What is a housing scam?
In this type of scam, the suspect creates a false advertisement for a housing opportunity and distributes it on the Internet, in print or even by listing it with a bona-fide housing service. The property in question typically does not exist or is owned by someone else and the suspect uses information and photos from some other source to create the ad. The offer might appear to be a particularly good deal compared to the typical cost of housing in the area.
The suspect frequently requires up-front payment of rent, deposit, and/or other significant fees, often before any showing of the property or signing any contract. They often claim to be unable to meet the victim in person, and might request payment via wire transfer or some other unusual method (such as prepaid debit cards, gift cards, cryptocurrency or another way that is difficult to trace). In some cases, fake contracts may be presented. Housing scam suspects often prey upon persons who are moving from out of the area or who are unfamiliar with standard real estate procedures.
How to stay safe from scams
We don't want to worry you – despite housing scams being common, our students rarely fall victim to one. Nevertheless, it's important to be vigilant. We recommend that you use the following checklist to avoid housing scams:
- Price: if the price is too good to be true, it's almost always a scam (e.g., $800 for a single room near campus)
- Address: the landlord is unable or unwilling to provide you with the full address of the property or the address doesn't show a residence (e.g., the address is the address of an office building, store, or gas station)
- Photos: the photos in the listing don't match the building you can see on Google Street View (look out for window shapes or other features that can be verified from the outside) or the listing says that the photos were taken "in a similar unit"
- Viewing: the landlord says that they're unavailable to show you the property because they live out of state or are currently traveling
- Pressure: the landlord is pressuring you to make a decision quickly or evasive in answering your questions about the property. An example could be a landlord telling a dramatic story, that they need to rent the property immediately and they can’t show you the property themselves. A legitimate landlord will meet you in person and allow you to tour the property before asking for a deposit to secure the rental
- Money: the landlord is asking you to wire them money before you have signed the lease or asking for an unusually high application fee or security deposit. No legitimate landlord would request that you send them money through services like MoneyGram, Western Union, or other money transfer services
- Lease: the lease doesn't specify who the owner of the property is or doesn't specify which property you'll be renting
If you notice anything suspicious about a housing property, or you are concerned whether a housing opportunity is a scam, reach out to the ISS office and we can help.
If you realize a housing opportunity is a scam, and you’d like to file a report, notify the ISS office as well as law enforcement.