listing of a home for sale. They’ll then repost the listing somewhere else online, claiming the property is for rent, and that the scammer is the owner. The fake listings often list the property at a lower rent than the market value to try to find desperate victims. Scammers will ask victims for security deposits and first month’s rent before disappearing on the victims.
Rental scams do not discriminate and have taken money from victims in every education and socioeconomic level. Of course, this scam hits lower-income families harder, as they can’t afford the loss of thousands of dollars.
If you find a rental listing that appears to be a great deal, do as much research as you can on the property. Even a quick Google search of the address can show you information about the actual listing of the property. But when in doubt, contact the county tax assessor’s office or website. They’ll be able to tell you who the actual owner of the home is.
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