Scammers continue to target renters in C.O.
Rental scams are a familiar problem for people looking for housing on the High Desert. The FBI recently warned that Oregon’s hot housing market puts it at greater risk for this type of fraud.
Joseph Senko is looking for a Bend rental and came across the issue firsthand.
Senko said he saw a Craigslist posting for a house in the Deschutes River Woods area, and reached out. He said the poster’s response seemed off right away.
“The very first thing was, ‘We had to quickly move out of town, so we’re no longer around. We can’t meet you. We can’t do this in person,'” Senko recalled Friday, “which is very suspicious, and that also leads to the fact that we couldn’t even do a walk-through of the house. We had to rent sight unseen, which is another red flag.”
Senko said he didn’t fall for the scam, but he can see how the struggle to find housing in the area could cloud someone’s judgment.
“I could see someone in a desperate situation looking for housing, especially in this market, and saying ‘I need to find a place immediately. This is perfect. Let’s give them the money,'” he said, “and then here you are, out a deposit and potentially not able to get into another house.”
Tiffany Aguilar, owner of Elevation Property Management, said there’s been an uptick in these scams, and as people get more desperate for housing, they’re more likely to overlook the red flags.
She said the No. 1 thing to look out for is anyone who makes excuses not to meet or show the property. Also, owners and property managers should ask questions and do things like credit screenings. So be aware if the process seems too easy.
Aguilar also said you should never spend money before signing something.
“You should always have a lease agreement in place before you’re asked to give money,” she said. “You should never have to give a security deposit up front, or rent up front. That should all come with or after the signed lease agreement.”
Aguilar said in general, if something feels off, trust your gut. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
So, have you ever been burned by an online rental scam, or have you steered clear? It’s the topic of our KTVZ.COM Poll. Find it halfway down the right side of our home page.
