He saw it on Craigslist, a rental property in Carmel Valley for a price he couldn’t pass up. But he could only tour it after filling out an application and sending a $1,000 refundable deposit. He sent the money and lost it all.
Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker complaints show San Diego scams are taking thousands of dollars from potential renters.
The average rent for a San Diego apartment is nearly $3,000 according to the website RentCafe. So some renters are eager to hop on great deals even if it means sending large amounts of money to someone they don’t know.
One person says a docusign lease agreement made it look legitimate. “We signed it and then wired some lady’s account.” He lost $6,400.
Another complaint says the landlord demanded multiple deposits and a management fee before he’d show the property.
He sent the money. $10,200 gone!
These rental scams seem to work the same way:
-a listing price well below similar rentals;
-no tour until a deposit is sent by payment app, and then nothing happens;
-pictures stolen from real sale or rental listings.
“My company actually had its name, logo and advertised rental properties placed in bogus publications and online to attract callers seeking rental homes,” says Cheryl Chase-Berkson.
Chase-Berkson is owner of Chase Pacific Property Management and Real Estate in San Diego. The business won the 2021 BBB Torch Award for ethics.
She says the biggest scam sign is if you’re asked to pay upfront without meeting the landlord or seeing the property.
“This is something we, as a property management company, would NEVER do,” she says.
Chase-Berkson says potential renters should only have to pay an application fee by credit card. It’s limited to $62 by California law.
If the owner accepts, then the renter pays a security deposit and first month’s rent. But this happens only after the renter sees the property.
Protect yourself:
Image search: Before falling for the beautiful pictures, do a Google image search to see if they were stolen from another listing
Scam search: Check the “owner’s” email address online to see if it was used in other scams
See the property: Visit the property before committing. Look for real estate signs and talk to neighbors to confirm it is for rent.
Verify ownership: Use city or county tax assessor sites to see if the owner listed matches the person contacting you.
Find reputable BBB Accredited property management and real estate companies at bbb.org https://www.bbb.org/ where you can also report scams to Scam Tracker.
And check out all joeknowsbetter podcasts and videos at https://www.bbb.org/local/1126/joe-knows-better.
