Rental Scams
Unfortunately this happens often. Bad people pose as agents, owner and companies and advertise properties that they copy off the web. That makes it even more tricky as some of the information is real. Rental rates will typically be very attractive to entice innocent people to want to grab this deal. The property does exist, and may even be listed, so you may be able to find additional information on the web and “verify” the property. But you need to search more:
– search title record to locate the name of the owner
– search more and locate contact information for the owner
– call the owner directly
– drive to the property and talk to neighbors
– google the address and go to Zillow and Redfin to research the property
– google a local real estate agent in that area that know the neighborhood and ask them about the property. A good agent will know most homes.
These scammers will try to get you to:
– advertise and post to out of town areas so you don’t know the area and cant easily visit the property
– send them money, usually via venmo, zelle, ect. that is more difficult to track and more difficulty to reverse
– ask for money to secure the booking / rental
– upfront money to mail the key
They will often be full of excuses and promises:
– often the address will not come up on google maps
– the address location will be vague
– they are out of town and can’t meet you
– they will be traveling at that time
– they are in a time crunch and need to rush
– they will leave you the key
– they will meet you at the door
– a friend will meet you at the door
To avoid being scammed and protect yourself, use a professional and established property management company that you can verify on
– License with Department of Real Estate for your state e.g. California https://dre.ca.gov)
– Google reviews
– Yelp Reviews
more information on other scams https://www.cpr.org/2022/08/15/colorado-rental-scams/
