09/06/2022
Not-at-all-happy information to share:
There are scammers posting house rentals in Facebook Marketplace who are not only stealing thousands of dollars from people just wishing to lease a home, but they are using my office as a front for their scams.
How are they using me, you ask? By downloading a picture of me from a long ago post I had made, then sending that picture to the potential targets, misrepresenting that *I* am the attorney assisting the property owner(s) to therefore make the transaction appear more "authentic". I have seen some of these posts, and while I am mildly insulted by the poor syntax the fake *me* is using while conversing with their victims, I feel awful for the innocent renters just trying to find a place to stay.
Usually by the time the victims realize that the fake *me* cannot possibly be a real attorney and they contact my office for verification, it comes after they have given the scammers large rental deposits. These properties have been listed all over the east coast and California.
We have contacted the local authorities, the FBI and the FTC, so far to no avail. We have been unable to capture screen grabs of these real estate postings because by the time the victims have realized they are being scammed, the scammers have removed the posts.
So: if you are looking for rentals using Facebook, do your diligence FIRST. If the landlord is demanding to be paid immediately and/or in cash, BEWARE.
