HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Right now, people are trying to take advantage of those desperate to find a place to live, and the hot housing market is causing rentals to go quickly.
The FBI says criminals are preying on victims in various kinds of scams. They said one way this happens is when, "the scammer duplicates postings from legitimate real estate websites and reposts [the] ads, after altering them."
I learned firsthand just how big this problem is after I put my home up for rent on Zillow and got inundated with calls, texts, and messages from all kinds of people who said they were in need of housing.
I was overwhelmed within the first 24 hours. Then, I got a text from someone named Jesus Lebron who said, in part, “Just a heads up. I think someone’s running a scam on your property because I’ve been talking to someone for the last two days.”
He said the person was requesting an $80 application fee.
Instead of paying, Lebron drove over to the address listed for rent and sent a text to the number on the "For Rent" sign posted on the lawn.
I was shocked when I got his text message. I immediately contacted Craigslist and the post was removed.
Lebron, a father of four, came across my house posted on both Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. These are two sites I wasn’t using to advertise the property.
They were both posted for lower prices than what I posted on Zillow.
Luckily, Lebron got suspicious and trusted his instinct that something was not right.
He said he was tempted to apply for the house because it was close to his work.
“I would’ve definitely sent him money because the property was empty. The 'For Rent' sign was up. He would’ve got me, I’m not going to lie. He would’ve got me,” said Lebron.
It made me upset and angry that someone was trying to use my property to take advantage of people looking for a new home.
Posing as a potential renter, I texted the number listed on the Craigslist ad and asked to see the house. The person responded quickly and said yes.
Now, remember, it’s my house and I have owned it for a few years.
I asked how much he wanted me to pay upfront and if we could meet at noon the following day. He said, over text messages, it would be $1,000 for the security deposit, and we made plans to meet up.
However, the next morning, he sent another text with a link to an application for the house, asking for all kinds of personal information, including proof of income and an application fee of $80. He said I needed to fill out the application before he would show me the house.
The application looked very legit.
I tried to call him but he didn’t answer – at first – but we’ll get to that a little later.
Back in 2021, I interviewed Judy Boone, the President and Owner of Judy Boone Realty, when she was dealing with people trying to run various scams on properties. I called her up to discuss the issue with my property, then we sat down for another interview.
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Judy Boone warns of rental property scheme impacting Ocean View
“It’s sad that they’re making a living off of ignorance and just taking advantage of people,” said Boone.
Boone is well-known in the Ocean View community and got her real estate license to sell property more than four decades ago.
She said back when she started, there were a lot of one and two-bedroom homes in Ocean View occupied by many people in the military.
“Elvis was King and shag carpet was the 'in' thing,” she said, adding that avocado-colored appliances were also popular.
Witnessing so much change over the years, she said it’s terrible you can’t trust people compared to years ago, especially when you are dealing with them over text or the phone.
She said she bought the “first block for $125,000 down in Ocean View on a handshake, when people were real."
She feels for the victims and has seen people use her business as a way to scam others.
“I’ve had people show up at our doors with a suitcase looking for a key after they had given six months of their income to somebody, plus a deposit, and they didn’t even meet them and they mailed it to them,” said Boone.
The FBI says nationwide in 2021, more than 11,500 people reported losing more than $350 million in rental and real estate scams, which they say is a 64% increase from the year prior.
“I had no idea it was this bad. Realistically, there’s evil in the world, but for every single one to be a scam, it’s crazy,” said Lebron.
He said he has run into many scams in his quest to find a new house for his family, and he’s shocked by the number of fake ads.
“One guy I was speaking to for, like, three days,” said Lebron.
They are preying on people desperate to find a home.
I asked Lebron how he feels about this whole experience of looking for a new place to live. He said he doesn’t have time to feel.
“I’m the man of the house. It sucks," said Lebron.
He said he is worried that if he doesn’t find a new place, his family could wind up in a hotel. He is hoping to stay in his current place but needs to come up with cash after falling a little behind on payments.
I tried to call the person who was posting my house on Craigslist several times, then he finally answered the phone.
The call lasted for about a minute. I told him I was calling about the property and asked if it was still available. He said yes. I asked how long he had owned the house. He said two years.
He was a bit hard to hear and understand due to the connection, and he had an accent.
Worried about how many people he had taken advantage of, I asked how many people have applied and had been interested in the property. He said five, but they were rejected due to past evictions.
Previously, over text, he told me he lived about an hour from the property. Over the phone, when I asked him if he was in another country because of the connection on the phone line, he said no.
I then told him I was the property owner and an investigative reporter.
Suddenly, the line dropped and I tried to call back.
The message stated, “The party you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message and someone will return your call.”
I tried a few more times to call back but he didn’t answer.
I then sent the following message: “I own the property. We are investigating what you are doing. How shameful to take advantage of people looking for a place to live.”
We did not get a response.
“That’s a shame. I’d like to see him in the slammer,” said Boone.
I’m very grateful to Lebron.
“I don’t wish harm on anybody. I just wish the best for everybody. Hopefully, with letting you know, it’ll prevent other people from actually getting scammed," said Lebron.
The FBI issued the following information on how to avoid being victimized:
- Do not wire funds to people you do not know.
- Do not put money towards a house or apartment you have not seen.
- Confirm the identity of the landlord by researching public records to find out who owns the property you are seeking to rent or purchase.
- Do not fill out applications online until you have met directly with the property manager.
- Know local rental prices.
- Look for online reviews, references, and testimonials from past inhabitants.
- Be wary if a potential tenant wants to rent property sight unseen.
- Be wary if a potential renter says they are out of town and will send you a cashier’s check.
- Be wary if a potential landlord says he is out of the country and wants the rent sent to a foreign account.
- Do not accept overpayment for properties. If you receive a check for more than the specified amount, return it. Do not deposit it.
They said if you find yourself the target or victim of a rental scam, stop all contact immediately. If you have already sent money, it is extremely important to report any transfer of funds to your financial institution and file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Zillow issued the following statement:
“Zillow strives to provide a safe online platform with accurate information, which is why we go to great lengths to prevent fraud from appearing on our apps and sites. We also work to inform consumers about internet scams, including information being copied from legitimate listings and fraudulently used elsewhere. Our ‘How to Recognize and Avoid Rental Fraud [zillow.com]’ page and ‘Beware of Scams and Other Internet Fraud [zillow.com]’ pages explain how to look out for red flags online, such as requests for wire transfers or rental prices that seem too good to be true, and provide other valuable information about how to avoid bad actors in the housing market.”
I reached out to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for comment.
