Minnesota Real Estate Company Warns Of New Facebook Scam
If you're in the market for a new home to buy or rent, you will want to be careful. While I am sure this isn't the first time this has happened, a specific scam has now hit Minnesota and it all revolves around real estate.
This scam is something I would fall for, as it looks pretty legitimate. It was shared by a real estate company called Home Sellers of Minnesota, Inc. They shared that one of their homes for sale was copied and pasted online as a rental instead by a scammer.
Scammers took the posting from this real estate company and put it online as a rental on Facebook Marketplace. Because there are so many homes and places to rent or buy on social media, it is likely that a post like this would blend right in and take awhile for any owner or renter to know it was one of theirs or a fake.
The scammers will ask for a deposit from someone interested in renting and ask for one early on so they can "reserve" it for a specific person or hold their place in line. While this specific post was found on Facebook Marketplace, the company says scammers also post these scams on Craigslist.
This goes without saying but do not ever give someone money unless you are positive that it is a legitimate person or organization. Not only that but online marketplaces, like Facebook Marketplace, can be a bit sketchy at times because you don't know who you are buying from or selling to. You can't be perfectly sure that something isn't a scam so as a rule of thumb, don't send anyone money unless you see something in person.
Below are a few screenshots the company shared from the original scam Facebook Marketplace post. Take a minute to look through so if you see another post like this, you can report it or at the very least, not fall for it.