Be aware of rental and internet scams

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Scams continue on the internet for a plethora of things, like sales of household items, vehicles to home rentals, both vacation homes and full-time rentals.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) reported on Monday that they were made aware of at least two new reports of fraud/scams regarding rental properties.

The scam starts as a craigslist.com post advertising a rental property and requests deposits to hold or rent the property advertised. There is also an attempt to gain personal information. The property in these two reported scams were owner-occupied and not for rent. When the victims went to the residence to inquire about seeing the property, they were informed it was not for rent.

There was a series of vacation home rental advertisements in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County that were false, also on Craigslist. The scammer posts photos from real vacation rentals, with real home information, sometimes including the accurate license number. The problem is, that the victim clicks on the ad and it takes them to the fake rental agency that takes the money. The victim then arrives at the home they think they're spending their vacation at, only to find they've been scammed.

These crimes are very difficult to solve as the person listing the ad is usually not in the area, and perhaps not in the country.

On Facebook, users see a "marketplace" item they wish to purchase, or have items listed for sale. They think they are communicating with the owner of the items who asks for a deposit to hold, or the seller who is eager to purchase.

There is no completely foolproof way to identify a scam, but you can reduce the risk by thinking carefully about each listing.

For marketplace, did you receive a message moments after posting it? Is the buyer willing to pay far more than was asked? Are they asking you to ship it abroad? All of these are red flags to be aware of. There is some good information on Facebook scams HERE.

DCSO asks the public to please be aware of these types of rental scams and do your best to check the validity of the person or property being advertised. If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, please contact them at 775-782-5126 to file a report.

The FBI has information on internet scams (https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/on-the-internet) as well as the Federal Trade Commission (https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection).