A woman from Middletown, Connecticut fell victim to an Internet scam on Trulia’s (TRLA) real estate website after sending $500 to a person she thought was the owner of the rental home, a Trove article explained.
Lisa Garcia, who is a mother of three, had been sifting through ads on the real estate website Trulia for weeks until she found the perfect listing. A rental house that was larger than hers with utilities for less money than she was paying.
Garcia explained in the article was she was not able to look at the house beforehand, but the “owner” asked for a $500 deposit right away. She also risked another $320 to pay for financial documents to be sent that would close the deal.
While Middletown said this is a unique complaint for its department, Danbury police have had several similar reports. They said it appears that scammers are hijacking the links of certain ads and altering the information.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection released the following tips:
- Never pay in advance of a rental.
- Never rent a property you haven't toured.
- Do not wire money to people you don't know.
Click the link to the article for more tips from Trulia.
