In the past few weeks, the Paris Police Department has taken a number of reports involving an online rental property scam. Because of this, we are warning residents and prospective renters about the cases in which suspects use social media and online marketplace applications to advertise properties that may not actually be available for rent—or that the suspect has no legal authority to rent.
In these scams, suspects typically post photographs and descriptions of houses, apartments, or other rental properties on social media platforms or online marketplace sites. The rental may be advertised at an attractive price in an effort to quickly generate interest from potential victims.
Once contacted, the suspect may claim to be the property owner, landlord, or property manager. The suspect will often provide a convincing explanation for why the property cannot be shown in person, sometimes stating that they are out of town, working remotely, or otherwise unable to meet the prospective renter.
The suspect will then request that the victim pay a security deposit, first month’s rent, application fee, or other money before seeing the property or signing a legitimate lease. The suspect may specifically request payment through peer-to-peer money transfer applications or other electronic payment methods. Once the money is sent, the suspect may stop communicating with the victim, leaving the victim without the rental property and potentially unable to recover the money.
In some cases, scammers may copy legitimate rental listings, photographs, and property information from real estate websites and repost them as their own. This can make fraudulent listings appear legitimate and make it more difficult for potential renters to recognize the scam.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
The Paris Police Department encourages anyone looking for rental property to take the following precautions:
Never send a deposit or first month’s rent for a property you have not personally seen. Be extremely cautious if someone refuses to allow you to view the property before making a payment.
· Verify who actually owns or manages the property. Do not assume the person communicating with you is the legitimate property owner or landlord.
· Be cautious of rental prices that seem too good to be true. Scammers often use unusually low prices to attract victims quickly.
· Do not allow yourself to be pressured into making an immediate payment. Scammers frequently create a sense of urgency by claiming there are other interested renters or that the property will be rented to someone else if money is not sent immediately.
· Be cautious when communicating exclusively through social media or messaging applications. A legitimate-looking profile does not necessarily mean the person is legitimate.
· Search the property address online. Look for other listings of the same property and compare the photographs, rental price, contact information, and ownership information. If the same property appears for sale or rent under different names or at significantly different prices, this should be considered a warning sign.
· Be especially cautious when asked to use peer-to-peer payment applications. Payments sent through these services can be difficult to recover, particularly when the transaction was authorized by the victim.
· Whenever possible, deal directly with an established property management company or verified landlord. Independently locate the company’s contact information rather than relying solely on information provided in an online advertisement.
REMEMBER: STOP, VERIFY, THEN PAY
A rental property can look completely legitimate online and still be part of a scam. Before sending money, take the time to verify the property, the person offering it for rent, and the terms of the rental agreement.
If you believe you have encountered a rental scam, do not send additional money and preserve all available evidence, including screenshots of the advertisement, messages, phone numbers, email addresses, payment information, receipts, and any other communications with the suspect. Report suspected fraud to your local law enforcement agency and to the platform where the fraudulent advertisement was posted.
The Paris Police Department encourages residents to share this information with friends and family, particularly anyone currently searching for housing online.
If a rental opportunity requires you to send money before you can verify the property and the person renting it, stop and investigate before you pay.
