BECAREFUL RENTING YOUR PROP. ONLINE!!!

Profile picture for LILIELITE
I owned a house in Carrollton, TX and I posted some ads online to rent the property for $1350/moth, but unfortunately someone copied my house pictures and info. and they create a new posting to rent the property for $950/ month. They also create a new e-mail w/ my name and all of my house information, so people reply to them since it was a great deal for a house like that. These scammers reply back to people pretending to be the homeowner and they will tell them they have moved to Georgia or London, so they will have to fill out an application  first, then send a deposit and first months rent and they will send them the house keys. Anyways, people started driving by the house and will ask the neighbors if my property was for rent and if they know if they could contact anyone so they can see the house before signing an application or agreement and sending the money. I finally report this scam w/ Zillow, Craiglist, the FBI and IC3 gov.  I rent the house and I removed my own postings. My tenant just called me yesterday telling me that there were few people who knock in their door asking if they can see the property cause they would like to rent it and "owner" supposedly told them she was in London.
BECAREFUL W/ THESE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO IS STEALING YOUR PROPERTY INFO. AND POSTING IT ONLINE FOR RENT AS A LOWER PRICE, AND ASKING THEM TO WIRE THE DEPOSIT AND FIRST MONTH'S RENT.
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2Yes

September 14 2011 - Carrollton
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Profile picture for Reallyfedup
This scam is going on all over the internet right now.  It is happening on all RE sites as well as sites like Craigslist.  Thanks for posting this so others will be aware of the problem.  Maybe Zillow can make this a sticky so others will see it.
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September 14 2011
Profile picture for sunnyview
Good tips. This scam is everywhere. Zillow has good information on their scam page here on ways to spot and avoid them. If you see a scam listing on Zillow report it by flagging the property immediately. Help shut the scammers down.
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September 14 2011
Profile picture for Dallas Ft. Worth PRO
Good for your for getting the authorities involved.  This is happening with vacant foreclosures too so they are getting away with a lot more money taking big deposits from naive people.

Naima
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September 14 2011
Profile picture for Houston Metro Pro
I actually had a young mother call me because she saw my sign in the yard of the houses she just rented. She wanted to know who I was. She had paid the "landlord" a deposit via wired funds. It took everything she had to get the money together to rent this house. It was heartbreaking, but there was nothing I could do.
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September 18 2011
Profile picture for sunnyview
Terrible story, but it is happening so often. I think rental scams with keys and wired funds are all around the country. It's renter beware.
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September 18 2011
Profile picture for Nayna Bawa
I applaud you for putting your story online.  The more this type of news gets out there, the more exposure it gets.  We all need to be vigilant and knowledgeable about the existence of these types of scams.  If it's too good to be true, it probably is. 
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September 18 2011
 
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