How to Spot and Avoid Craigslist And Classifieds Scams

There are nefarious and shady things that can happen when you advertise your rental property online. Of course there are really only two ways to advertise these days; with a sign in front of your property or online. Obviously, advertising online is going to give you a larger return on your investment.

Here is what’s happening: third parties are taking your ad and changing it so the contact info is their contact info, asking tenants to pay them a deposit and then promising send keys to the property in the mail. You and I would probably not fall for something like that, but a lot of people are in fact taking that bait. It costs you a prospective tenant because you aren’t the one getting the deposit.

The best way to avoid these scams is by putting watermarks on your photos. That way, a third party or a scam artist cannot take your photos and use them for their own advertising. At Advanced Solutions Property Management, we have a watermark with our website splashed across the middle of our photos. It’s not so dark that you can’t see the picture, but it will deter anyone from stealing our photos and using our properties to lure people into sending them money.

There is not much else you can do to avoid these scams. It’s important to know that they are out there and to protect yourself against these scams that are allowing dishonest people to collect deposits from people who think they are renting your property.

If you have any questions about these scams, or need help in protecting yourself and your property, please contact us at Advanced Solutions Property Management, and we will do whatever we can to help you out.