When San Diego resident Alexandria Moya needed a place to live, she was worried that her small budget would be an issue. A one-bedroom apartment in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego costs about $2,700 on average, according to Zumper, which is beyond what she could afford.
So when Moya saw a listing priced at $1,300, she was thrilled. And, she was even more excited when the woman listing the home agreed to rent it to her for just $1,000.
The problem? The listing turned out to be a scam, and Moya lost money in the process.
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"I got fooled. And it’s easy to get fooled," she told Fox 5 News San Diego.
A rental application turns into a nightmare
Moya was immediately interested in the rental that fit her price point, so she contacted the woman listing it for a tour. She then met a young woman, who identified herself as the owner’s niece, who showed her the property
Moya read the lease and all looked legitimate. She wanted a little time to make her decision, but the property owner was pressuring her to commit. Worse yet, she said that Moya had to make an immediate cash payment if she wanted the rental.
Moya says she paid the owner $2,500 in total — $1,500 in cash and $1,000 through Zelle. From there, Moya’s move-in date kept getting pushed back.
Eventually, Moya was told she could not move in at all. She was promised a refund for the money she’d sent, but it never came. She called the woman who had listed the property repeatedly, but her calls kept going straight to voicemail
"I was hurt. I cried about it," she told Fox 5.
Moya says she filed a police report but does not expect to get her money back. And it just goes to show how important it is to be careful when a listing seems, as Moya said, "too good to be true.”
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How to avoid rental scams
Rental scams are on the rise. The FBI was already warning of a spike back in 2022, reporting that in 2021, Americans lost $350 million to real estate and rental scams. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also reports that more than 5 million people have lost money to rental scams. Plus, the BBB found that in 2023, rental scams saw a 64.1% increase.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan told Fox 5 that in the past two years, rental scams have risen by 45%, per the BBB. She warns that scammers use tactics like claiming they’re out of town and that they can’t show the property, or claiming that they have multiple offers and need an immediate answer and payment.
Be mindful of these patterns if you’re in the market for a rental, and don’t let a pushy so-called property owner pressure you.
Another “red flag,” Stephen told Fox 5 reporters, is that scammers also sometimes take legitimate listings and create duplicate ones with their own contact information. If you see a listing, do some online searching to make sure it’s not showing up in multiple places at different price points. In that case, the lower price is typically the bogus listing.
It’s also a good idea to look at public records to confirm who owns the property you’re trying to rent. If the names don’t match up, dig deeper — or run away. Your county clerk’s office could be a good resource here.
Of course, it’s common for property managers to list rentals on owners’ behalf. In that case, research the property management company at hand. See if they have a BBB listing and what their ratings are.
It’s also important to use trusted online platforms to find a rental. Be wary of posts on social media listing homes for rent.
Also, be wary of rentals that require a larger-than-average up-front deposit. It’s common to put down your first month’s rent plus a security deposit. Beyond that, ask questions. And in the course of putting down a deposit, try to use a credit card if possible. That gives you a way to track the payment and, if needed, stop or dispute it.
Finally, research rental prices in your area so you know what the market is demanding. And, be careful with listings that are priced under market. If a given rental seems like it’s too good to be true, it just may be.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
