Potential home renters need to be aware of a scam created to bilk you of money and / or to steal your identity. According to a local real estate agent, the scam has appeared on at least two websites, craigslist and hotpads.com.

The advertisement will be for a home, to include a photograph. Once you respond to the ad, you will receive an email response from someone who claims they must rent the house out as they are out of the country – usually doing ministry work. The “home owner” will send you an application, asking for personal information. In this response, they explain they have the keys and paperwork but can send it to you immediately upon receipt of your deposit. Of course, you will end up losing the “deposit,” and your information is now in the hands of a con artist.

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Amanda Bell of At Home Realty is familiar with the swindle. Amanda Bell is not only a successful real estate agent; her family has resided in the Nashville area for generations. Bell learned of the scam, she explains, “I have received several phone calls on my foreclosure properties, especially in Clarksville, where people say they have seen it listed for rent.” Upon investigation, Bell discovered a fake ad with an actual picture of a home she had listed. The thieves remove photographs from realtracs.com and use the pictures. The scam is not just in the Nashville area; “they are all over,” Amanda Bell explains.

Amanda Bell suggests, “Make sure the home is not listed on the market for sale. That is how a lot of scammers advertise is by using the same photos that are on realtracs. Never send money first and always check the tax records to see who rightfully owns the property.” You can also look for key phrases and information. This writer located three such scams on craigslist.com and the “landlord’s” responses shared the same phrases:

-Pls i want you to note that i spent a lot on my property that i want to give to you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house (Sic)

-Want you to treat the house as your own

-It is not the money that is the main problem but i want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up. (Sic)

-Await your urgent reply (and deposit) so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys to you (Sic)

-please do not let us down in this our property and God bless you more as you do this

Note the language is a rough translation. Rent will be low, but not too low. For example, the above house, from which these phrases were taken, rented for $550 a month, including all utilities, with a $500 deposit. All scams found by this writer rented between $500-700 a month and the deposit was the same amount.

One rental application also included the following questions:

Do you run a business from home?

If so what kind of business?

Do you work late night?

“This would be an attempt to collect personal information with the possibility of identity theft and the opportunity to make money if they ask for money upfront” Amanda Bell warns.

If you find such a scam, turn it over to the hosting website, and authorities, immediately. If you have already given your personal information, notify law enforcement immediately.

5 States Where ID Theft Is Booming (And The Surprising Reasons Why)

As people flock to states like Florida and Texas for a warmer climate, someone they would rather not see is following them.

Of the top five states among reported identity thefts, all are in the southernmost regions of the country.

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At the bottom of the list? North and South Dakota.

But don’t blame the sunny skies. You might be surprised to learn what is really contributing to an identity theft problem that affects as many as 9 million Americans a year.

The majority of identity theft cases occur when thieves steal private personal data from a victim’s computer, lift it from an unsecured WiFi network or online transaction, or hack the victim with viruses and other malicious software delivered through email phishing attacks, said Kevin Yu, vice president of operations at Scambook, an online complaint resolution platform.

Some states are particularly prone to these activities. Florida has the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints, followed by Georgia, California, Arizona and Texas, according to a survey by Consumer Sentinel Network.

[InvestingAnswers Feature: 17 Shocking Facts About Identity Theft And Fraud In America]

The most commonly reported form of identity theft in these five states was government documents/benefits fraud, followed by employment-related and credit-card fraud. All of these states are densely populated, while states with low populations such as Montana, Maine, South Dakota and North Dakota ranked lowest on the list.

The question remains: Why do identity thieves target those southern states? Here are three explanations.

1. Reporting For Duty.

Members of the military are often targets for identity theft because they conduct their financial business online while overseas. They also tend to be slower to notice unauthorized credit card charges or suspicious activity because of extended training or deployment. Texas, California, Georgia and Florida are among the top states in the country with active duty military populations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

2. Laid-Back Snow Birds.

Florida has the highest population of adults older than 65, a demographic that is easy prey for cyber criminals because the elderly are less familiar with Internet and mobile technology. Senior citizens who are unaware of their personal security fall victim to scammers who file for false tax refunds in their name or obtain new lines of credit.

More than 17,500 identity theft complaints were reported in 2011 by residents in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach metropolitan statistical area.

3. Illegal Issues.

In other regions, border states attract a higher immigrant population, which includes its share of illegal immigrants. To work in this country, you need a Social Security number, so many turn to the black market.

“If you’re an illegal immigrant, that Social Security number is a dollar sign to you,” said Robert Siciliano, an identity theft expert and CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com.

Organized criminals earn millions of dollars by counterfeiting fake identification and selling them. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there willing to steal those numbers from their employers or hack databases to make a buck.

[InvestingAnswers Feature: 5 Secrets to Scare Away Identity Thieves]

Possibly most troubling is that people can legally access Social Security numbers through the Social Security Administration Death Master File, which contains information on more than 80 million deceased individuals with U.S. Social Security numbers. Shockingly, the index is public information. Siciliano said laws are being proposed to prevent that information from staying in the public realm.

Regardless of where you live, you can take steps to avoid becoming an identity theft victim.

Siciliano recommends a credit freeze: A new account can’t be opened in your name unless you unlock the freeze. Protect your computer data by choosing strong passwords and installing anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing and firewall protections. Pay close attention to credit card statements and immediately report unauthorized activity. Or consider purchasing credit theft protection insurance, which runs $100 to $150 a year.

The good news is we don’t all have to move to North Dakota to protect ourselves.

The Investing Answer: Keep tabs on your credit report to spot suspicious activities like new accounts that you didn’t open. Watch those credit card statements for unauthorized charges and avoid giving out your Social Security number whenever possible.

WINTER PARK —

The search for an identity thief in Orange County has taken a strange turn.

Winter Park police say it turns out the woman they were looking for is actually a man.

Police began looking for a woman Friday who stole a credit card, social security card and driver’s license from a resident’s purse at the Winter Park Towers facility.

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Police released pictures of the suspect and another man spotted at a Target where the credit card was used.

Police now say the woman dressed up as a nurse is actually 29-year-old Meko Hartfield.

Investigators say he was the one who committed the crime and a similar one in Oviedo.

If you have any information, you’re asked to call CrimeLine at 1-800-423-TIPS.