Investor · Santa Ynez, CA · Member since 2008 · 375 posts · 175 votes
Just thought I'd share a lesson learned this weekend. I had a house on Zillow, Make Me Move, and then decided to rent it, so posted it on there last week. (It got picked up by Hot Pads too)
I received an email from a nice person telling me that she had seen my ad on Craigslist, but the price was 1/3 what I had it on Zillow for which seemed way too cheap to seem real. She had been exchanging emails and phone calls with "the owner" who was out of town and said he'd be willing to rent to her and they could exchange keys for money via mail. The owner had told her to drive by and walk around the property. He had stolen my photos and listings from Zillow and then was trying to bait someone. Thankfully she was smart enough to not do it. I tried contacting the guy pretending to be a renter but didn't get a response.
I pulled the ad from Zillow. Hopefully I won't come home one day to find a moving truck out front with someone thinking they're moving in...
My lesson of the day, I won't put the address anywhere online.
Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
This happened to me recently as well. I was at the property when someone came up and said that they were looking to rent the property and they were talking with the owner. I said "I'm the owner" and it was someone else.
On the pictures now I embed my name/company name and phone number so they can't reuse the pictures. I generally don't post addresses.
Homeowner · San Diego, CA · Member since 2010 · 1 post · 0 votes
12y
One way to stop the scammers cold is to superimpose YOUR phone number on your photos.
Scammers roam the Internet looking for a nice property that they can copy and repost with their own phone number, and a much cheaper rent. They usually tell the renter they are out of town, then ask the renter to drive by and mail a deposit check.
Putting your phone number on your photos stops the scammers from copying your listing.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
12y
Here's a good one. On Thursday, I received several calls about one of my houses for rent. I have it up for $750 per month. The people calling said they saw it for $600. One lady said she saw it on "Willow". I asked her if she meant "Zillow" and she said yes.
I went to Zillow and sure enough, there was my house for $600. The phone number was a weird area code that I had never heard of and the pictures were from before I bought the house and remodeled it. They must have been copied from an old ad the the previous owner had.
I called the number and it was a Google voice number with a delay. The guy that I was talking to had a really weird accent. I asked him if he owned the house and he said that he did. I told him that was weird since I in fact owned the house. He quickly got belligerent, told me I was crazy, then told me to (expletive) myself. I then told him that if he didn't remove my ad immediately, I would fly to Africa, ride a donkey to his (bleep) hole village, and kick his remaining teeth out. He hung up on me.
I then started writing an email to Zillow to remove my ad. Within minutes, my phone was ringing and it was the scammer. He was now crying and told me that he pulls this scam because he "has nothing" and "needs money". He went on to say that "Americans are rich" and should "send him cash". He then went on to say that his mom is a prostitute and this is an easier way to get money. He even had the stones to ask me to send him $200!
To make a long story short, Zillow removed the ad very quickly and said that all of his ads were removed. I was happy with the way tht it was handled. I wonder who would send this guy money? It was an onvious scam and one of the worse ones I have seen.
Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 744 votes
12y
Most scammers will use a Google voice mail to hide who they are and where they are located. Honest business people will use a land-line or cell phone to conduct business.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 185 posts · 97 votes
8y
I realize this is an old post, but this just happened to me!!!
I just finished a rehab, put the property up for rent, went out of town for a week and come back to find the locks changed - and CL ads for $800 instead of the $1000 a month I am asking.
I managed to get in and change the locks, but I have no clue what to do next if someone indeed believes that they have rented the place and have been scammed out of some money.
Any other landlords have this happen to them? Please share your words of wisdom on how to deal with any fallout from the scammed "tenant"?
Investor · Santa Ynez, CA · Member since 2008 · 375 posts · 175 votes
8y
Alex M. After my initial post and having the problem I decided to watermark my images with owner and a yahoo address that I have that I don’t care if I get spam to. I didn’t want to intrude on the images so I put it on the bottom. Someone took the images and cropped out the address and posted them elsewhere. So after that, I put it across the image at a 45 degree angle. It seems to have stopped people from taking the images and using them elsewhere.
It’s amazing people try to do this but scammers trying to make money will do what they can.
Investor · Santa Ynez, CA · Member since 2008 · 375 posts · 175 votes
8y
Alex M. Ps, sorry I can’t help with the question, I’ve never gotten that far. Maybe there’s really nothing you can do unless they have a lease you signed that has your name on it. Possibly one of the attorneys can weigh in.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2013 · 185 posts · 97 votes
8y
@Allen Maris thanks for the responses. Glad to hear that it is not an ongoing problem and/or that it never got that far for you. I'm hoping the fallout is limited here, also... but also calling my lawyer in the am to see what they recommend as a CYA.
