3 minute read

Common rental scams and landlord frauds

Rental and landlord scams are more common than you think. 学习如何判断租赁是否合法，以及如何避免公寓诈骗.

公寓租赁诈骗比你想象的要普遍得多，而且很难发现. As you're hunting for your next house or apartment to rent，注意这些危险信号，以帮助避免未来的租赁骗局.

Tips for how to tell if a rental is legitimate

Requesting deposit money first. 骗子会试图让你保留租金，并在见到你之前寄钱, showing the property or having you sign a lease. If the listing asks for payment or wired money up front, walk away from this potential security deposit scam.
Landlord or leasing agent not available. 如果回复列表的人声称自己不在城里, sick or simply unavailable to meet, yet still demands a security deposit, the listing could be a scam. 骗子避免见面，这样你就无法举报他们，他们带着你的存款逃走了. 合法的房东会安排与你见面并带你看房子.
Fake or false listings. 即使你见到了房东，你还是应该在签租约前查看一下房产. 骗子很容易复制另一份清单并声称拥有假房产. 另一个危险信号是要求支付异常高的保证金, 因为骗子收到钱后很快就会消失.
Added fees for background checks. 虽然房东检查潜在房客的信用和背景是很常见的, 一些房东的骗局包括要求潜在租户支付高昂的费用来支付这些支票.
No lease required. Without a lease, you might be at risk for potential problems. 即使是按月租赁，通常也会有某种形式的协议，概述双方的责任.

Want to protect your stuff?

Apartment lease is more than a great deal. 如果你在热门社区找到一套比同一地区其他出租房便宜几百美元的房源, chances are you are looking at a fake listing. 骗子极有可能从真实的房源中复制房源，并以较低的价格吸引低调的租房者.
Replicated apartment photos and description. 注意一下房源的照片是个好主意. If you notice a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) watermark, 很有可能骗子从当地房地产MLS复制了照片. 您可以通过执行反向图像搜索或搜索地址来验证这一点，以查看该房产是否在其他房地产网站上出售. 而且，很多时候，Craigslist上的房源信息与MLS的描述完全相同.
Vague details in the rental listing. If the listing seems overly vague or doesn't make sense, 这可能意味着创建该列表的人从未见过该房产.

Meet your landlord in person. Before the meeting, be prepared with questions 关于租赁协议，物业如何管理，是否允许宠物入住. Getting your questions answered may help you avoid fees, miscommunication and headaches down the road.
要求亲自去看房子，以确保照片和位置与广告上的相符. 在你看过物业并确认它是合法的房源之前，不要支付订金. 做一个 checklist of what you should be looking for when viewing apartments. 查看出租物业清单将帮助您在查看物业时保持组织和准备.
在网上搜索一下拥有房产的房东或公司. 看看其他人提供的评论，看看是否有很多负面评论, you might want to consider other options.
谨防用现金支付申请、押金或租金. 你应该能够以一种可以追踪资金的方式付款. 只提供你的银行信息或付款后，你确认它是一个真实和合法的公司或房东.

Call the police 所以他们可以帮助找到骗子，并可能拿回你的钱.
联系 the publisher of the listing so they can remove it from the site.
Notify the Federal Trade Commission which is responsible for protecting consumers.
File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center which allows people to report crime that happens online.
Think about sharing your story to warn others of what happened to you. Don't lose hope! You'll find the perfect property.