The Better Business Bureau (BBB) said it’s seen a 10% increase in rental scams where fraudsters trick renters into believing they have a unit to rent.
“I recently got scammed out of $2,000 trying to rent an apartment,” she said on the video.
It started last month, when she needed a new apartment.
She found an apartment through an online rental site Zillow. The landlord told her he wasn’t showing the apartment in person, due to coronavirus. Instead he showed her pictures.
Eisenstein signed a lease and paid the landlord $2,200 through a bank transfer.
But when she showed up at the apartment, she learned it was all a scam.
They swipe apartment images from other online listings. The names, pictures, even real estate license numbers that the landlord uses -- those are all stolen, too.
The Better Business Bureau agrees and says here are some red flags that a rental may not be legit.
- The supposed landlord won’t show the unit in person.
- They want you to wire money or pay cash.
- They offer a below-market price.
- They want to rent the unit quickly.
