Fall River police warn residents of online rental scams
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WJAR) — A new online scam in Bristol County is posting fraudulent rental properties and stealing people's money and personal information as they desperately search for a place to live.
The Fall River Police Department took to Facebook to warn residents about fraudulent real estate postings that have been popping up across the city.
They advise residents to look very closely when applying for a rental property, and to be cautious when using the internet to secure an apartment.
They say the best practice is to request an in-person showing before providing any money to secure the listing and real estate agents in the area agree.
"Avoid sending out sensitive information before being able to verify who's on the other end of that listing or even just that posting," said Kyle Zene-Moore, the CEO of Zander Realty Group.
There are a few red flags you can look for when searching for rental units, the first being the price.
If it seems too good to be true, it often times is.
"My clients will send me a link and I'll look at it and I can tell just off the pricing and the pictures that it's not a real listing," Kyle added.
When looking for a place to live along the south coast there are several reputable sites that you can use.
Zillow and Rent.com are typically good places to start. You should avoid some sites like Craigslist.
"If you find something online, google the address, see if they can look for the address on other sites, it might be posted on other syndicated sites," said Zene-Moore.
Fall River police remind people if the prospective landlord isn't willing to meet with you, or requests a down payment for viewing the property, it's best to just move on to the next listing.