Rental Scam

Today, I had the unpleasant experience of learning that someone unknown has posted one of my real estate listings, a house that is for sale only, on Craigslist as a rental. “She”offers this very nice 4 bedroom, 4 bath pool home on a large lot in Lakeland’s Highlands for $700/month, saying that “she” has had to move to Texas to care for her ailing mother. My front photograph of the house and much of the description I wrote have been taken from the listing information I prepared. The poster tells interested parties to drive by the house and if they want to pursue it further, let her know and she will email an application to them. Of course, when the potential renter drives by the house, they see my For Sale sign and call me. So far today, I have had about 12 calls from people who thought they were going to see a nice house for rent at an unbelievable price. This is an attempt to defraud people, and I’m pretty sure that they succeed occasionally. I have notified the Lakeland police and an information file has been opened.

Be aware of and alert for internet scams. Here comes a cliche, but if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.