When a home goes on the market, there is a chance it might show up online as a rental, even when it's not for rent.
Scammers copy the photos and description and repost the property at a price that seems almost too good to be true.
Then comes the story. The owner had to move away for medical treatment. A spouse is ill. They just want a really special family to care for the home for a year. They ask you not to call the listing agent and say there was a disagreement, so they are handling it privately. All you have to do is send a deposit, sometimes $1,000 or more, and they will mail you the key.
I have seen families fall for this. They send the money, receive a key, pack up their children, leave their current rental, hire movers, and arrive ready to start a new chapter, only to discover the key does not work because the house was never for rent. They are out of the deposit, the moving expenses, and sometimes their previous housing.
Worse, they have shared personal information that can lead to identity theft.
If you are looking for a rental, please slow down. Verify the listing directly with the brokerage. Never send money for a home you have not seen in person. If someone tells you not to contact the listing agent, that is your biggest red flag. I would much rather answer a dozen verification phone calls than see one more family hurt by a scam.
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