Don’t fall for this scam using vacant properties to target renters and homebuyers, expert warns

Imagine handing over thousands of dollars, signing a lease for a home and moving all your belongings in — only to find out that you were scammed.

Steve DuBrueler, founder and CEO of Coldwell Banker Premier, said there has been a surge in scams involving vacant properties. Now in his 36th year in the business, DuBrueler wants to make the public aware. The Coldwell Banker affiliate, based in Winchester, operates an office in Virginia Beach.

“We’ve seen an uptick in this for vacant properties, both for sale and for rent,” he said. “It is a little bit alarming. They are getting more creative.”

The scammers conduct their con by acting as if they are the property owner, DuBrueler said. They typically express they are firing their real estate agency and plan to sell or lease the property on their own. They say they are going out to the property to remove the company’s for sale sign.

“They use photos from the internet to create an ad, typically on a social platform like Facebook,” DuBrueler explained.

And they routinely offer reduced rate rents that are somewhat unreasonable, he said.

The scammers either re-key the door or use an electronic code distributor to gain access to a house and then share it with the consumer. Often, they suggest that the consumer re-key the house themselves, but only after providing a deposit, first month’s rent and signing a — what turns out to be a fraudulent — lease.

“It’s a little concerning how effective they can be sometimes, especially for people who are desperate to find a place,” DuBrueler said. “These people are typically sending thousands of dollars to some random person.”

Sometimes, the scammers target vacant homes or estates pretending to be family members, he said. The majority of the scams are conducted via text messages although an initial phone call might be made, DuBrueler warned.

“It’s uber aggressive. Normally, we would get a couple of these a year, but this year, we’ve had three or four already,” he said.

When consumers tour properties on their own, Coldwell Banker Premier uses a two-step verification process requiring them to be within 10 feet of the property and present a driver’s license or another federal identification card to be scanned. This process helps prevent scammers from accessing the property to begin with, DuBrueler said.

He said working with a real estate professional in searching for a home decreases the likelihood of getting scammed considerably. And if you are compelled to do your house search alone, DuBrueler said to be sure to do your due diligence.

“If the rent or sales price seems overly attractive, go online and see if it shows somewhere else,” he said. “If that’s the case, that’s a big alarm that maybe somebody has mimicked this listing.”

It’s sad enough to be scammed out of money, but victims can be left without a home, DuBrueler said.

Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com