APD has received roughly a dozen reports of rental scams this year.  If you keep your eye on national headlines, then you’ve probably heard of this issue being even more prevalent in other states.  The general gist of the scam is that victims are agreeing to rent or lease an apartment (or other type of residence) with the entire deal occurring online.  The victim provides personal information and money to the “owner, landlord, or property manager” to secure a rental.  After the transaction has occurred, the victim discovers the property either doesn’t exist or is already occupied.  Any attempts by the victim to contact the scammers go unanswered.

The number one thing you can do to avoid being scammed is to never put any money down on a property you have not seen in person.  Anyone conducting a legitimate transaction with you will be willing to show you the property inside and out and answer any questions you may have.  If you meet any resistance when trying to set up a viewing of the home, look elsewhere.

Here are some additional red flags to look out for when searching online for a place to rent:

·         If it seems too good to be true – it probably is.  Avoid any listing with a rent price that is well below other rental properties in the area.

·         While there are some legitimate landlords and management companies who may not conduct a credit check on you, most will.  It should feel odd that someone is amenable into entering a financial arrangement with you without verifying you’re good for it.

·         High-pressure sales tactics are being used to convince you that you need to sign on the dotted line RIGHT NOW.  The more they try to create a sense of urgency, the more skeptical you should be.

·         If the listing is full of grammatical, spelling, and/or formatting errors - move on.

·         Google the address. Does the property exist?  Do any other listings pop up for it?  Also conduct an online search on the person/company you’re dealing with.  It will help you verify if they are legit.  Are there any reviews?  Check them out.

What happens if you fall for it and lose money?  Just like you would with any scam, here are the steps you should take to protect yourself from further harm or loss:

·         Contact any of your involved financial institutions as quickly as possible to see if they can cancel pending transactions, the longer you wait the less likely are you to recover the money.  You may also need to put an alert on those accounts or close them altogether.

·         If you provided any sensitive financial or personal information, you may set up a fraud alert on your credit reports so you are notified should someone attempt to apply for an account under your name.

·         The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tracks scams.  You may file a report online with them at www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov.  You should also file a report with your local law enforcement agency especially if you lost money.  If you live within the Municipality of Anchorage, you may file a report online at www.AnchoragePolice.com.