Are you renting out a room?
Be cautious of emails that sound too good to be true. A common scam involves a person posing as a renter and offering to send you a large check, often as an advanced payment, or they ask you to hold the money for them, perhaps asking you to us it to pay their moving expenses. They often claim to be from overseas, and thus need help paying for a moving company. The scammers will send you a check and then ask you to send some money back to them or to a third party, perhaps a "moving company." The check they give you will be fake, but in the time it takes for the bank to reject it, you may have already sent money to the scammer. Remember, the renter is the person who should be sending you money. Don’t ever, ever, send money to a prospective renter. If the renter asks for a refund, either tell them you will only do it in person, or wait two weeks to be sure the check the renter gave you clears.
As a general rule, be weary of emails from users that sound very generic and non-specific. Do they ask specific questions that apply to your property? Does it sound like they know nothing about the area they are moving to? Do they mention a specific reason why they are moving that applies to your area? Scammers often claim to be in a big rush, and promise massive payments if you email them quickly. But no matter how rushed a person is, they should still have questions about the room. Also, be weary of emails that contain a lot of spelling mistakes and very poor grammar.
Basically, you should never send anybody money, under any circumstances. The potential renter is the one who should be sending you the money, never the other way around. If you have received a check that you think might be fake, take it to your bank and ask them. Sometimes, the check will "clear" but then come back counterfeit days or weeks later. If a potential renter wants a partial refund, ask them to instead send you a new check for the correct amount, and then rip up or mail back their original check.
How about if you are looking for a place to rent? You still need to be careful about sending people money.
We do not monitor the listings that owners put on our site. We rely on our users to report bogus listings by using the "report this listing" link which can be found on each listing.
Be cautious of any owner that asks for a deposit right away, or asks you to wire them money to hold the room. Don't ever send an owner money in advance unless you have seen the room or have had a third party verify that the room even exists. A common scam is to have a person create a fake listing, then ask for a $100 holding fee. You'll send the money, pack up your car, move across country, then when you show up at the address you find an empty lot.
Another common scam involves a scammer posing as an owner and telling potential renters that he will need to conduct a background check on you. He will then ask for you social security number and bank account information, presumably to verify that you can afford the rent, and next thing you know, your bank account is empty. Never, ever, give anybody you social security number or any financial information
Be cautious of ever sending money before you have met the owner or seen the room. Always try to put the check in the person’s hand.
General:
If you follow these rules, you will be able to avoid almost all scams:
- Be cautious of any users who contact you from overseas
- Never wire money using Western Union
- Never agree to send a renter a refund. Instead, return their check to them or ask them to stop payment on it.
- Never give out any personal financial information, such as your social security number or bank account information.
- If you have received a check that you think may be fake, contact your bank, ad wait two weeks before
If you have any other questions about possible scams, or if you see a listing that you think may be fake, you may contact us about the listing, or visit our forums and ask other users for advice.
If you feel that you have been the victim of a scam, contact the FTC using their toll free hotline (877-FTC-HELP) or visit their webpage at
www.ftc.govThe information provided above is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. WhatsTheRent.com is not involved in any financial transactions and is not responsible for any loses incurred as a result of fraudulent emails and listings.
