The community must bear in mind that scammers try to get money from the prospective tenant for an apartment that the scammer is in no legal position to rent.
The apartment might be real – in which case the scammer does not have the authority to lease it out – or fictitious. The scammers typically try to get money from unsuspecting apartment hunters then disappear. For example, a tenant who’s vacating his apartment might decide to show it, pretending to be the landlord. He might lead all prospects to believe they are getting that apartment, and collect fees and the security deposit upfront. Once the prospects realise they have been scammed, the scammer has usually vanished with their money.
Things to do if you become a victim:
- Call the police.
- Report the case.
- Contact the publisher behind the advert. Let the publisher know about what happened.
- No matter how it happened you are not to blame for becoming the victim of a rental scam.
- Review the red flags.
Although rental scams always seem to strike when we least expect, there are some common warning signs:
- Get familiar with red flags to help identify and avoid rental scams.
- Do not get discouraged.
- After falling victim to a rental scam, it is easy to lose hope of finding the perfect apartment or to get angry at the whole process and begin to suspect everyone.
- Share your story.
