FORT BRAGG >> The Fort Bragg Police Department is advising coastal residents to be wary of fraudulent online ads for home rentals being posted that are not legitimate.
The FPBD reported receiving several calls recently from local residents claiming to have being targeted by an online scam involving listings for rental homes on sites such as Craig’s List.
According to the FBPD, the suspects in the scam collected information about homes for sale posted online, then fraudulently posted the homes as rentals. When the victims contact the suspects about an offered rental, the suspects then claimed to be owners who live out of the area and request an initial deposit for the home be wired to them. The suspects also attempted to collect more money from the victims, such as first month’s rent and pet deposits.
The FBPD notes that “scams of this nature are difficult to investigate and nearly impossible to prosecute since the suspects operate almost entirely outside of the United States,” and advises residents to use caution when “conducting any private online transactions, (because) the suspects in these crimes are growing increasingly sophisticated and are constantly changing their tactics.”
