But she quickly realized something was not quite right. They never sent him money but they did fill out a credit application which included a lot of their personal information.
The best way to protect yourself is to go the extra mile to verify even the sites you think are safe. Homeowners also use it to see if homes in the neighborhoods are going up in value and what their own home is determined to be worth. From the outset, Zillow can be useful. However, there has been a lot of scamming done on the site and that has prompted an outcry from those scammed urging others not to use Zillow to find a home.
The tale is a cautionary one that no one looking to move to San Diego should take lightly. This happens a lot to both those looking to rent a property as well as those looking to buy. People will post an advertisement for a property stating that it is available. It looks great, so you call to inquire. You are then told that property is no longer available, but there is another property you may be interested in. Along with the bait and switch, many wholesalers who own multiple properties will place the same ad in different sections, changing the information enough to get approved for that section.
Yet, it may not be the house they are trying to sell or rent. The picture may be a standard picture they are using for all the ads, but the addresses are different.
To see if this is the case, look up the address on Google Maps. It will show an accurate picture of the property.
This scam has been around for the last few years and falls under lies, deceit and outright theft. In this scam, the scammer finds a vacant house and poses as the real estate agent for the house.
They set up an ad for the property acting as either the owner or the agent. People call the scammer and the scammer then sets a deal. In some cases, the scammer even gives potential buyers and renters a tour of the home! They ask for a cash deposit or earnest money. Sometimes, they will say they are going out of town and ask you to wire the money. With wired money, there is no way to get it back.
If you hand over cash, you are out of luck because that person may have faked their name and all info about themselves. Anyone can set those up. Be sure to research anyone you plan on doing business with and do your research on the property using other resources, like Googling it, or going to another real estate site. In this scam, the con artist will steal a listing from a valid real estate agent off of Zillow and change the contact information to direct calls to themselves.
Those interested in the property call the scammer about a real property. They research the property, see that its real and even look at it. Like in the false owner scam, they are convinced to act quickly and put down a cash deposit.
They find out later the whole thing was a sham and they lost their hard-earned money. Zillow has since removed the listing from the website, though Deloach filed a police report and a BBB complaint, she has not received her money back. The FBI recommends the following tips for how to watch out for scammers. News Scams Housing. If you spot a possible rental scam you should contact the website that published the listing. If you think you have been scammed, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Be sure to keep copies of all communications between you and the possible scammer. This browser is no longer supported. Please switch to a supported browser or download one of our Mobile Apps. See Mobile Apps.
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