Before we share how, here are some of the most common
rental scams to watch out for.
Not exact matches
The BEC
scam is linked
to other forms of fraud, including but not limited
to: romance, lottery, employment, and home / vacation
rental scams.
Gitner asked Howe if it was a «
scam»
to get free days — threatening
to sue the
rental companies if they charged him for the missing time.
While hostels and
rentals can expose you
to more risks and
scams, hotels provide straight, up - front service.
You best protection against vacation
rental fraud is
to become aware of how
scams work and do careful research.
But
to protect yourself from
rental scams, you also need
to know what market rent is in your ideal «hood.
In the phantom
scam a person will posts pics of a home — such as a cottage or a vacation property — along with instructions on how
to book the
rental using a wire transfer.
While there are many versions, there are two typical
rental accommodation
scam, known as the hijacked
scam and the phantom
scam, according
to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
And just like you're being checked out by an independent landlord, be sure
to do your homework, too:
rental scams happen all the time.
As more people come around
to renting,
rental scams continue
to pop up.
Fortunately, knowing how
rental scams work and how
to avoid falling for them goes a long way when it comes
to protecting yourself.
What's more, a growing
rental fraud
scam is causing more home sellers
to report renters who are showing up at their doorsteps, too, ready
to move in.
Rental / Resale
scams — This is where the fraudster steals your listings and impersonates you re: posting your listings on other websites
to get calls from tenants and buyers
to extract money.
In light of all these potential tenant
scams, the fundamental component
to tenant screening is
to take time reviewing and processing any applicants for a
rental property.
Whatever website you use beware of
rental scams - if it sounds too good
to be true it's most likely a
scam.
If something seems fishy, trust your gut and walk away
to avoid a
rental scam.
Before you find yourself daydreaming about kicking your feet up in a space that's too good
to be true, Harini Venkatesan — COO and co-founder of RentalRoost, Inc. — offers the following tips
to help you steer clear of becoming a
rental scam victim.
And last but not least, planning ahead is one more way
to ensure you don't become the next
rental scam horror story.
While it may sound inconceivable
to fall for a
scam regarding something as serious as a fake house,
rental scams are becoming more prevalent in today's tech - driven world.
They isolated suspected
scams based on shared characteristics; for example, common email addresses, postings with email addresses previously reported in connection
to scams, or listings that appeared on other
rental sites with different pricing or contact information.
«This is the first study
to really unpack these
rental scams and uncover their vulnerabilities,» said McCoy.
BBB also is offering the public red flags
to look for
to make sure they aren't duped by a
rental scam, such as being skeptical of:
«We've shown that
rental scams are often built on the same foundation — there are common templates, emails, IP addresses and other red flags that can be used
to develop more sensitive detection techniques in the future,» he said.
Another pervasive
scam involved «realtor service» companies, in which victims are asked
to pay both an upfront fee and a monthly membership fee
to access listings of pre-foreclosure
rentals or rent -
to - own properties.