Anonymous
By the County of Santa Barbara
As apartment seekers, including arriving college students, search for scarce housing in Santa Barbara County, the County Housing and Community Development Division reminds community members to remain vigilant for rental listing scams. Real estate scams are increasing in Santa Barbara County and nationwide as the demand for affordable housing rises. Taking extra steps to ensure the legitimacy of a rental listing is critical as scammers become more aggressive in their tactics.
“Often, rental listings are copied from legitimate listings by a scammer who then markets the units as their own, perhaps at an appealing rent in order to attract even more unsuspecting victims,” shared Laurie Baker, County Housing and Programs Manager. “Apartment seekers must use extreme caution to avoid becoming a victim of scam.”
According to Consumer Advice from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), renters should look out for the following signs of a scam:
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A wire transfer, cash, or money order is requested: Paying with cash or money order, or wiring funds present additional risk as there is no way to track funds sent by these methods.
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A security deposit or first month’s rent is asked for before seeing the property or signing a lease: Many times, scammers will offer to refund the money sent if you do not like the rental in person.
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The lister says they are out of the area: Scammers will usually share a plan to get you the keys and may even create fake keys.
Fair market rents can be particularly difficult for out-of-town seekers to readily recognize. Seekers should research the local rental market when searching in a specific area. Legitimate rental owners and managers are willing to show their rental units and provide a copy of their lease agreements before accepting any funds. They also may perform a credit check.
Often, a fraudulent listing includes misspelled words, grammatical errors and overuse of uppercase letters. Using a credit card, direct payment from a checking account, or a check are better options after verifying the legitimacy of the rental listing and owner or property manager.
If you have been the victim of a rental listing scam, the following actions are recommended:
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Report the crime to local law enforcement wherever you were when money was paid to the scammer. Local law enforcement will have limited capacity to investigate individual complaints, but information may be helpful in identifying similar cases occurring.
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Report the crime to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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Submit a report to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit if the crime occurred in Santa Barbara County. Note that the County DA’s office will use this report primarily to track local patterns.
