Summertime is the most popular time to move, but local consumer advocates warn that it鈥檚 also a popular time for scammers to target renters.
鈥淪ome scams are very cyclical. And this one is seasonal,鈥� said Kristen Johnson, director of communications with the Better Business Bureau of 海角换妻. 鈥淏etween May and August, we see the most amount of moving and rental scams.鈥�
They can vary, Johnson said, but these scams have become more common thanks to social media. A scammer 鈥� operating from anywhere in the world 鈥� can advertise a fake apartment online, then create a fake sense of urgency to score a security deposit or application fee from an interested renter and leave few traces behind.
鈥淎 lot of times the scammers who are pretending to be landlords will make up some excuse of why they can鈥檛 show you the property in person,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淏ut what they鈥檙e really doing is they鈥檙e stealing pictures of real homes and real apartments, and they鈥檙e pretending that they鈥檙e available to people. And these people are losing thousands of dollars because of it.鈥�
Three rental scams in 海角换妻 were reported to the Better Business Bureau in the last two years, according to the organization鈥檚 . Johnson said one scam resulted in a victim losing over $2,000.
鈥淚t was a company out of New York, and they had posted an ad for a home in Middletown. It turned out there was a family living there,鈥� Johnson said.
Nationally, over 230 rental scams have been reported this year, up from the same time last year. Victims report losing an average of $550.
The warning comes as people across the state face skyrocketing rent prices and low vacancy rates.
鈥淲e are more susceptible,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淎nd scammers know that when people are in the midst of moving, they don鈥檛 always have time to do the necessary research.鈥�
But there are ways to lower the chances of being a victim of a rental scam, she added.
The Better Business Bureau offers these tips:
- Do an online search for the landlord鈥檚 email and phone number. If the same ad is listed in other cities, that鈥檚 a red flag.
- If you can鈥檛 see the property in person, try to find someone you trust to go and confirm that the unit is what鈥檚 being advertised online.
- Don鈥檛 fall for deals that are too good to be true. If a unit is well below market rate or promising extra amenities than normal, it could be a red flag.
- Be wary of required payments through cash transfer apps. Peer-to-peer apps are meant to be used with people you know.
Johnson encourages people to use the Better Business Bureau鈥檚 to both report and prevent a scam.
鈥淵ou can look up scams there. So you can look up these landlords, these businesses, these companies that are advertising on social media and see, 鈥極h, someone else was scammed by them. This is not a legitimate company, I鈥檓 not going to give them my money,鈥欌�� Johnson said.
