As the snow begins to melt, neighbors say there’s been a trickle of folks stopping by to check out a Greensboro house for rent.
“I had heard there were people seen outside my house looking in the windows walking around," said the homeowner Lillian.
Only problem: Lillian is selling her home after a move to Oregon. Not renting it. Someone had stolen her listing photos and posted the home for rent on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. They even used her name in e-mails to correspond with people who respond to the ads.
“I think I’m more angry than I’m allowed to say on tv," she said.
One of the victims searched her name on Facebook and shared his e-mails with the schemer. The fraud wrote: “I’M A VERY UPFRONT AND STRAIGHT FORWARD PERSON, I WORKED HARD FOR MY MONEY TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY MAKING ME WANT TO TAKE MY TIME TO FIND THE BEST TENANT.” Then they ask for a $650 deposit and personal information to run a background check.
“It’s heartbreaking, especially going into the holidays to know that people are losing their money they are turning over their personally identifiable information. They are turning over their social security numbers," Lillian said. "It’s just awful.”
According to ApartmentList.com more than 5 million renters have fallen for a scam like this with a third of them losing over $1,000 each.
The Better Business Bureau says there are some common red flags with these rental schemes: if something seems like too good of a price or if they ask you to pay using a wire transfer or gift cards.
Lillian posted a warning on her Facebook page in case any other potential victims look her up. And her realtor went one step further putting a sign on the front door.