It's every renter's worst nightmare, forking over thousands for an apartment, then discovering your broker is a con artist--and your money's vamoosed. That's allegedly what happened to 10 women in January, who collectively gave some $22,000 to a man whom police say posed as a broker on Craigslist, DNAinfo reports.
- You're asked to wire funds or give cash. Legit brokers ask for certified checks.
- Your broker's engaging in high-pressure sales tactics.
- The landlord or broker seems too casual. If the landlord doesn't seem to care about giving you a lease, getting your security deposit or checking your credit, something is likely amiss.
- The apartment istoo good to be true(price, quality, size) for the money. There are no major steals in NYC real estate.
You can protect yourself by:
- Never renting or subletting a place sight unseen.
- Never handing over money without getting and trying the keys first (though this is not foolproof).
- If subletting, ask to see the lease and confirm that the name matches the sublettor's ID. However, this won't pick up someonewho might be on the verge of eviction for overdue payments.
- Googling all names and addresses involved: check for complaints by other people who've been scammed by the same person or anything suspicious.
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