Before you rent an apartment, make sure you’re not shelling out money for a fake listing. NY1 For You's Susan Jhun has tips on how to spot these scams.
Tess Weiger says she went online and found a no-fee apartment in a no-fee building.
Excited, Wegier responded to the listing. After discussing the rental, she was ready to arrange a time to see it, until she was told she had to pay a fee.
"The broker fee would've been about almost $8,000," Weiger says. "So for me, that was a surprise because I was looking at the upper range of my limit."
A former real estate broker herself, Wegier realized this was a case of bait-and-switch, where one thing is advertised but another offered.
Fortunately, knowing better, Wegier did not take the bait. But according to the Federal Trade Commission, many potential renters do.
"Everybody should be aware before they rent an apartment of how they could potentially be scammed," said Deborah Marrone, assistant regional director with the FTC. "What we see with more and more online listings, unfortunately, is more and more deception."
Everything from bait-and-switch to fake listings.
Go and check the property in person. Make sure that the person who is renting the property has title or ownership to rent the property.
Make sure you have a document in writing before you commit to pay.
The FTC says never respond to requests to wire money or extreme pressure.
Never rent anything sight unseen and absolutely never give out personal or financial information.
And as always, the general rule of thumb: if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
If you're a victim of a rental scam, file a complaint with FTC at ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.