Forsyth Renters Are Getting Scammed, Here's How

FOSYTH COUNTY, GA – The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office recently reported how renters are getting scammed by fake landlords and provided some tips to avoid it.

"We hate to sound like a broken record here folks, but unfortunately some are still falling for this fake landlord scam," read a post on their Facebook page.

"SCENERIO: You need a place to live so you are looking for a rental on the internet. You aren’t having a lot of luck with the standard sites so you scoot on over to Craigslist where you find an amazing 4 bedrooms on a full finished basement at an incredible price in the best area of Forsyth. WOW! You call the number, sure that the place is no longer available, but you find out that if you can send a deposit in the form of a gift card or wire transfer right away then you might just beat out the other contenders. No problem! You head out immediately and get them what they need.

"The landlord gives you the code to the lockbox on the door so you can check out your new place without the hassle of an agent or property manager, once inside you are in love and you call to let the landlord know but no one answers. That’s ok, you have a lease now. Move-in day finally arrives and you pull up to find another family has already moved in!"

(For more news like this, sign up for Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Cumming — or other neighborhoods. Access Patch on the go with our iPhone app or our brand new app for Android phone users.)

TIPS ON HOW TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO YOU:

- Always meet with the person listing the property and get all of their information/ credentials to include business card and vehicle tag numbers if you feel something does not look or feel right.
- Check the telephone numbers through Google that are listed on these false ads. They are usually VIOP phones and IP addresses and many times they will pop up as a scam, already be documented.
- Most places do not want gift cards and money orders as initial payments sent to another state. If this is the case please do a little more research and verify the person/ company is legit.
- Run the house address through Google or the Forsyth County Tax Accessors Office through the website. You will get the true owner's name or bank that owns the property. Then contact them directly for rental terms.
Victims are losing thousands of dollars with this scam and there is little to no way of tracing the suspects due to the VOIP contact information. Potential renters need to gather more information on the property and landlords/ agents prior to sending any money.

Graphic courtesy Forsyth County Sheriff's Office