INDIANA. (WTWO/WAWV) – Imagine thinking you’re about to move into your new home or apartment, all to find out you gave thousands of dollars to someone who was posing as the landlord.
It happens nationwide and right here in the Wabash Valley: online rental scams.
The Washington Police Department put out a Facebook post in July warning the community of rental scams.
“People were posing as the owners of these rentals and collecting money for the rentals and they didn’t have anything to do with the rental,” Detective Barry Hudson with the Washington Police Department said.
Not only has this happened in Washington, Indiana, but also in Terre Haute.
Shelly Fonner, CEO of Shelly Buys Houses, said scammers have posted her properties online and posed as the landlord.
“We’ve had it down all the way to the point where they actually filled out an application, so they gave a lot of their personal information, they’ve paid a couple of thousand dollars, so first month as well as a deposit, and then they get keys. They go home, they load everything up in a Uhaul, they’ve looked at the property often times and so what happens is, they come back, and their keys don’t work,” Fonner said.
Hudson said there is nothing wrong with searching for a rental online, but make sure you vet the person who posted the listing.
“Out-of-town renters should feel free to call local realtors to see if someone is a reputable renter. A few questions we would have them ask are how do we sign the lease? Where do you want to meet to sign the lease?” Hudson said.
The questions you ask the potential landlord, shouldn’t stop there.
“Do you have a website? Do you have a local phone number? Do you only have a cell phone number? Have you only been in business for a few minutes?” Fonner said.
Fonner said the postings made by scammers often target people with credit or background issues, saying things like ‘no background check required’.
“If it sounds too good to be true kids, it’s too good to be true. They’re not going to rent a three-bedroom, two-bath home with an attached garage, newly redone for five or six hundred dollars a month. That’s going to be $1,000 plus,” Fonner said.
If you are a victim of a rental scam as a property owner or a rental, you’re asked to report it to the police.
