Local Cops, Realtors Join Forces To Raise Awareness About Rent Scams Involving Vacant, Foreclosure Homes

In Naples, Florida, the Naples Daily News reports:

• If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. In the wake of recent arrests of people charged with illegally renting and leasing foreclosed homes, the Collier County Sheriff's Office and Naples Area Board of Realtors are partnering to raise community awareness about rental scams so nobody becomes a victim.
  
  Both agencies will take steps to warn the public to be wary of ads for rental homes or condominiums, but no further plans about the recent partnership geared toward educating the public were immediately released.
  
  It's typical for the person behind the scam to post a notice on Craigslist, in local newspapers or on other social media sites advertising homes for rent, often using the legal owner's name in the return email address, according to a Sheriff's Office's statement.
  
  David Spahl, a Collier sheriff's Organized Crime Bureau investigator, said deputies are being proactive about monitoring vacant properties and researching the Internet for suspicious advertisements. Spahl said the majority of the scams discovered during the summer were posted on Craigslist and originated in Nigeria.
  
  In the summer, there were at least 15 victims of foreclosed home rental scams. "I'm reasonably certain there were more that we never learned about," Spahl said.

For the story, see Sheriff's Office, NABOR join forces to crack down on rental scams.