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  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 20, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , rental scam, , , , ,   

    Scam Round Up: Fake cops threaten tenants and more 

    Scam Round Up: Fake cops threaten tenants and more

    By Greg Collier

    Our first scam of the day comes to us from a warning from the New York City Police Department. The NYPD says they’ve seen an increase in a charity scam that involves Venmo and your phone. Scammers are approaching NYC residents while pretending they’re working for a charity.

    The scammers will ask for a donation through the personal payment app Venmo. The victim will be provided the information to make the donation, but the donation won’t go through. This is when the scammer will ask for the victim’s phone to help them make the donation. Instead, the scammers are sending the entire amount of the victim’s Venmo account to themselves.

    The NYPD is telling residents not to hand their phones over to strangers, especially if they’re asking for donations. Please keep in mind, Venmo was intended to be used between family and friends.

    ***

    We’ve been keeping a close eye on the scams that involve AI-generated voice-spoofing. Scammers will take someone’s voice either from social media or their voicemail message and run it through an AI voice program that will allow them to make someone’s voice say just about anything they want. Typically, voice-spoofing is used in the grandparent and virtual kidnapping scams. In these scams, scammers need the victim to believe they’re talking to a loved one.

    The most recent report we have on this is out of Atlanta, where a mother was confronted with this scam. She received a call she thought was from her adult daughter. She heard her daughter’s voice before someone on the call said her daughter saw something she shouldn’t have and has now been kidnapped. The caller demanded $50,000 in ransom.

    Thankfully, her husband was able to get a hold of her daughter, who was in no real danger.

    If you receive a phone call like this, always try to reach the person who has been supposedly kidnapped through other means. Even if you have a full conversation with someone who sounds just like your loved one, always verify the story. Ask them a question only they would know, or set up a family code word ahead of time that would signify who you were talking to.

    ***

    Residents of Newark, New Jersey, have reported that people posing as police have been going around to tenants and demanding multiple months worth of rent. If the phony officers don’t get the money, they threaten the tenants with eviction and arrest.

    In New Jersey, an eviction can’t be carried out until the landlord has received a judgment in court.

    If you’re renting your home or apartment, you should familiarize yourself with your state’s or county’s eviction process.

    Also, keep in mind, legitimate police will never show up at your door asking for your rent money. If someone claiming to be police does show up at your door, call the police department they’re supposedly from and verify if an officer has been dispatched to your home.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 10, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , rental scam, ,   

    Another family homeless after rental scam 

    By Greg Collier

    After mistakenly believing they had legitimately rented a home, a Florida family finds themselves homeless and forced to live on the streets. Tragically, stories like this are becoming far too common, as rental scammers continue to prey on families who are just looking for a roof over their heads.

    This family found a home for rent in their price range on Facebook Marketplace. The person who listed the home on Marketplace then directed the family to tour the home using an app called Rently. For those unfamiliar with Rently, it’s a service that allows prospective tenants to view and access rental properties without the need for a leasing agent or property manager to be present. Lockboxes are put on the doors of homes for rent or sale, and people who want to tour the home are given a combination to the lockbox, which has the keys in it.

    To get access to these homes, scammers will pose as prospective renters or buyers just so they can get the lockbox combination. Many realtors aren’t very good about changing the lockbox combinations, so scammers can use them repeatedly if need be.

    After the family toured the home and said they were interested in renting, the supposed landlord asked them for four months rent in advance, which came to an eye-watering $7000. Part of the payment was even asked for in eBay gift cards.

    After they moved in to the home, a sheriff’s deputy showed up at the door to inform the family they were trespassing and needed to leave.

    The home was available for rent, but was being rented out by a property management company.

    To add insult to injury, the family’s trailer that they were towing broke just a few feet after leaving the property.

    Just because an ad is listed on a multi-billion dollar platform like Facebook Marketplace doesn’t guarantee the listing is legitimate. Facebook was a haven for scammers long before Marketplace was implemented. Another red flag in this story is the landlord not being present during the home’s tour, or at any other time at all. And the biggest red flag was when partial payment was asked for in gift cards. As we are fond of saying, gift cards are the currency of scammers.

    We understand there are times when someone needs to find a new home quickly as possible. But no matter the reason, prospective renters should always take the time to research a property before paying any money. Research the going rate for rental homes in that area. If the home you’re looking at seems like a bargain, be suspicious. Do a web search on the address to see if other listings appear with different realtor names and rental prices, as scammers often copy legitimate real estate listings. And as always, you can check with the county’s tax assessor office or website to see who the true owner of the home really is.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 6, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , rental scam,   

    Are obituaries gold mines for scammers? 

