CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The Cape Coral Police Department says they have been receiving several reports of rental scams from online sites such as Facebook Marketplace.
Advertisements have been found on Facebook Marketplace.
Having lease makes the agreement look professional and legitimate, but the victim was scammed out of their vacation funds.
CCPD is providing some tips to protect yourself against possible fraud:
- Only rent from property management companies you have researched and contact them directly with inquiries.
- If the owner of the property is attempting to rent their property, verify that this person is indeed the actual owner of the property and ask for identification. Property owner information can be found at https://leepa.org/ .
- Do an internet search of the address that is advertised. Many times, empty houses that are currently listed for sale are targeted for rental scams because they are vacant. When you search the address, check to see if any current real estate listings are active for that address. If unsure, reach out to the real estate company last listed.
CCPD says never rent from a person who is "representing" the owner of the property.
Be very cautious about individuals that refuse to meet you and want to do all the transactions online.
