- By Dennis Mogil
- Around Town
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The Ithaca Board of REALTORS® reminds the public to beware of scam artists, particularly on Craigslist. Scam artists are aggressively searching through public records to better disguise themselves as property owners or rental agents. This is not unique to Ithaca; these scams take place all over the country. Criminals steal pictures of properties from legitimate real estate websites and then list them 'For Rent'. Then when a consumer calls about the listing, he or she is asked for personal information such as social security numbers and credit card information.
Protect yourself by being cautious. Make sure that property managers have a valid property management license, and do not provide personal information over the phone. Insist on seeing the property and obtaining a copy of the lease before releasing any money or any personal information. If the rent or deposit seems too low, then that should be a "red flag".
Search on IthacaRealtors.com to see if a property is listed for sale. If it is listed for sale, then it is likely not for rent. Contact a REALTOR® to see if it is actually for rent.
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