Hood River Police Department would like to remind the public to be cautious when posting their real estate and rental property ads online.
According to Sgt. Don Cheli, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a federal multi-agency task force, receives numerous complaints each year regarding real estate and rental property scams. One type of scam involves rental properties that are posted on websites. The scammer will duplicate postings from a legitimate real estate or classified advertisement website and re-post the ads after altering them. Craigslist is a common website where scammers will re-post the ads. When the victim sends an email inquiring about the home, they receive a response from someone claiming to be the home owner. Oftentimes the scammer will claim to be out of the country and ask to have the rent money or deposit be sent to them in a foreign country.
Another type of scam involves people contacting home owners who have posted their homes for rent online, according to Cheli. The scammer will agree to terms with the home owner and offer to send the deposit and rent money by mail. The scammer will intentionally write a check for more than the agreed upon amount and ask the home owner to send the excess amount back to them by mail. Oftentimes the victim will have already sent the excess funds back to the scammer before the bank notifies them that the check is fraudulent.
If you feel you have been a victim of one of these scams, contact the Hood River Police Department or file a complaint online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
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