Beware of fake rental listing scams, Pa. Attorney General says
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The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office is warning of a growing number of scams in which fraudsters alter rental property listings to get personal information and money from their victims.
In a warning issued this week, PA Attorney General Michelle Henry said that scammers are taking legitimate real estate listings but posting them with different contact information, sometimes using properties that are no longer on the market. In other cases, the actual Realtor’s email account has been hacked, Henry said.
The scammer will then conduct a fake application process, collecting the victim’s personal information and sometimes taking payment.
“We are approaching summertime and that means college students heading to school in the fall will need to make living arrangements, so beware of these fraudulent listings that appear to be the real thing,” Henry said. “If a landlord refuses to meet in person and show the property, that is usually a strong indicator of a scam.”
Henry offered the following tips for those seeking to rent property this summer:
- Being wary if you cannot physically see the property
- Confirm with whom you are dealing
- Don’t wire payments for application, security deposit, or first month’s rent
- Don’t purchase gift cards for payment
- Don’t provide your Social Security number without verifying with whom you are dealing
For more information, visit attorneygeneral.gov; those who feel they have been a victim of such scams should contact the AG’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov or calling 800-441-2555.