Greg's Corner

Man pays six months rent in advance to scammer

One of the most common scams that we discuss is the rental scam. This is where someone looking to rent a property pays money to a scammer who posses online as the landlord. We discuss it so much because unfortunately, people are still falling victim to it. It’s so common it’s almost become a daily occurrence in the news. It happens all over the country as well and usually affects those who are the most desperate for a place to live. Too often the victims of the scam end up both impoverished and without a roof over their heads.

Recently, this happened to a man in Colorado who paid the scammers six months’ rent in advance for a home he had found online. He researched the property and found the property owner’s name, however, the scammers knew that as well and were posing as the actual owner of the property. The man paid the scammers $10,000 as a bank transfer but once the money hit the scammers account the account was closed. The man contacted the bank in hopes of getting his money back but was unable to since the account was closed and the money was gone. He had even hired an attorney to try to get the money back incurring another expense.

The mistake the man in question made was not meeting the landlord in person or inspecting the property. All the communication between the scammers and their victim was through email and text. This is one of the biggest red flags to look out for when looking for a new place to rent. If they give you some excuse about not being able to show the property it is more than likely a scam. While you may be in a rush to find a new home it’s always worth taking the time to research the property. You should always do a reverse image search to make sure the property ad isn’t being copied from a legitimate realtor or landlord.

It’s always better to put in the extra time so you don’t end up losing money and a roof over your head.