Mr. Kim, a Korean house owner residing in Bayside, Queens, posted a picture of the property he was trying to sell on a real estate website. After a month, first one, and then over 20 individuals of varied racial and ethnic make-up, contacted him, each saying that they had a rental contract with the owner of the house and demanded that Mr. Kim provide them with the room they had rented.
"I posted a picture of my house on a real estate website in March [this year] to sell it. But it seems that somebody 'stole' my picture and is now fraudulently renting rooms in my house. I asked the real estate company to delete my ads and also place notices on the property, warning of rental scams. But more victims keep popping up," Mr. Kim said.
There are number of online housing scams being reported.
Although scams can also involve mortgages, rental scams are frequent these days. Victims report that photos of properties for sale have been "hijacked" by scammers from Internet websites, or lifted from real estate magazines and posted on the web as rentals where tenants are solicited. Once a prospective tenant responds, he or she is told that the owner is away on a sudden business trip, or otherwise out of town. Prospective tenants are informed that the deal can still go through if they simply forward a security deposit and first month's rent to an account supplied by the "landlord." Once the money is received, they are told, the landlord will furnish a key. No mention is made of signing a rental contract or of meeting face to face.
Rent fraud investigators strongly urge those considering such deals to listen for the warning bells: does the deal sounds too good to be true? Is a demand for cash or advance payment online for a rental? Potential tenants – especially for properties advertised on the web – are strongly advised not to send any money to anyone without first carefully checking the owner's credentials, viewing the property, and signing a contract in person.
One should never consider renting any property without having documented proof of the owner's address or office, an ID, and a written and signed contract or lease.
