March 11, 2010
Real Estate and Rental Scams
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Real Estate and Rental Scams
You need to be cautious when placing real estate and rental properties on-line. Many people continue to fall victim to scams involving rentals of apartments and houses, as well as postings of real estate on-line.Rental scams occur when the victim has rental property advertised and is contacted by an interested party. Once the rental price is agreed-upon, the scammer forwards a check for the deposit on the rental property to the victim.
The check is to cover housing expenses and is, either written in excess of the amount required, with the scammer asking for the remainder to be remitted back, or the check is written for the correct amount, but the scammer backs out of the rental agreement and asks for a refund.
Since the banks do not usually place a hold on the funds, the victim has immediate access to them and believes the check has cleared. In the end, the check is found to be counterfeit and the victim is held responsible by the bank for all losses.
Another type of scam involves real estate that is posted using classified advertisement websites. The scammer duplicates postings from legitimate real estate websites and reposts these ads, after altering them.
Often, the scammers use the broker's real name to create a fake email, which gives the fraud more legitimacy. When the victim sends an email through the classified advertisement website inquiring about the home, they receive a response from someone claiming to be the owner.
The "owner" claims he and his wife are currently on missionary work in a foreign country. Therefore, he needs someone to rent their home while they are away.
If the victim is interested in renting the home, they are asked to send money to the owner in the foreign country.
If you have received an e-mail referencing the above information or have been a victim of this or a similar incident, you should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.
Remember - always watch for scams!
Steve