(City Tribune) — Late summer and early fall are peak times for apartment seekers and scammers are lurking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims, according to the Better Business Bureau.
“Scammers feed on situations where people feel pressured to make decisions fast without doing their due diligence,” said Dennis Horton, a Better Business Bureau director in Illinois. “With a hot job market and people moving to new cities, plus the time pressures to avoid the winter months, apartment shoppers must be cautious because rental scams can be very costly. Along with finding another residence, renters should also be concerned with identity theft.”
Victims can find themselves responding to online rental listings that tout a beautiful home, low rent, and great amenities. Horton said those photos are often stolen from other websites and used to help con artists posing as landlords rip people off.
The fake landlord will reply to inquiries that they are unable to show the property because they are out of town, in the hospital, or some other excuse, Horton said. Instead, they create a false sense of urgency, telling prospects they “must act immediately” and pay a security deposit, which goes directly to the fraudster and never reserves an apartment.
In other versions of scam, prospective tenants are prompted to complete an application form, which asks for personal details like Social Security numbers and bank account information.