South Hadley police warn of rise in rental fraud

SOUTH HADLEY – South Hadley police are warning residents about a wave of rental scams sweeping the state, both large cities and small communities.

Fraudsters pose as real estate agents or owners and create fake advertisements for properties that do not exist or are not even available for rent.

According to authorities, these scammers often ask prospective renters to wire money or send cryptocurrencies to cover application fees, security deposits or the first month’s rent before victims have even viewed the property.

In addition to financial losses, victims also face the risk of identity theft if they disclose personal information to scammers.

The fraudulent ads were found on various platforms, with Facebook being the site most commonly used to target individuals.

Craigslist and Apartments.com have also been used for such scams, although less frequently.

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat have been identified as tools for spreading these fake entries.

Residents who encounter or fall victim to these rental scams are encouraged to report their experiences to the Federal Trade Commission at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ and the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov/.