Quality rental housing can be a tough enough sector without having a minefield of scams threatening to blow up what you thought was a sweetheart deal and taking your money with nothing in return. That’s essentially what Michigan State Police are having to deal with in yet another scam-of-the-week warning.
Michigan State Police tell us that they have recently received complaints from citizens about a possible scam that involves rental properties over the internet. The intent is to receive money from victims while posing as the owner of a property for sale.
In this case, the victim found a local property for rent on the internet and requested more information. The victim contacted the real-estate agent selling the property and was informed the actual home owners were not renting the property. The person posing as the property owner provided a tenant application and requested a security deposit. The Michigan State Police would like to remind citizens to be cautious when these incidents occur and not to respond in any way.
Tips to protect you from scams:
- Never respond to an offer you don’t understand thoroughly.
- Never send money or give out personal information such as credit card numbers and expiration dates, bank account numbers, dates of birth, or social security numbers to unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
- If you receive a letter from anyone asking you to send personal or banking information, do not reply in any manner. Send the letter to the U.S. Secret Service, your local FBI office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. You can also register a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant.
- If you know someone who is corresponding in one of these schemes, encourage that person to contact the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible.
- Guard your account information carefully.
State Police have offered the following available on-line resource, just click the link for scam avoidance assistance:
