ROANOKE, Va. — Seeing a "For Rent" sign on the property you want to rent is not the same as seeing a place for rent online. If you are looking for a rental and find something online, but there's no sign on the property itself when you go to tour it, beware.
"The last text I got was at 9:30 a.m. saying, 'Okay, I'll see you at 10 o'clock to sign the documentation'," said Kimberly Causey.
In these text messages, the so-called property owner assured Causey they would be present at the time of her moving in. Even adding on an extra management fee of $150. But when Causey showed up to move her stuff in...
"And when we got there, they had a little ring doorbell or whatever. We talked to the owners, and they said they'd been there exactly a month. And it was the week after I gave my security deposit," said Causey.
She paid the scammer $4,700. The family that was living there had no clue a scammer had put the house online as an open rental, and most likely the real owner of the house didn't know it either.
"Always go and check the real estate records. See who owns that property. You can even try to find that phone number independently and call. 'Are you listing your house for rent? Do you have somebody listing your house for rent for you?" said Julie Wheeler, President and CEO, of BBB Serving Western Virginia.
Not seeing a sign on the property is one of the red flags of a scam, but scammers are crafty, they'll sometimes use a property that is already for rent and create a fake listing. So really, take the time to check the real estate records before you send a deposit.