Greenfield Police Warn Residents Of Rental Scam

GREENFIELD, WI—The Greenfield Police Department is urging renters to be mindful of scams involving rent payment.

According to the department, one of its officers recently took a report of a rental scam in the city. As part of the scam, police said this supposed “landlord” would only communicate through email and requested that the renter pay their security deposit with gift cards.

Luckily, police said the potential renter recognized the signs that this was a scam and was not out any money.

According to police, here are a few red flags to watch out for:

• The "landlord" doesn't want to meet in person! A legitimate landlord will make sure they meet you in person.
• They want you to move in immediately without seeing the property! You should absolutely see the property BEFORE you rent.
• They ask you to mail/wire money or use gift cards to pay for a deposit! Scammers will ask for money UPFRONT. You should NEVER pay the landlord any money until you are signing the lease.