North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is warning renters to think twice before sending someone money to secure a house, condo, or apartment they find online.
Jackson’s office released complaints from two renters who said they were scammed while trying to find housing.
In one complaint, a renter said they sent $3,400 via Zelle to someone claiming to own a rental home listed on Rent.com. The person later found current tenants living in the home they had paid to rent.
“My family is now struggling for a place to move to in a month, and we don’t have the money to do it,” the renter wrote in the complaint. “He really put my family in a situation.”
Jackson said one of the biggest red flags is urgency. If someone claiming to be a landlord rushes you to send money, that should be a warning sign.
Jackson’s office recommends touring the property in person, checking that the owner’s name matches public property records and, when possible, working with a licensed real estate broker.
The North Carolina Department of Justice says people can report rental scams by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint online at ncdoj.gov/complaint.
