Authorities warn of online rental scams
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By TRAVIS MORSE
tmorse@morningsentinel.com
MOUNT VERNON — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and King City Property Brokers are warning the public about the prevalence of online property rental scams and the need to be cautious when considering rental listings online.
According to a JCSO Facebook post, it was recently brought to the attention of the sheriff’s office that there is another scam happening in Jefferson County involving online rental property. King City Property Brokers Administrative Assistant Jennifer Boyer provided several tips to raise awareness and to reduce the number of people being victimized by scammers. The JCSO shared these tips on their Facebook page.
Boyer’s tips provide information on “four ways to quickly spot a fake rental listing.” The information is as follows:
- The profiles are fake or brand new. Many of these accounts have: very few photos, no local friends, recently created profiles, and strange names that don’t match the area. For example, profiles like “Mr. David,” “Chris Rental Unit,” or random names claiming to manage multiple properties.
In addition, scammers often steal photos from: Zillow, Realtor.com, real estate listings, or older MLS photos.
“So just because the house looks real doesn’t mean the listing is,” Boyer stated in her safety tips news release. “Legitimate landlords or property managers usually have real profiles, business pages, or a local presence.”
- The listed rental price is too good to be true, and the rent is way lower than similar properties.
For example:
- 3-bedroom homes listed for $800.
- Apartments far below market rent.
- Very small deposits.
“They price the property just low enough to create urgency, so people rush before thinking,” Boyer said. “In most cases in Mount Vernon, rents that low don’t match the current market for those types of homes.”
- The scammers request communication via text using a random phone number.
Almost every one of these listings says something like:
- “Text this number for more info.”
- “Send screenshot of this post.”
- “Message me directly.”
Often, the number is from another state, doesn’t match Illinois, or isn’t connected to a real company.
“This is how they move the conversation off Facebook so it can’t be reported easily,” Boyer said.
- The scammers use evasive and suspicious tactics.
These tactics include things like:
- You’re asked to send money before seeing the property.
- They request payment through Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, wire transfer, gift cards, or crypto.
- The “landlord” says they’re out of town, overseas, deployed, or on a mission trip.
- You’re told the keys will be mailed after deposit.
- It’s “drive by only.”
- You’re pressured with “first person to send deposit gets it” or “must decide today.”
- They refuse to speak on the phone or want to move the conversation off the listing platform.
“Please do not send deposits, application fees, or rent without seeing the property in person or working with a licensed local agent,” Boyer said.
The sheriff’s office thanked Boyer for the helpful information.
“Anyone who has fallen victim to this type of scam, or any other, should contact the policing agency in their jurisdiction to make a report,” the JCSO post states.
