Rental Scam - A Note of Caution to My Fellow Realtors & the Public

Google Alerts and Rental Scams

The Board often receives calls from members about rental property scams. The con artist takes information about an MLS® listing from public websites and uses it to advertise the property for rent. When the con artist receives an enquiry, he or she asks for personal information and then requests a “security deposit,” claiming that after receipt of the deposit the keys will be couriered to the new tenant. There is never an opportunity to view the interior of the home before payment is requested, and the rent amount may seem very low. The person posting the ad may claim to be temporarily residing outside of the country, and the ad may be very poorly written. This scam has been common on Craigslist for some time now and appears to be spreading to other online classified services such as Kijiji and Used Ottawa.

A great way to ensure this doesn’t happen to your listings without your knowledge is to set up a Google Alert of your name, as well as the address of the properties you have listed for rent and for sale. You will get notified immediately if the listing has been posted elsewhere on the Internet.

                                                        - from Membership News, Ottawa Real Estate Board