OfflineI always like to share good articles with the DG family. I was perusing the internet and came across this article when looking for sample 'lease to own' listings. I ran across this article, and after reading it, a lot of what I do is considered a red flag as a scam. I have an 888# that is only a voicemail box, I'm out of the area on many of my listings (although I have local contacts), and my email address doesn't have Tammy@zionproperties.com. (I never could get that to work on gmail for some reason).
Anyhow, I wanted to share the article, as it has some good info, but it also opened my eyes as to what NOT to post. How to avoid someone stealing my listing and photos, I don't know how to avoid it, but in this anonymous internet world, it is a valid concern. Enjoy the article!
~Tammy
It is CERTAIN we will SUCCEED! 
Protect Yourself From Potential Rental Fraud
By Dave Fitzpatrick
Dave Fitzpatrick
Level: Basic
Mr. Fitzpatrick has over 15 years experience in Market Research, holding various positions throughout his career with Bank One. Mr. Fitzpatrick co-founded Gregg-Fitzpatrick, Inc. a ...
Article Word Count: 1679 [View Summary] Comments (0)
The significant advances in technology have made looking for a prospective new place to live almost too easy. Our society has come to expect to be able to complete tasks in very quick fashion, and technology has enabled that. Nowadays you can go online, peruse rental property listings, look at images of prospective properties, immediately apply online for those that interest you, and whammy, you're ready to go...all without having to leave your home! Unfortunately, that quick and easy access to information has also created a target for thieves to take advantage of. Our own urgency in wanting to wrap up what for many have become mundane tasks (hunting for a new home) doesn't help. You put these two elements together and there's bound to be trouble.
If you're relocating to another geographic area, and it's difficult to go personally look at prospective property before moving, you absolutely need to pay close attention to the folks you're working with. Moving to a new place without personally inspecting it and/or meeting your new landlord is not recommended. You're really setting yourself up for a potential fall.
It's unfortunate, but rental property scams appear to be occurring with an ever-increasing rate. Commonly known or referred to as the "Craigslist scams", rental scams are occurring all over the Internet, at multiple rental property websites. The scams are not just limited to listings on Craigslist. The first of these scams appeared on Craigslist (hence the term "Craigslist scam") and have now spread to other classified ad and rental property sites, especially those that don't charge to post ads. There are currently numerous variations on how the scam works, but most have very common themes in them that help to identify that a perpetrator is up to no good.
This is how the scam works. The scammer first begins scouring the Internet for legitimate real estate listings. In many cases, he'll go through live listings of homes that are listed for sale. These listings are targeted, as in most cases the scammer is trying to locate properties that are currently empty and unoccupied. Additionally, homes that are located in nicer neighborhoods will be focused on. Once a "target" property has been identified, the scammer will copy photos and other information about the house. The more photos the listing has the better. The scammer will simply copy photos and property features, and then use that content to create a **** rental property ad for posting on online classified advertising sites or rental listing sites. In minutes, content from a real home listing is used to create a **** listing that to most all users will look very real and legitimate. In many cases, he'll additionally take the name of someone that's posted a legitimate ad. He simply changes the email address and phone number contact information, though it's not uncommon for the fraudster to not even provide a phone number.
Don't think that rental scams only affect renters. These scams affect both renters and property managers. For example a real rental listing might be posted by the property manager, and along comes someone else posing as the owner - posting the same property but for a lower rate.
There are many recurring indicators that help identify whether or not a listing may be part of a scam. Most of those indicators appear in email communications from the scammer. However, some of the first flags can appear in the listing itself. One of those indicators is the rental rate that's posted for the property. Scammers will generally post **** ads that have rent rates well below comparable properties located in the same geographic area as the scam post. In many instances, rent rates for the **** listing will be as much as half of what the going rent rate is for a comparable property. Most legitimate rental listing ads will contain a contact phone number. If no phone number is listed, this may be a sign that the ad could be fraudulent. Most of the scams will utilize email as the main mode of communication with you, so if no phone number is provided with the listing, put your guard up and look to see if the ad has some of the additional potential "red flags".
