SCAM SEASON

Woman hoaxed into paying rent to fake real estate agent

People who are looking for an apartment under time pressure in a new area can be highly vulnerable to scammers, consumer advocates say — and the college move-in period every August and September is prime hunting time for frauds.

But once money has changed hands, the victims are often out of luck, and experts say the best defense is to avoid being scammed in the first place.

Paula Fleming of the Massachusetts Better Business Bureau said these scams are very common and there has been an uptick recently due to college students moving back into the city for the school year. She said scammers will frequently duplicate rental listings from

‘In a developing trend, young people are being scammed more than the elderly now due to their use of social media sites to find housing.’

other websites and post them for lower prices on Craigslist or Facebook.

The FBI, which regularly issues warnings about scams, maintains the Internet Crime Complaint Center and refers complaints to local law enforcement for possible investigation. Last year, there were nearly 10,000 victims of rental or real estate crimes reported across the country.

The BBB scam tracker, meanwhile, has logged six verified rental scam complaints in Massachusetts so far this year. But Fleming said she has not seen anyone get their money back.

She added that in a developing trend, young people are being scammed more than the elderly now due to their use of social media sites to find housing.

However, she said, “It’s very difficult for the BBB to find the person perpetrating the scam.”

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, people can report rental scams through a consumer advocacy hotline or online. The AG’s office urges victims to document everything, be cautious about giving out personal information and document any records, phone calls or paperwork.

City Hall encourages renters to avoid getting scammed by using its online “RentSmart” service. The database holds information about properties like the name of the owner and any outstanding violations, complaints or sanitation requests at the property.

When it comes to avoiding scams, Fleming says, “Education is key, know what to look out for.”