Internet Rent Scams Target Renters Using Phony Listings Based On Legitimate Information

In Nokomis, Florida, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports:

• Real estate agent Nicki Conway has spent the past week trying to steer people away from a rental fraud involving a house she is working to sell. Information about the house has been posted on the Web site craigslist.com by someone with no connection to the property who is trying to collect money from the bogus rental listing. The site offers the low rent price of $790 a month for a three-bedroom, two-bath unit, including utilities.

• The too-good-to-be-true terms are generating considerable attention, and Conway fears for any would-be tenants who fail to check out the property before sending money to the online scammer. "Obviously the ad is working because they're getting a big response," Conway said this week, after fielding three calls from people who saw the fraudulent posting for a house that she says would command at least $1,600 in monthly rent.

• Similar online rental property scams that hit other parts of Florida are apparently cropping up in Sarasota County. The scammers base their fake listings, e-mails and phone calls on photos and details gleaned from legitimate sales listings.

For more, see Internet scammers take aim at renters (THE STING: Con artists are using data on real homes to create fake ad listings). KappaPhonyLandlordScam