Scammers using fake listings to exploit renters, police say

PARSONS, Kan. — The Parsons Police Department is warning residents about a rental home scam that's now seen an increase.

"If it's too good to be true, it's too good to be true," said Mark Raney, Parsons Police Department community-oriented policing and problem-solving manager.

Parsons police say someone is targeting renters through Facebook Marketplace and different online realtor websites -- using pictures of old home listings.

"They perpetrate by identifying a house that that they can portray as their own and then produce a sense of urgency," said Raney.

The scammer is asking renters for different amounts of money to fill out an application with an $80 fee, and deposit and for rent around $600 on top of it. During an investigation, the Parsons Police Department found a number of communities across Southeast Kansas were also being scammed by the same posts.

"What they do is they take advantage of susceptible people. It's turning colder. People are moving. They need a place to stay. They're extremely susceptible to this type of a scam."

That's why the Parsons police and the Better Business Bureau are urging people of the red flags to look out for.

"Whether that is where you're looking to live long term or you're looking for something very vacation or holiday travel. It's important to do your research," said Pamela Hernandez, BBB Springfield regional director.

Hernandez says this includes researching if the home meets the market value and if the home photo you see is the first listing.

"You can do that on Google or you can use an app like Ten Eye to see if that image is showing up across multiple listings in different parts of the country."

Raney says if doesn't sound right-- you can also get a second opinion from the police and local offices to see if the information matches.

"I would always go to your municipal city hall and say, who are registered rental agents here in town," said Raney.

Checking reputable websites like the BBB Scam Tracker or the Federal Trade Commission for rental listing scams can help in the long run.

"That's why we want to make sure that our citizens are completely aware and don't fall prey to this scam," said Raney.