常见的租金诈骗和房东欺诈

Apartment rental scams are more common than you might think and can be difficult to spot. 当你 寻找你的下一个房子或公寓出租, look out for these red flags to help avoid future rental scams.

如何判断租赁是否合法的提示

• 要求先交定金. Scammers will try to get you to hold the rental and send money before ever meeting you, 带你看房子或者让你签租约. 如果房源要求提前付款或电汇, 远离这个潜在的保证金骗局.
• 没有房东或租赁代理. If the person who replies to the listing claims to be out of town, 生病或无法见面, 但仍要求缴纳保证金, 上市可能是个骗局. Scammers avoid meeting so you can't report them and they escape with your deposit. A legitimate landlord will arrange to meet you in person and show you the property.
• 虚假或虚假上市. Even if you meet the landlord, you should still view the property before signing a lease. It's easy for scammers to copy another listing and claim to have a fake property. Another red flag is a request for an unusually high security deposit, as the scammer will quickly disappear after receiving the money.
• 增加了背景调查费用. While it is common for landlords to check a potential tenant's credit and backgrounds, some landlord scams involve requiring potential tenants to pay exorbitant fees to cover these checks.
• 无需租赁. 如果没有租约，你可能会面临潜在问题的风险. Even month-to-month leases usually have some form of agreement that outlines the responsibilities of both parties.

Tips for how to spot a rental scammer on Craigslist and other online classifieds

• 公寓租赁不仅仅是一笔大交易. If you find a listing in a popular neighborhood that's a few hundred dollars less than other rentals in the same area, 很有可能你看到的是一份虚假的清单. The scammer most likely copied from a real listing and is offering at a lower rate to appeal to unassuming renters.
• 复制公寓照片和描述. It's a good idea to pay attention to the photos of the listing. 如果您注意到多列表服务(MLS)水印, chances are the scammer copied the photos from the local real estate MLS. You can verify this by either performing a reverse image search or searching the address to see if the property is listed for sale on other real estate sites. And, a lot of times, a Craigslist listing is identical to the MLS description.
• 出租清单上的细节不明确. 如果清单看起来过于模糊或没有意义, it could mean the person creating the listing has never seen the property.

避免租赁诈骗

• 亲自见见你的房东. 开会前， 准备好问题 about the lease agreement, how the property is managed and if pets are allowed. 让你的问题得到回答可以帮助你避免费用, 沟通不畅，头疼不已.
• Ask to see the property in person to ensure the pictures and location match what was advertised. Do not pay a deposit until you have seen the property and confirm it is a legitimate listing. 做一个 检查表 你在看公寓时应该注意什么. A rental property viewing 检查表 will help you stay organized and prepared when viewing properties.
• Do online research about the landlord or company that owns the property. Read the reviews other people have provided and if t在这里 are many negative ones, 你可能要考虑其他选择了.
• Beware of cash requests to pay for an application, deposit or rent. You should be able to pay in a way w在这里 money can be tracked. Only provide your bank information or make the payments after you have confirmed it is a real and legit company or landlord.

如果你是租房骗局的受害者，应该采取的步骤

• 报警 so they can help find the scammer and possibly get your money back.
• 联系列表的发布者 这样他们就能把它从现场移走.
• 通知联邦贸易委员会 谁负责保护消费者.
• 向网络犯罪投诉中心投诉 它允许人们在网上举报犯罪行为.
• 考虑一下分享你的故事 提醒别人你的遭遇. 不要失去希望! 你会找到完美的房子.