I thought I'd seen it all! Now these people are getting renters! This scam started up last year about this time of the year. Well, there's a rumor that it's happening again. It must be a seasonal thing. I'm just trying to get the word out again.
Here's how the scam works: People from a country other than the United State will pick a city and look up what properties are for sale online and download all the pictures for the property. With that list they will go on sites like Craigslist and list them for rent at a very low price compared to the current market rents for the area. None of the communications between the potential tenant and landlord are in person or even over the phone.
All communications are done by email. When a renter contacts the scammer about renting the property, they are sent a rental application to fill out and send back, along with pictures of the inside of the property. Of course, they're approved since there is no rental. They are then given a sob story about how the scammer had to move to some other country at the last minute for work reasons and didn't have enough time to sell their property before they left. Then they tell the renter that they can't show the property, due to the tenants that are currently living there. The scammer tells the tenant that he's so sorry that he's not there to show the property, and pleads with them to take good care of his house while he's gone. The scammer does give them the address and says that they can go by and look at the outside of the house, just don't bother the current tenants, which are actually the owners. If the tenant asks why there is a "For Sale" sign in the front yard, the scammer simply tells them that they were trying to sell the property and since it didn't sell, they planned on renting instead, and they tell them that the sign will be removed as soon as the property is rented. Now, how can someone make money doing this you ask?
Then the scammer asks for the first months rent and security deposit to be mailed out of country and the scammer will get a set of keys to them the day before their move in date. Of course, no keys are ever delivered. Usually, a few days after the keys are supposed to appear, they contact who ever is at the house. Now you have a surprised home seller being confronted by someone who thought they were going to move in and rent the property. Now you have an upset home owner and a cheated renter. Some of these renters moved out of their previous residence and sometimes show up at the owner's home with a moving truck full of their household goods. Now the tenant has less money and no home. Most can't afford to pay another first months rent and deposit for there next "real" place to live. It's a hard and expensive lesson.
I've got over 40 rental units across the nation, any time you rent you should at least see the inside of the property and meet someone associated with the property. There are Property Managers in every city, as an out-town-owner, I have a Property Manager where ever I rent. I would never expect a tenant to move into a property without seeing the inside first. If the owner is actually trying to sell the property and that didn't work, and now they have decided to rent the property instead. And it has happened to me in the past, I would think that the property would be vacant. And the potential tenant should be able to gain access at any time. I've even called my current tenants that were moving out and asked them if they would do me a favor and show their place to a potential tenant, I've never had a problem doing that. But at least the potential tenant got to see where they were going to live for the next year or so before shelling out any cash.
Robert Lett
Author Resource:
Robert Lett
3904 Central Ave. 107
Cheyenne, WY 82001
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