    Are obituaries gold mines for scammers?

    By Greg Collier

    Recently, we’ve published a number of posts about a scam that involves funeral homes. In this scam, scammers comb the obituaries, looking for a notice that lists the funeral home being used. This allows the scammers to pose as the funeral home while trying to extort money from the deceased’s family. Now, it seems, that scammers are using the obituaries for a different scam.

    In Pennsylvania, a family was looking for a new home to rent. The family found a home for rent on Facebook Marketplace that they thought was quite the bargain at $800 a month. The home’s supposed owner said they had just accepted a job out of state, as to why they were renting the home. When the family asked to see inside the home, they were told they would need to send the money first, then they would be sent a key and a contract.

    This struck the family as odd, so they decided to do a web search on the homeowner. The name the family had been given belonged to a man who had just recently passed away. The home that was listed had belonged to the deceased man, but it was actually being put up for sale.

    The theory is scammers are using the properties of the recently deceased in order to avoid having their potential victims being warned away.

    While this family thankfully avoided being scammed, there could potentially be victims out there who lost money to this scam.

    When looking to rent a new home, you can never do enough research. Not only should you web search the home’s address to look for duplicate listings, also check the names of anyone involved who claims to be the landlord or homeowner. This is especially important when the rental price seems too good to be true.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on June 16, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: credit check, , , rental scam,   

    New type of rental scam changes the game 

    By Greg Collier

    We’re pretty sure when Craigslist first started allowing real estate listings, the rental scam was born. For any new readers, the rental scam is when a scammer will list a property online for rent which they don’t actually own. Scammers will copy a legitimate listing from a realtor of a property which is for sale, then post it for rent on unregulated marketplaces like Craigslist. The listing will have a below-market rent in order to lure in victims. Typically, these scammers will ask for either a security deposit or first month’d rent before disappearing with the victim’s money. These scams have cost victims thousands of dollars and have left many of them homeless.

    However, there is a new rental scam that’s occurring across the country, according to the Better Business Bureau. The BBB says these new scammers aren’t after renters’ money, but their personal information instead.

    The scammers are still using the same tricks to find a potential victim, but instead of trying to take their money, the scammers are having victims fill out phony credit checks. Victims are being led to a website that appears to be professional and legitimate, but once renters give their personal information, the scammers disappear with the victim’s identity.

    Now, it’s not unusual for landlords to perform credit checks before renting to a new tenant. However, there are ways to protect yourself from this scam, and many of them are the same ways to protect yourself from the typical rental scam.

    The first thing you should do is Google the address of the rental property. If there are duplicate listings and the landlord details don’t match, there’s a good chance you’ve discovered a scam listing. If the listing from a realtor’s website says the home is for sale, or the rent is more expensive, then the other listing is the phony one. And as always, you can always check with the county’s tax office or website to find out who the true landlord is.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , rental scam, , ,   

    Vacation scams are on their way 

    Vacation scams are on their way

    By Greg Collier

    With Memorial Day weekend behind us, many of use will be looking to book our summer vacations. Unfortunately, dream vacations can often turn to nightmares thanks to scammers. The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about various scams vacation-goers may encounter if they’re not careful.

    One of the more common scams that could ruin a vacation is the rental scam. It works in the same way as a long-term rental scam works. Scammers will list properties online for short-term rental they don’t actually own. More often than not, the listing is copied from a legitimate listing, although the scammers are advertising the rental at below-market prices. Research is key when looking to rent a home for your vacation. Do a web search of the property’s address, and you might find multiple listings online that show different owners, different rental agencies, and different prices. If the listing you found is the one with the lowest price, there is a very good chance that is the scam listing.

    If you decide to go down the motel/hotel route, be wary of calls to your room from the front desk. A scam that has become popular over the last few years is when scammers call your room. They’ll call late at night while posing as the front desk. The caller will say your credit card didn’t go through and will ask for your credit card information again. The scammers are hoping that you’ll give them your credit card information instead of going down to the front desk. If you didn’t use a credit card, you’ll know you’re being scammed. If you did book your room with a credit card, always go to the front desk if there is a supposed problem with it.

    Lastly, you may want to be careful when using the wifi at your lodgings. Using public wifi in general can open you up to a number of security risks, such as exposing your financial information. While travelling, think about purchasing a plan with a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs can block your information from being seen on public wifi. However, when choosing a VPN, always go with a paid plan, as free VPNs are often just a disguise for more security risks.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , rental scam,   

    Craigslist rental scam leads to identity theft 

    By Greg Collier

    When we discuss rental scams, we mostly discuss how victims lose money. However, there is another pitfall to the rental scam, and that’s having your identity stolen. That could end up costing a rental scam victim even more money and headaches after they lose money to the scammer.

