“It scared me,” says Cristina Caetano of Palm Harbor.
That was Caetano’s reaction after coming across the home she just signed a two year lease for--on a Facebook marketplace--for sale.
“They copied info from Zillow ad,” Caetano said.
After speaking to her landlord she knew this was a fake, along with a dozen or so more ads she came across in the New Port Richey area.
“They were all google earth numbers. And then they all asked for deposits just to get keys to look at the house,” says Caetano
Caetano was not the only one noticing this disturbing trend.
The FBI said they’ve seen this kind of scam explode nationwide. Thieves using real companies to fool victims.
A dozen families looking to rent a Largo home, didn’t need a real company, they thought this was a real home belonging to Nicole and David Johnson as they saw in the video.
Its turned out it belongs to Nicole’s mom, and it wasn’t for sale. But the families didn’t figure that out until they had already paid thousands of dollars for a deposit.
The Johnson's are still on the run. Largo detectives said a warrant was out for their arrest. They said they believe they are in the New York area.
Here are a couple of red flags to look out for when you come across an ad for a home for sale or for rent:
- Don't wire money or use a prepaid debit card:
You should never pay a security deposit or first month's rent by prepaid debit card or wire transfer.
- Watch out for deals that sound too good:
If the price seems much better than offered elsewhere, it may be a scam.
- See the property in person: Don't send money to someone you've never met for an apartment you haven't seen.
If you can't visit an apartment or house yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it is what was advertised.
- Don't fall for the overseas landlord story: Scammers often claim to be out of the country and instruct targets to send money overseas.
- Search for the same ad in other cities: Search for the listing online. If you find the same ad listed in other cities, that's a huge red flag.
- Research the homes history by heading to the property appraisers site—make sure who ever your dealing with are the owners of the home.
