McHenry County Sheriff: Beware of Rental Property Scams

Renters should be aware of possible scams where they may end up renting a home that isn’t on the market, the McHenry County Sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office has identified a trend of rental property scams where individuals market a house for rent that is not theirs but collect a deposit from potential renters, according to a release.

This scam begins with an advertisement for rental property listed on the Internet through a site similar to “Craigslist,” the sheriff’s office said. The rental rate appears to be a good deal that requires one month’s rent and sometime a security deposit.

The interested “rentee” tries to meet the alleged “property owner”, often with negative results. Usually excuses are provided to the “rentee” as to why the two parties cannot meet them to tour the property, the sheriff’s office stated.

Anyone looking to rent a property should be aware of the following:

• Person posting a home for rent lives out of state or country.
• Multiple excuses are given as to why the alleged property owner is unable to meet you in person.
• Rentee is asked to wire the money to renter, even before seeing the property.
• Free email account addresses may be used. Some examples are: @gmail, @hotmail, @yahoo
• The rent deal appears “too good to be true.”
• The property you are looking at is still occupied.
• The property was not listed through a realtor or management agency.

Rentalscams.org has more information on spotting scams.

McHenry County Sheriff Undersheriff Andrew Zinke reminds citizens to protect themselves by diligently researching rental property before committing any money towards a rental agreement. If you become a victim, report the incident.