    Typically, rental scams involve individuals who pretend to be landlords or property managers in order to deceive potential renters into paying upfront for a rental property that they have no right to rent out or don’t even own. The scam begins with an advertisement for a rental property that appears to be priced well below the market rate, which attracts the attention of potential renters. The scammer then persuades the victim to pay a security deposit or the first month’s rent before they have had the chance to view the property. Once the payment is made, the scammer may become unreachable or vanish altogether, leaving the victim without a rental property and without any recourse to recover their money.

    But what these stories sometimes fail to mention is the phony application process scammers make victims go through. To make the scam seem more legitimate, rental scammers will have their victims fill out rental applications that ask for the victim’s personal and financial information. Once the scammers have that information, they can obviously use it for more profitable crimes.

    For example, a woman in Connecticut found a rental home on Craigslist that was well within her budget. The rental scammer had her fill out an application that asked for all pertinent information they would need for identity theft. This included the victim’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, and tax history. Just a few days later, the scammer tried to open a credit card account in the victim’s name. The victim had to freeze her credit for a year, which comes with its own set of issues.

    When filling out a rental application, avoid giving out information that is not publicly available, such as your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and banking information.

    However, before you even get to that step, you should research the property first. The listing in the story was copied from a Zillow listing where the home was for sale., Information like this can be discerned just by doing a Google search for the property’s address. And you can always check the property records with the county.

    https://youtu.be/RkiYbFsrIWU
     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 28, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , rental scam,   

    Just how bad are rental scams today? 

    By Greg Collier

    Ever since real estate listings have been online, there have been rental scammers. The rental scam in real estate is where scammers pose as landlords or property managers to trick prospective tenants into paying money upfront for a rental property that they do not own or have no authority to rent out.

    The scam usually begins with an advertisement for a property that is below market value, making it attractive to prospective renters. Once a victim expresses interest in the property, the scammer may request payment of a security deposit or the first month’s rent before the victim has seen the property. After the payment is made, the scammer may become difficult to reach or disappear entirely, leaving the victim without a rental property and out of money.

    The rental scam is also one of the more common scams we’ve discussed on this blog. Much like the jury duty scam, hardly a day goes by where we don’t see a rental scam story in the news. However, the scam may be much worse than we originally thought.

    For example, a homeless family in Atlanta thought they had found a home that they could afford. They paid $3000 to someone they thought was the property owner. The family was even given two sets of keys to the property. They weren’t staying in the home long before the real property manager showed up and allowed them 24 hours to vacate the premises.

    When a local news station spoke with the property management company, the company said it’s part of their job to visit their vacant properties that have been illegally occupied. The company also commented that this happens around 15 times a week. And that’s just one property management company in one city. Now just imagine how often situations like this happen not only across the country, but in your area as well.

    Thankfully, the property management company tries to help the victims they’ve encountered, but when someone has just lost all the money they had to scammers, it’s hard to imagine how much help can really be offered.

    To avoid falling victim to a rental scam, it is important to do your research and verify the legitimacy of the property and the person claiming to be the landlord or property manager. Always insist on viewing the property before making any payments, and be wary of any requests for personal or financial information that seem unnecessary or suspicious.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , rental scam,   

    Home used in rental scam wasn’t even listed 

    By Greg Collier

    Typically, when we discuss a home that’s been used in a rental scam, that home is listed for sale or rent in a legitimate listing before it’s copied by scammers. That gives potential renters an opportunity to see if the home has multiple listings. That’s one of the best indicators that one of the listings is a scam. But what if the property isn’t listed anywhere first?

    That’s what happened to a couple from Tennessee who were getting ready to sell their home. The couple had already moved out, but were putting the finishing touches on their old home before selling it. One day, when they went to some work on the house, they found the locks had been changed and people were living there. The people living in the home thought they had rented the home from someone on Facebook Marketplace.

    The homeowners placed a sign on the property letting people know that the home wasn’t for rent. Even after getting the listing removed from Marketplace, it continued showing up in their listings.

    So, how did the scammer know to target this particular house? The report we read doesn’t say, but it could have been a number of things. It could have been anything from the scammer could have seen the homeowners moving out to the homeowners possibly mentioning their move on social media. Scammers are anything if not resourceful.

    For renters to avoid this scam, there are several steps you can take. Always check with the county’s tax office to find who the true owner of the home is. If the landlord is asking for payment through apps like Venmo or Cash App, they’re probably a scammer.

