As more people migrate for education, jobs, or careers, housing and rental scams are on the rise. Searching for a home in an unfamiliar place can leave you vulnerable to fraud. The question is How To Spot A Rental Scam? Rental scams involve tricking individuals into providing money illegally. If you’re concerned about spotting rental scams, our guide covers what they are, common signs, protection methods, and actions to take if you encounter one. Keep reading to learn more
What Is A Rental Scam?
In simple terms, a rental scam is when the property owner, broker, agent or representative misrepresents themselves, misleading the client or tenant into conducting illegal transactions to dupe the latter’s money. It may occur when the property doesn’t exist, isn’t listed or doesn’t have the mentioned amenities. Here are some of the common types of fraudulent practices that you can be alert about when learning how to spot a rental scam.
- Non-existing properties – Properties that don’t exist or aren’t listed for sale are being advertised by the agent.
- Misleading advertisements – Advertisements for other properties are modified and altered to a different description that would mislead the client.
- Undue money requests – Extra deposit, first-month rent, “refundable” key deposits, or other such finance requests are made by the scammer before even signing the agreement.
- Rented properties – Flats or housing spaces already pre-leased or occupied are being advertised for rent.
- Too-low prices – Apartments with high-quality furnishing and amenities are registered at low prices to attract customers.
- Personal Information – Frequently, scammers aren’t looking for illegal money deposits but for your personal information and details.
How To Spot A Rental Scam?
Several times, we assume that recognising fraudulent services is quite simple. However, scammers are often skilled professionals who can fool the best of us into losing our money or details. To learn how to spot a rental scam, you can refer to the following telltale signs that highlight a scam from a genuine listing.
1. The Listing Seems Fake
Sometimes, rental scammers copy an actual online listing verbatim and only alter specific details such as contact information, address, or name. If the listing includes images with unidentifiable watermarks or ones that don’t match the provided information, it’s likely taken from another listing and not legitimate.
Another red flag is vague or incomplete property descriptions, suggesting the agent hasn’t visited the property. For example, if amenities aren’t listed or utilities aren’t specified.
2. A Physical Tour Of The Property Isn’t On The Table
This is one of the most obvious signs of how to spot a rental scam. You can quite easily guess that the listing is fake if the agent isn’t ready to offer a physical tour. In several cases, when the client lives in a different area, at least an online tour is provided. Genuine agents or listers always offer to show the property since they want to finalise the contract as soon as possible. However, if the agent you’re in touch with isn’t too keen on offering a tour, it likely means that they don’t have access to the property to do so.
3. They’re Willing To Sign Without A Background Check
Any client or middleman agent would ideally want to ensure that their tenants are financially capable of keeping the terms of the contract or lease for the agreed-upon tenure. They often verify this through background checks and proof of financial documents. But if they are willing to sign the contract with you without a proper background check or show excessive “trust” in your financial capabilities, they’re most likely a scammer looking to dupe you for a one-time cheque.
4. They Ask For Immediate Pay
Maintenance charges, rent of the first month, deposit, key deposit, refundable guarantee, finalising amount and other such extravagant terms are thrown around to get you to pay them a considerable amount of money before you’ve signed a contract. They might even lead you to believe that the property has several tenants lined up to rush you into a decision to pay and finalise the listing.
5. Untraceable Transaction
A genuine lister wouldn’t shy away from traceable money transactions for legal proceedings. However, if you’re in the middle of a rental scam, there’s a high chance that the scammer will ask you to wire them money, pay via cash or other forms of transactions that cannot be traced back to them. Or it could be through a mode of payment that is quite unusual in your area of residence. Beware of such fraudulent practices, and always use reliable forms of payment that you can trace easily.
6. High Quality, Low Rent
Have you finally found the perfect place with all the amenities, utilities, furnishing, and accessibility at a very low price? Certainly, there must be a catch. If a property is too good to be true, it’s bound to have many competitors, which would certainly drive up its price. But if the rent is too low, there’s a high chance it isn’t legitimate.
How To Protect Yourself From House Rental Scams?
Once you’ve learned how to spot a rental scam, you might be wondering how you can avoid one altogether. Here are some foolproof ways to keep yourself and your money safe.
1. Research Thoroughly
The best way to determine if something is fake is to research it as much as possible. Find the listing agent online and try to search for authentic data about them. Next, search for information about the property itself and check if the address is verified online. Often, the address of the listing doesn’t exist or is incorrectly cited. You can verify this by checking the street view.
2. Schedule Offline Meetings
It is always best to schedule physical tours of the property and offline meetings with the agent since it is easier to gauge the authenticity of such situations in person. This way, you get a chance to scout the place in-depth and verify whether the details mentioned in the listing are genuine.
3. Refer To A Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents and realtors, being experienced professionals, can easily tell how to spot a rental scam. They can identify the patterns of a scammer and let you know if the property is legitimate or not. Furthermore, they can conduct background checks and physical tours to verify that the housing property is up to the mark and fulfils your expectations. The only catch is that you may have to shell out more money than your budget.
4. Use Reliable Modes Of Payment
The most prominent sign of spotting rental fraud is if they ask you to wire them money or pay large amounts of cash. Thus, it is always advisable to use reliable modes of payment that you can easily track whenever needed. Not only does this ensure authenticity, but it also keeps your transactions legal.
5. Don’t Disclose Confidential Information
Even if you have verified that the property is legitimate, you should avoid giving out more personal details than required. Only disclose the bank details necessary for your rent payments and the credentials needed for signing the agreement. A lot of scammers don’t contact you for money but for your personal information.
6. Sign A Contract
Avoid paying any money to the agent before signing any contract. Ideally, you should research the listing, agent and property in depth, visit the property and verify it yourself before making any decisions. A scammer would try to rush you into a decision and make you pay before you can think twice. Thus, ensure you have a complete contract or lease that clearly states all the terms and conditions. Read the agreement thoroughly before signing and pay any amount only after obtaining a contract.
What To Do If You’re A Victim Of Home Rental Scams?
There are several guides and tips on how to spot a rental scam, and there are many ways to avoid rental fraud. But, unfortunately, if you ever get stuck in a home rental scam, you’ll need steps to get out of it. Here’s what you should do if you’re ever a victim of rental scams.
1. Contact The Police
It is undoubtedly tough to contact the local police and inform them of the details of how you got roped into a rental scam. Still, it is the best way to secure yourself and your details. The authorities will help you find any leads and procure your money back if you’ve paid any.
2. Contact The Middleman
If you’ve conducted the process through a website, agent or any such middleman, contact them as soon as possible and fill them in on the details. There’s a high chance that they may have other information regarding the scammer.
3. IC3
IC3 – Internet Cyber-Crime Complaint – is filed in case of online scams and frauds. Thus, you can file a complaint for cybercrime to get professional help from experienced authorities to find scammers.
FAQs
Q1. What is an example of a rental scam?
Ans: Any property that is illegally listed, does not exist or contains incomplete or false details qualifies as a rental scam. A scammer typically provides false or inadequate information to extract money or personal information from a prospective client.
Q2. How do I stop a rental scam?
Ans: The best way to avoid a rental scam is to research the property and the agent thoroughly. Visit the location and meet the agent in person before transferring any money. Lastly, obtain a detailed contract before you finalise the finances and conduct any transactions.
Q3. What are scammers looking for?
Ans: Rental scams are typically conducted to extract money or personal information from the client.
Thank you for reading our guide to “How To Spot A Rental Scam”! Let us know your thoughts or queries in the comments section below!
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