In the US, revealed a new fraud in rental housing through Craigslist

Фото: Depositphotos

Scammers in the United States have developed a new scam, which they use to defraud money from potential tenants using Craigslist.

The essence of the new fraud и ways to protect against it described the publication USA Today.

The Federal Trade Commission checked the rental listings on Craigslist and found out that about 146 thousands of them were fake (the landlord either did not exist at all and the house described in the announcement was not rented, or the housing data was copied from someone else’s ad from another city ).

After a potential tenant applied through a fake ad, he was told that the owner wanted him to have his credit rating checked before inspecting the property. Such a request is a common occurrence in the United States, so many agreed without suspecting a catch.

Customers were sent to the Credit Bureau Center, where they had to pass a credit rating check. By signing the approval for the review, they also agreed to pay a monthly fee of $ 30 to monitor their rating, if they did not cancel this service during the week. Most of the signatories did not even know about this condition, since it was written in small print and no one informed them about it. Subsequently, the fake landlord refused the deal and continued to withdraw money from the victims ’accounts. Thus, fraudsters deceived several thousand people in the US 35 states, earning at least $ 6,8 million.

The Federal Trade Commission has stopped this scam, but such fraud schemes can be repeated.

To protect yourself from such situations, you must follow a few rules.

Check out the procedures for the rental process

A landlord can check your credit score, but only after you've inspected the house or apartment you're offering for rent and filled out a rental application for that property. This application must contain a clause stating your consent to check your credit rating - without it, no one has the right to carry out such operations.

If the verification is carried out through a “hard request”, then be prepared for the fact that you will lose several rating points due to this request. It's also best to know your credit score before you apply—most landlords set a minimum acceptable score for potential landlords. Knowing your rating and understanding that you're not initially eligible if it's below the minimum will help you avoid wasting time and money applying for a rental.

Tricks of a free credit check

Often, checking a credit rating, which is called free, includes a subscription to a permanent service, for which you have to pay all the time, if you do not refuse it within a short period of time after signing verification documents. As soon as you are asked to provide your credit card number in the testing company, you should re-read all the terms and conditions of the contract, including the fine print, since such a request most often entails the provision of paid services that you do not need.

Really free rating check available on site. NerdWalletSome banks also send this data with a monthly report on the movement of funds on a credit card.

How to avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters

Think twice before sharing your personal information with someone. To check the credit rating of the relevant company does not need your social security number, and if the check is free, the company should not require your credit card number.

If you suspect a fraud or become a victim of it, report it to the FTC. This can be done by link.

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