    As far as homeowners go, if you want to avoid people from being scammed and moving into your property, do what these homeowners did. Put a sign either on the property or in a window inside the home that says the property is not for rent. Also, consider installing some security cameras that you can view through your phone or computer at any time. This way, you can see who is approaching your property and why.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on February 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , rental scam,   

    Don’t use CashApp for rental deposits 

    Don't use CashApp for rental deposits

    By Greg Collier

    Yesterday, we discussed one of the oldest scams that plagues online marketplaces. That was the used car scam. Today, we’ll be discussing the one scam which has been appearing on online marketplaces even longer, the rental scam. Since the dawn of online classifieds, scammers have been renting properties that don’t even own to unsuspecting victims.

    For a little context, in the early days, scammers would list a home for rent on sites like craigslist. The listed rent price would be well below market value to entice anyone in the market for a new home. When the prospective renter would ask to inspect the home, a popular answer the scammers would give is that they’re missionaries who are currently working overseas. The scammer would then promise the renters they would send them the keys to the home once they received the security deposit payment that was typically sent by money transfer. Once the payment was sent, the supposed landlords would disappear with the victim’s money.

    Technology has advanced since those days, but the scam has stayed relatively the same. A Missouri woman was looking for a new home when she found a three bedroom, two-bath house with a little garage on Facebook Marketplace. The rent was listed as $800 a month. We checked the local real estate listings for the area. While there are homes and apartments with 3 bedrooms, you can get for close to that amount. However, they only had one bathroom. 3 bedroom homes with two bathrooms are going for twice that much.

    Anyway, the woman messaged the seller and the seller said that the home could be had if the woman paid first and last month’s rent. Under the direction of the seller, the woman sent the $1600 through Cash App. While the woman was waiting for the keys to be delivered, she drove past what she thought was her new home. Instead, what she saw was a for sale sign in front of the home. She called the realtor listed on the sign, and she was told the home wasn’t for rent.

    The woman attempted to get her money back from Cash App, but her request was denied as the scammer refused to give the money back.

    As we always say, payment apps like Cash App were designed to be used only between friends and family. If someone sends money through Cash App to someone they don’t personally, there’s a good chance they could be scammed.

    Now, we have heard of landlords who accept rent payments through Cash App. That’s fine if you’ve already moved in, established a relationship with your landlord, and are comfortable paying your rent that way. However, it should never be used to send any kind of rental deposit or application fee.

    Before agreeing to any kind of rental arrangement, make sure you’re dealing with the actual landlord. Do a Google search of the address and make sure there are no other listings for that property under different rental agency names or listings with a higher rent price. If the listing you’re looking at has a lower rent price and is being rented by ‘a guy’. There’s a good chance that you’re looking at the scam listing.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 30, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , rental scam,   

    Victim evicted after rental scam 

    By Greg Collier

    A man from Durham, North Carolina, says that he is homeless after falling victim to a rental scam. The man is said to have found a listing for a house for rent that had three bedrooms and two baths that was listed for a reasonable rent.

    The man was even able to tour the home after being given the code to the lockbox that contained a key to the home. The man exchanged several text messages with the person he thought was the landlord. He was eventually given a lease and was asked to pay the deposit in Bitcoin.

    The person he was texting with gave the man step-by-step instructions on how to deposit the money into a Bitcoin ATM. The texts even included a QR code for the man to use when making the deposit. The man ended up sending $2100 as a deposit.

    Not too long after the payment was made, the man discovered he had been scammed. After losing his money, he no longer had money to pay the rent at his current home, and was evicted. He recently told his local media he’s currently homeless after being evicted.

    According to the local news, there was a sign inside the home warning anyone touring the property to watch out for scams. However, scammers usually explain that away pretty successfully. Typically, they’ll tell their victims that they had listed the home with a rental agency, but are now renting it out themselves.

    The way scammers are able to access the property’s lockbox us by posing as a prospective tenant to the rental agency. This way they’re able to obtain the code to the lockbox, since some agencies don’t change the lockbox code as long as the property is listed.

    If you’re ever looking to rent a property and a supposed landlord asks you to pay in Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency, the odds are likely you’re about to be scammed. In layman’s terms, cryptocurrencies ate virtually untraceable and are near impossible to reclaim once money has been transferred.

    When looking for a home to rent, always do a web search on the home’s address. Look to see if there are multiple listings for the same address. If there are, look at the listings for a rental agency or a property management company. Those are typically the legitimate listings. And if the multiple listings have different rent prices, the lower one is almost guaranteed to be a scam.

     

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