Scammers are preying on Eaton Fire victims looking for rental homes near the fire zone in Pasadena.
Doug Huberman owns Lexington Property Management in Arcadia. He was shocked to find out that one of the homes the company owns – which is occupied by a long-term renter – was listed for rent on multiple websites including Zillow, Rent.com, Apartments.com, and Realtor.com.
“I got a call this morning from the tenant asking what's going on,” Huberman told KNX News’ Emily Valdez. “Dozens of people are driving by, stopping, taking pictures of the house. A couple of them have gone into the backyard, and one even knocked on the door and asked when they're moving out because they want to rent the place.”
The listings look legit, with photos of the house and an enticing price listed at below market value. Huberman said the scammers will convince hopeful tenants to electronically transfer the money for the first month’s rent and deposit, then they’ll disappear.
“What particularly concerned me about the call from my tenant is this house is less than two miles away from the fire zone,” he said.
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The listing was taken off Zillow, but as of Sunday evening it remained on several other sites. If you’ve been target in a rental scam, report it to the police and the California Attorney General.
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