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Online Scams For Houses For Rent
Online Scams For Houses For Rent

Scammers will take legitimate ads and post them on site like Facebook and Craigslist to take peoples money

Adam Willis avatar
Written by Adam Willis
Updated over 10 months ago

Scams happen. It's unfortunate and we appreciate you bringing any information about a scam to our attention so we can help be part of the solution.

Unfortunately, some of Nestwell's properties are targeted by scammers that try to get innocent people looking for a rental home to send them money.

How To Identify A Scam

  1. The scammer posting rental listings on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. (Nestwell does not advertise on Craigslist.)

  2. They encourage prospects to reach out and tour the home themselves by hiding a key at the property.

  3. They don't allow anyone to see the home.

  4. They ask you to wire money or use Western Union to send money.

  5. They post and remove properties frequently.

  6. They post subpar photos or the photos are not watermarked.

  7. They list homes typically below the market rate to get as many victims as possible. If something is too good to be true, it typically is.

  8. Their application is haphazard or looks homemade.

  9. They don't care about your rental history or background

How To Protect Yourself

  1. Never wire money, pay in cash, or use western union.

  2. Do a google search of the property. Are there multiple ads at different prices?

  3. Speak with the person directly and/or meet them in person.

  4. When meeting someone in person ask for their ID, business card, or another form to identify themselves.

  5. See if the business has a storefront that you can visit in-person or find on google.

  6. Reverse lookup phone numbers. Are they using a local phone number?

  7. Look for photos that have watermarks

  8. Verify listing on reputable websites like Nestwellrentals.com, Rentler.com, etc.

  9. Is the scammer using a random email address? Or does it end the real domain for example @nestwell.com?

  10. Look up who the property owner is online.

How You Can Help

  1. Capture the scammer's phone number, name, and social media persona.

  2. Keep the scammer talking.

  3. Take a picture of the ads and save the hyperlinks

  4. Send any information to Nestwell at forrent@nestwell.com so we can help

  5. Flag the advertisement as fraudulent.

  6. Inform the authorities such as the police or the legitimate property manager.

We always recommend working with professional property management companies that have an online presence and storefront.

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