Rental Property Investor · East Wenatchee, WA · Member since 2014 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
8y
The scammers need an address and nice frontal photo. Because of them I haven't posted an address in a for rent ad in 5 years; just cross streets.
If a real potential applicant wants the address (easily figured out by a reasonable human) they can ask via anonymous CL email while replying with the answers to my direct questions I ask at the bottom of every ad. No scammer will take the time to figure the address out if not listed in your ad.
Architect · Papillion, NE · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 840 votes
8y
I had this same thing happen to me last year. He had it posted several times. Police can't do anything. My wife did all the talking to him. He is/was from Texas. I think he was in Houston area. She got a picture of him and his kids. I doubt it was really him. We finally took a picture of us standing in rental giving him the "one finger salute"! He quickly disappear. It was a mess for 3 weeks.
Wholesaler · Holiday, FL · Member since 2013 · 571 posts · 221 votes
2y
I am convinced that the management company, et al. is running a rental scam right next to my house. I knew the previous owner and he spared no expense with the house during his years there. Kitchen and baths all new top-to-bottom, new AC & heat. New water heater, etc. But his wife wanted a pool so they sold the house. New REI company tore out everything Johnny had done - right in the dumpster. New cabinets, appliances, everything. Half-assed no-permit contractors were there for weeks replacing it all.
Comparable rents are about $1800./$1900. House goes up for rent for $2000. Lots of people come, wait in the driveway, and eventually leave. I barely pay attention and even I eventually see the pattern. Finally two beautiful young schools teachers, one with an impossibly cute precocious little daughter, rent the house. When they move in the garage door opener doesn't work. The rear French doors are installed wrong and blow open in any wind. The AC leaks water into the garage. The management company phone number goes to an answering service who 'calls in work-orders'. When nothing happens the answer always is "out of our hands - we called in a work-order."
I fixed a few things for them but most of it continues to deteriorate as the landlord repairs nothing. The garage ceiling falls in, etc. Eventually the girls take teaching jobs farther away and move out. The same exact contractors come back and half-*** the place enough to paint over the repairs. Another new AC goes in and maybe some stuff I missed. They had a big dumpster though. <g> House goes back up for rent: $2000. Same pattern. I ask the other side neighbor to watch for it. Lots of people come, wait in the driveway, and eventually leave. Every time I see them I grin and yell over: "Are you the new neighbors? Welcome To The Neighborhood!" and strike up a conversation.
"No; we are just trying to rent the place."
"Really? Do you mind me asking how much the rent is?"
Answer: "$1000.
--------------------------
What I believe is going on is that the 'owner' is a senior-partner / junior-partner investment fund. People with investable cash sign up as hands-off junior partners - the senior partner manages their investment for them. All the 'contractors' are either owned by or seriously kicking back to the senior partner - so 'the expenses' are very high. Which is how the senior partner siphons off all the junior partners' money. <g>
AND . . . . they also run an rental scam. While on Zillow and all the rest for $2000. the senior partner (though someone else) advertises on Craigslist for $1000. Lost of desperate people call about the CL ad. I have found through 'columbo style' conversation that what happens is: the CL ad person says they will meet them at the property to show the house at a certain time. Say; noon. The prospective tenant gets there at 11:45A By 12:20P they are calling the CL ad number. The CL guys apologizes and says he running late; he'll be right there. Another 20 minutes one calls the other and the CL guys says: "I am so sorry, I feel really bad, I really thought I could be there but ________________ (happened) so I'm really running behind. Tell you what, I hate to hold you up any more, we have electronic locks on the doors and inside the house. So if you want I can just give you the door code, you can check out the place yourself, and then let me know if you want it. How's that sound?"
"Great"
"OK, what we do is to take a temporary showing deposit of $_________. It's just a formality. If you decide to take the house we credit it towards your security deposit. If you decide against we immediately refund the money - after you re-lock the door. We can take credit or debit."
The amount various but is generally $500.
As soon as the deposit is available to the scammer the money disappears. Sometimes a code is texted, sometimes not. Then when they either wait or the code doesn't work - all they get is voicemail and then later a number-not-in-service message.
I think the owner is the senior partner AND the showing-deposit scammer. The pattern is that they run the deposit scam for a month or two and grab that money - and then rent the house to show that they are serious about renting. Then they treat the tenant like **** until the tenant leaves and it all starts over again.
Rough one. The "exchange keys for money via mail" line is such a clean tell in hindsight but I get why it reads as legit when you're mid-conversation with someone.