Rental Fraud In Palmdale
Yes, there is rental fraud in the Antelope Valley. Another colleague of mine called me the other day to tell me about one of her REO listed propeties in Palmdale getting a call asking questions about the rent. She told the person on the phone, ” This property is for sale, it is not for rent! Who told you it’s for rent? “
The prospective renter said, ” We saw it advertised on Craigslist for rent. It even had the pictures in the ad. We drove out to see it before sending them the deposit money. Your name was on the sign, so we called.”
My Realtor® friend searched on Craiglist and sure enough found a rental ad for her listing. It had the same pictures she took for the listing — probably from her ad. This type of fraud is very common and not just in the Antelope Valley. Individuals take information from homes for sale on Craigslist and place their rental ad using this information. They ask for renters to send them a deposit check for more information and keys. NEVER DO THIS! You’ll never hear back.
What can you do to avoid this type of fraud?
Rent from a property management company or a Realtor® and check out their office and business. If you meet someone on the property, get some verifiable ID from the person you speak with. Do not give them money if you can’t verify who they are.
You can also go to the local county recorder office to see who is on title for the property. Some Realtors can give you this information as a courtesy service. Legitimate landlords shouldn’t mind you checking them out. After all, they can’t rent you anything if you’ve already given all your deposit money to a fraudster first.
