Are you a senior looking for a place to rent? It can be dicey for anyone at any age especially if you’re looking online. Rental scams are all over the Internet and if you don’t watch out, you can lose a chunk of your retirement income.
I was looking for an apartment to rent in Los Angeles, which is #8 on the list of the most expensive cities to live in according to Bloomberg in 2023. New York City is number 1.
I had to be careful and find something that was not only affordable but safe. Most of the places that I could almost afford were in shady neighborhoods and pretty shabby.
Rental frauds are running rampant
These days, there are plenty of online sites to find rentals like Apartments.com, Rent.com, Hotpads.com, and others. There are also sites that cater to older people such as SeniorLiving.com, After55.com, and Silvernest. Even still, you might click on an ad that is a rental scam in disguise.
Read this guide to keep from getting duped.
How I almost got screwed
A man named Michael A emailed me with an offer for a “Chic $1,000 bachelor apartment in Studio City.” He said he owned it and the photos he attached made it look gorgeous. Studio City was an ideal location for me so my interest was piqued.
Most studio apartments in Studio City start at $2000 but some are much more expensive. Michael claimed that he was being transferred to the UK and needed a responsible person to rent his place. He also said he had no problem with dogs. At the time, I had 2 small pooches. If I wanted to, I could use his furniture or he would put his stuff in storage.
I replied that I’d love to see it because it was only 10 minutes from where I was living. He wrote back to say that he wouldn’t be able to show it to me because he was already in the UK but wanted to be completely transparent about the process.
He was going to rent his place using an app called FLIPKEY, which is a short-term rental service similar to Airbnb. They’re owned by TripAdvisor, which is a reputable company and is known for doing short-term vacation rentals. He said they were getting into long-term rentals as well. Then he sent me detailed instructions on how to complete the transaction and even attached a copy of his passport.
The catch was, he needed my information and a rental contract (that I was supposed to write up myself) so that FLIPKEY could send me instructions on how to complete the transaction. Once that was sent, I had to deposit the first and last month’s deposit of $2,000 into an escrow account and send it to the FLIPKEY representative listed on the instructions before I could even take a look at the apartment. If I decided I didn’t like it, my money would be returned.
That, in itself, was fishy as hell.
The precise way he worded his emails made it sound legitimate and even though FLIPKEY is a legitimate company, alarm bells started going off in my head.
I went online to do some research, and low and behold, I found a post on a site called ScamWarners.com with almost the identical emails, that Michael A sent me, except that they came from Michael J.
However this guy is, he’s a fake and probably isn’t even named Michael.
After that, I saw more studio apartments listed on online rental sites that were renting for $1,000 with beautiful photos attached. They were all part of the same or a similar rental scam.
Keep your eyes open for con artists
The purpose of this post is to warn others about rental scams like this one. Did Michael A. think I just got off the boat? Sorry, clown, I’m more street-smart than that and because I have a blog, you are outed.
Have you been a victim of rental scams? Please leave a comment below and share this with anyone you know who is planning to rent.
I haven’t been scammed in a rental scheme but then again, I’ve been fortunate enough in owning my own house for over 30 years. Senior rentals here, the better ones anyway, have a four plus year waiting list – I found this out trying to find housing for my late mother inlaw. I spent some time looking over those emails and pictures – a lot of it was really convincing. I hope your outing stops this man, but there are so many others to take their place.
A couple senior waiting lists I called had 7 years in waiting, Alana. Can you imagine? Oh well, at least they’re available to the few who get lucky.
Wow, wow and wow. Well, anyone who asks for your money before you even see something is absolutel y a scam artist. Glad you didn’t fall for it.
Thanks, Carol. Me too! But someone who is vulnerable could so that’s why I wanted to bring it to the forefront.
Rebecca,
Thank you so much! I recently received emails from “Michael A.” but mine was for a gorgeous studio apartment in Anaheim, CA. When he sent me the phone number I put it in Google and your blog immediately popped up! It’s disgusting that this person will take advantage of people. (I told him I was a young single mother of a 3 year-old boy) and they’ll still persist with the scam! Hopefully the other potential victims are smart enough to do the same. I knew it was too good to be true, thank you!
Oh Wow! Thanks for letting me know Tess. I’m glad I was able to help bring that clown to light and hope he gets caught. So happy you weren’t taken advantage of.
How to recognize a scammer on dating sites?
Firstly, always check your contact information. If your new friend is not registered anywhere, except for a dating site, then he may not be who he claims to be, or is hiding something. On the Internet, there are specialized forums and sites where you can find information about marriage scams and their schemes, which they use to deceive. Check to see if your new friend is on these lists.
Secondly, always ask your interlocutor questions, do not rely only on the information that was found in his profile on a dating site. Pay attention to how you answer questions and whether they answer at all: usually, scammers use template messages with sensual declarations of love, ignoring all the questions.
Thirdly, pay attention to the photos. Ask a new friend to send fresh pictures in a personal message. You can look for his photo in Google search. Try calling him to see his real face.
Fourth, never give out personal information: it is enough for the fraudster to know your full name and phone number to crank out a scam. In no case do not disclose your registration address and place of residence, address and place of work, numbers of identification documents. Also, do not send candid photos, even if you have been chatting with this person for a long time. He will use these photos for blackmail purposes.
Fifth, stop communicating with someone who asks for money – in any form, for anything. Do not transfer funds to new acquaintances, even if they convince you that their life depends on it.
Thanks, Alex. Although this post was about rental scams it’s always good to be careful when dating as well. I haven’t tried online dating yet but when I do I will take your advice.