The scams and cons are out trying to rent out Realtors listings by running ads on CraigsList and who know 
where else. They tell the prospective tenant that they are out of the country right now and to fill out an application and send a deposit. I have one of my properties for sale right now that brought me a number of calls from people questioning the legitimacy of the ad. These frauds are dumb enough to only ask about half what the property would rent for, even if it was for lease. Here's an example of how they operate and what to do in the event you're interested.
To report fraud or a scam in the state of Michigan from Lansing to Detroit, contact the Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau or one of the Federal, state or local agencies listed.
Here's a list of safety precautions you can take from http://RentalScams.org who listed these in October of last year.
There are commonalities with all rental scam emails. Below are some tips when dissecting a rental scam email.
- Does the email start out with Sir / Madam?
- Are there misspellings in the email?
- Are there character mistakes in the email? i.e Hello,my nameis Susie.
- Is there excessive capitalization?
- Does the email reference God, UK, Cashiers Check, Doctor, Nigeria, Reverend, etc.
- Is the email from a free email provider. i.e gmail, yahoo, aol, hotmail.
- Does the email refer to another person or agent?
- Does the email reference wanting to move in site unseen?
If the email has a majority of these commonalities, then the chances are very good it is a scammer. If you are unsure, it is best to not reply to the email.
Remember to do business with those who are local, have a good reputation and who you can meet personally.
"Expect the Best" Mike
Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203
email: Mike@MikeBowler.com
Website for Clients: MikeBowler.com
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