In this housing market, more and more people are desperately searching for apartments and usually paying higher prices than before. So once they see a great apartment for a bargain, they rush to grab it, not checking thoroughly and falling victim to a scam. The FBI’s Boston Division has reported a spike in apartment rental scams. The fake postings are usually on social media websites and Craigslist, with beautiful apartment photos and low prices. Competition among renters is rising and some will take the apartments sight unseen from fear of missing out. In 2021, the FBI reports 11,578 people lost over $350k to these types of scams, an increase of 64%.
There are some things to look out for when apartment shopping. If the landlord refuses to meet in person or talk on the phone, they could be a scammer. They may also prefer if you rent the apartment without inspecting it because they don’t have access to it. Low prices, unusual spelling of words like “favour” instead of “favor”, and high-pressure sales tactics are all signs that the apartment might be too good to be true.
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