The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, the local trade association representing more than 4,000 realtors and affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, has received reports of a scam by individuals in Santa Clara County who pose as landlords and misrepresent vacant properties.
Using various websites, the scam artists advertise a home for rent when the property is actually for sale. Prospective tenants who call the phone number provided in the false rental advertisement are directed to provide an application fee and deposit immediately if they want to lease the unit.
When prospective tenants contacted the actual listing agent to gain access to view the property, they discovered the misrepresentation and notified law enforcement authorities of the attempted fraud.
“It is tragic that people continue to prey on consumers who are in need of a place to rent,” SILVAR President Suzanne Yost said. “We are asking consumers to always verify the owner of the property you intend to rent and heed guidance issued by the California Department of Real Estate.”
The state Department of Real Estate last year issued a warning about “imposter landlords” and provides the following guidance to protect consumers from this type of swindle.
• Ask anyone offering a house for rent to provide proof that he or she owns the house and to show government-issued picture identification. Scrutinize the proof of ownership, as well as the identifications, because there is an additional risk of false identifications.
• If you think you are dealing with an owner’s/landlord’s representative, check with the Department of Real Estate to confirm that the representative or agent is licensed. A real estate license is required, with some narrow exceptions, for a person to offer a house for rent as an agent of the owner. Check the license records at www.dre.ca.gov.
If you already inhabit the property, check with the County Recorder’s office to verify the property’s owner of record. If the house has been foreclosed on, contact the new owner and verify with the current owner the person to whom you should forward rental payments.
If you suspect you have dealt with a rental scammer or have been defrauded in connection with a rental, call the Department of Real Estate at (510) 622-2552.
For more information, call (408) 200-0109 or email Rose Meilly at
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