A local real estate brokerage in Greesnboro, NC received this question when their property was one price in one ad and significantly lower in another. The problem that the real estate company is running into is that rental scammers especially in Nigeria are re-posting rental ads by legitimate property managers and landlords at bargain rent prices hoping that they can scam you out of a security deposit and upfront rent. A similar example of this happened in Memphis, TN. A renter was tempted by a rental scammer who advertised a house for rent that was legitimately for sale. The scammer even made up a phony email address with the owners name in a attempt to appear to be the real owner. See dave.erickson34@yahoo.com - Watch Out For This Scammer for more details.
So please be careful when you think you have found a bargain rental property online. I recommend that you read the following two links to help you identify potential rental scams when searching for a new rental property:
How to Protect Yourself When Searching for a New Rental Property
If you have any other tips of your own, please leave your advice in the comments below!
Source: Con-Artists Targeting Your Rent
