An Altadena man is warning people about rental scams on major websites in the Los Angeles area.
It was February when Doug Huberman found that one of his rental properties in Pasadena was listed for rent on Zillow, Truilia, and some other websites.
“We did a lot of work. We got some really good coverage, and got it shut down for the moment,” he told KNX News’ Emily Valdez. “Then all of a sudden, yesterday my tenant calls me and says there are people popping by and asking about the house and what they have to do to rent it.”
He shut it down quickly.
“I found an area where you can go to a listing and you can report it as fraudulent, and I did so, and it's been removed,” he said.
Huberman said the online rental services are not vetting their listings, which is making them “a tool of the scammers.”
“They're exploiting people who've already had a tragedy,” he said. “Probably lost their home, lost everything they own. They're desperate to stay someplace where their kids can stay in the same schools… and they’re promising them false hope in the hopes that they can add insult to injury and steal money from people who've already been devastated.”
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He said one of the red flags people should look out for includes a property being listed below market value. He also says to never give any kind of down payment or pay anyone through a wire transfer or Zelle unless you've physically seen the property and have filled out all the paperwork.
KNX News 97.1 FM has reached out to Zillow for comment. We are waiting to hear back.
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