Rental Scams on the Rise: Unsuspecting Tenants Lured by Fake Listings and Impersonated AgentsJenny Diazs story is a cautionary tale of a twenty-eight-year-old who fell victim to a sophisticated rental scam on Instagram. Scammers are exploiting social media to lure tenants with unbelievably good deals, often for apartments that dont exist or arent available at the advertised price. These scams are becoming increasingly convincing, making it hard for people to distinguish between real and fake listings.Scammers are also impersonating legitimate real estate agents, using their names and license numbers, and even creating fake websites. Shane Boyle, a real estate broker, frequently receives angry calls from people who believe he scammed them, as his identity has been hijacked by these fraudsters.Adding to the complexity, scammers are stealing real video tours from agents like Mike Bussey and reposting them with fake, incredibly low prices. Mike even shared a story about his own mother almost falling for one of these scams, using his own videos.Experts advise renters to always verify an agents contact information independently, never pay for an apartment they havent toured in person, and be wary of application fees exceeding fifty dollars. If you suspect youve been scammed, contact your bank, the platform where you found the listing, and the FBI immediately.
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