Generally, if you see a rental that piques your interest, the first thing you're inclined to do is pick up the phone and call the property owner. Here comes another flag. Recent (2010) scams now involve the use of relay services as primary contact phone numbers for the fraud perpetrator. Relay services are intended to be used by someone who may be deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-disabled. If you call the contact number and are greeted by an operator for some relay service asking you what message you'd like to leave, be wary. Scammers will also establish answering machines to field their incoming calls. They'll respond back to inquirers via email only - never personally taking calls. It's the emails that come from scam artists that contain the bulk of the clues indicating that a listing may be fraudulent. Again, some of these red flags vary, but the scams generally operate in similar fashion. Let's take a look at some of the things to watch in email.
Take a look at the email address from email that you receive from the person listing the ad. A large number of legitimate property owners will use email addresses with extensions that include their company name. For example, let's say John is a property manager for a mythical apartment complex called Heathergreen Commons. He might have an email address of "John@HeathergreenCommons.com". Email addresses that are from one of the free email services such as **** or ****, or addresses that have extensions other than.com, could indicate possible fraud. Scammers almost exclusively use email addresses from the free providers. A good number of private rental owners themselves utilize free email addresses, so this is not a strong indicator of a scam, just one to watch for and measure with other "red flag" indicators.
Emails that contain poor English or grammar, and poor spelling should immediately raise your suspicion. A large number of rental scams originate overseas, primarily in ****, and the perpetrators tend to have little formal education, especially in English. If the supposed rental owner claims that he/she is overseas or out of the country and requests everything to be handled via email, you should be putting a guard up as this is a strong indicator of potential fraud. Generally, it's that first email communication you get that the scammer will state they're overseas - either in the military, on vacation, or even in the midst of a move overseas.
Watch to see if the name of the person you're dealing with changes suddenly. Some of these guys operate with a bunch of alias names and they commonly forget which of those aliases they're using. A sudden name change in who you're communicating with is a red flag.
If additional communications ask that you send or wire any monies and/or rental applications to another country, it's about time to walk. Chances are pretty solid that you're dealing with someone out to take you. This is one of the biggest red flags that someone may be up to no good. If at any time you're asked to send money overseas, be very, very wary. The scammer will generally ask you to wire money to an overseas account in order to get the keys to the property. In many instances, they'll mention that they need your money for a security deposit in return for them sending you the keys. He'll tell you that you can simply return the keys if you don't like the property, and the security deposit will be mailed back to you. Only problem - once you wire the money, consider it gone for good. Oh, and those keys? Obviously they won't work... if you're ever mailed any.
The scammer may make mention that the home is for sale. Or, you may even run by the house yourself to check it out and see a "For Sale" sign in the yard. Don't brush this off. This may be an indicator that the listing was plucked from a realtor site or homes for sale site. Get online and Google the address to see what you come up with. If you see multiple listings for the property - both rental and for-sale listings, your guard should be up.
Recent scams seem to have become more brazen in nature. These scams are the ones that are being perpetrated by scammers here in the U.S. and go to show that not all scams are originating from overseas. In fact, scams originating in the U.S. appear to be occurring with greater frequency. The scammer will actually break into the target property and pose as the owner. They'll even go so far as to sign a lease and take monies from unsuspecting victims while posing as a legitimate landlord. It's not uncommon for this stunt to be pulled using one property with numerous people falling as victims trying to rent that same property.
Many people are being taken by these scams. Can you imagine having mailed off security deposit monies, packing your belongings up and then jumping in your car to begin an exciting move into your new home. You get there, unload your goods and furnishings, and sit down for a brief minute to relax. The doorbell rings and you go to answer it. Some guy appears and he's not happy! It's the real owner of the property asking what the hell you're doing in his property. Don't think it can't happen to you. This scene is being played out all across America. Be vigilant. Take your time, take your house hunting seriously, and be very precautionary while seeking a new place to live. Always remember to use the old "sniff test". If something looks or sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
Dave Fitzpatrick is a co-founder of RentLizard, LLC and its associated website, http://www.RentLizard.com, a nationwide real estate rental listing website. Established in 2008, the company is headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, and launched its inaugural services in the greater Columbus, Ohio area late Spring of 2009. The site offers a full array of rental marketing services for the property manager, at a fraction of the cost typcially found elsewhere.
With over 17 years experience, Mr. Fitzpatrick has an extensive background in the investment real estate arena, having successfully founded and managed two large real estate investment management companies. In addition, Dave served over 15 years in various marketing research capacities with Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase).
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Fitzpatrick
Great info
www.adeptpropertiesllc.com