Fake rental and subleasing ads are circulating
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – “I think that it is crazy that people are out here scamming all these college students for their apartments,” said Alfonso Molina Jr., MSU student.
Mississippi State University student Alfonso Molina is stunned after learning about a new apartment scam circulating right before classes start.
Detective Sergeant Robert Eguires told WCBI, the Starkville Police Department has received multiple reports of people being scammed by fake rental and sublease ads.
“It is mostly individuals who are actively seeking housing,” said Eguires. “Through that, we have gotten reports that those individuals have been at a loss monetarily as a result of these fake ads being posted.”
Here is how the scam works.
A scammer creates a Facebook profile and posts an advertisement for an available sublease and demands money up front.
When someone shows interest, the scammer told them to visit a local business or deposit cash into an internet bank account, often scamming college students out of hundreds of dollars.
“It kind of scares me a little bit,” said Molina. “I have seen multiple sublease posts, and I have never thought of them being scams or anything because they always seem pretty legit to me, so it is pretty frightening as a college student to see that.”
Molina already has an apartment in Starkville, but he said this will make him think twice about his next move.
“All of that makes me want to double check and make sure I am not getting scammed or anything,” said Molina. “And make sure that everything is legit and reasonable.”
When shopping for your next apartment online, Eguires said there are things to look for to make sure the offer is legit.
“Look for demands of money before they see the property,” said Eguires. “They need to vet these accounts that are posting these ads. If they have a limited number of pictures and of their profiles only exist for a short period of time.”
If you feel like you have been a victim of this scam or any type of other one, you are encouraged to reach out to your local law enforcement agency.
