Austin (KXAN) reports that rental scams are on the rise in Austin, TX. Michelle Deloach is a victim of one of these rental scams. She states,

“We were so excited. It came with a dog door, a guest house and everything… Things in Austin go like that, so we thought, ‘We love this house, let’s jump on it.’ We sent over the deposit and the dog deposit and first months rent. It all added up to be $5,200.”

It seemed like a wonderful opportunity for Deloach, but when she went to go move in, the property owner never met her to give her a key and never responded to her calls and messages.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also says that these scams are happening more frequently, especially in booming cities like Austin.

Tips to avoid scams:

  • If it’s too good to be true, it may be a scam.
  • Don’t wire funds to anyone you’ve never met.
  • Don’t accept any wire funds that you did not initiate.