Greg's Corner

Scammer demands deposit for unauthorized home tour

By Greg Collier

A family from Tennessee was looking to move to another part of the state, searching for better job opportunities. They made their intentions known on social media, where they were approached by someone claiming to be a realtor. The realtor told the family he has a home in the area they’re looking to move to. The family was then asked for a $750 deposit. The $750 wasn’t meant as some form of security deposit or holding cost. The realtor said the family needed to pay the $750 just to tour the home.

Unfortunately, the family paid the realtor the $750 through Cash App. When the family went to meet the realtor at the property, the realtor never showed up. When the family contacted the realtor again, he said he would be there the next day. The next day came, but still, the realtor failed to show up. This time, the realtor claimed that he had been stopped by police and even provided the family a picture of the police officer. It later turned out the police officer in the photo was from another state.

The family started becoming suspicious about the deal when the realtor sent the family a picture of himself with a realtor’s license. Then the realtor tried to get even more money out of the family by offering them a refund of the $750, but the family would have to pay another $100 claiming that was Cash App’s business fee for the refund. When the family contacted Cash App, they were told there was no such fee.

If you’re getting ready to make a big life change like moving into a new home, you may want to keep that decision off social media. Sadly, there are too many scammers who are tuned into certain keywords that help them find victims. If you’re approached by a stranger on social media who claims they can help you, be very suspicious and do not give them any money, especially through payment apps like Cash App, Venmo and Zelle.

To safeguard against rental scams, conduct thorough research on the property. Rather than relying solely on the landlord’s proof of ownership, reach out to the county’s tax assessor’s office to verify the actual property owner. Additionally, perform a Google search using the property’s address to identify any discrepancies in multiple listings, especially differing rental rates. A lower-priced listing among them is likely a fraudulent scheme.