Fort Morgan Police are looking into an online home rental scam that was uncovered when a local resident looked further into a suspicious offer of a house for rent.
Technology has made searching for a rental home or apartment easier than ever. In addition to traditional methods, numerous information-sharing websites and classified advertisement sites allow you to search by location. While this can benefit the person in need of a new place to live, it can also help those looking to take advantage of would-be renters.
Fort Morgan Police recently received information about a fraudulent rental listing on Craigslist for a Fort Morgan home that was legitimately for sale by a local Realtor. The Realtor alerted law enforcement when they began receiving inquiries about the home from people wanting to rent it.
As it turned out, the home had been listed on Craigslist by someone attempting to scam would-be renters by offering the home for rent. Fortunately, one potential renter contacted the actual Realtor and found out the home was not available for rent. Not only was the rental listing fraudulent, the description did not match the actual home.
Police received a copy of the correspondence the scammer sent, which claimed to represent a family away on a mission trip to West Africa. They provided great detail about their children’s names, the work they would be doing, the length of time they would be gone and the countries they would be visiting.
This “over-sharing” of information is one sign that the offer to rent was a scam. Along with too much information, the correspondence also included an out-of-county phone number, a low monthly rental rate and deposit, asked for personal information, and was written using broken English in the final paragraph. All of these are clues that potential renters should be wary about the listing. In addition, many scammers rely on money wire-transfer services or pre-paid debit cards to get your money.
“Using these methods of payment leaves little recourse for the person who falls for these scams,” said FMPD Officer Roger Doll.
Fort Morgan Police have notified Craigslist and the e-mail service used by the scammer. The advertisement has been flagged for removal and police may attempt to get additional information from the classified advertisement website in the future. Most likely the advertisement originated from outside the county.
Even if a potential victim realizes there is something suspicious about the transaction and doesn’t send money, they may have provided personal information that could result in the thief using the material to perpetrate an identity theft crime.
Fortunately, the person looking to rent the home took the extra step to contact a local Realtor about the residence and was alerted to the scam and did not lose any money. To avoid this type of scam, police suggest dealing with people locally and only those who can meet in person. Only rent a home or apartment you can visit in person, and be wary of deals that are too good to be true.