A scam is popping up that’s targeting homeowners and home buyers. Millions of houses are listed on the Internet for sale and for rent…but did you know some of them aren’t supposed to be on the market?
Margaret Spratt and her husband had no idea their restored historic Georgetown home was for rent!
“I was quite surprised because our house is not for rent, we put it up for sale on Monday, but other than that. It was very odd,” Spratt told LEX18.
http://liarcatchers.com/fraud_investigation.html
The home is listed for $335,000 to buy. But, according to the listing: on www.trulia.com you can rent the 3 bedroom home for $700 a month. Her husband’s name was on the add, but when LEX18 called the number they on the ad: her husband’s name. but when we called the number…we received a Google Voice recording.
LEX18 was tipped off by Chris Powell, who inquired about renting the house.
“I got an email back claiming to be the owner of the property saying they were a doctor and moving to west Africa for a 2-5 year stint,” Powell says. “Toward the end they started to ask questions about how much money are you willing to pay upfront, so that’s when i knew something was up.”
Margaret and her husband aren’t sure what can be done. But, it serves as a strong warning…if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
