For prospective home renters, there is a scam that's been growing across the country, including in North Texas.
Early last month, Sarah Pruitt rented a three-bedroom home in Marine Creek Hills in northwest Fort Worth.
Pruitt is married with a two-year-old child, with another child on the way.
Last week, the company that owns and manages the home, Progress Residential, told Pruitt that she and her family had to leave.
"They had stated that the house was supposed to be vacant, and I explained the situation," Pruitt tells KRLD. "I showed them the lease I had; and they basically were like, 'Oh, we're not going to let you even stay here.'"
That's because the person she signed the lease with doesn't own or manage the house.
It's a scam that has gained popularity in recent years, especially during the pandemic.
"With this current low-inventory market, we're seeing more and more of these scams involving rentals and sales," says Marvin Jolly, chairman of Texas REALTORS®.
While the scam mainly targets seniors, victims include people from all socio-economic backgrounds, including young families like Pruitt's.
Here's how the scam typically works: The scammer will download photos from a legitimate rental listing, crop the logo of the management company off those photos, and repost them with a phony listing on a website like Facebook Marketplace, which is where Pruitt saw the listing for the home she thought she had leased.
The monthly rent on the phony listing will often be for much less than what the home would typically rent for.
"We've seen this scam typically targeted, where the property would normally rent for $2000-$3,000 a month," says Jolly," and it's being offered at something unreasonably low like $700 a month."
That's just one of many red flags that Jolly says you should look out for.
Jolly says another is "a landlord or manager who wants money sent via electronic means and is not available to meet face to face, in person."
Pruitt says the man who leased her the home goes by the name of “Melvin Kaysher,” but KRLD could not locate a man who goes by that name.
She says she paid the man $2400 via CashApp, and he had a locksmith remove the lockbox from the front door -- both red flags.
Only the real estate agent or leasing agent is authorized to remove a lockbox from a front door.
Jolly says when looking for a rental home, always do your due diligence and research the property thoroughly.
"That includes comparing the ownership record of the tax rolls with the person who seems to be the owner or the representative of the owner," Jolly says.
Property ownership is public record, and it's readily available on the county appraisal district's website.
As for Pruitt, she says she and her family are in the process of moving out; but since the scammer took all of her money, she has no place to go to.
"We gave all the money we had to the guy that was pretending to be the landlord," Pruitt says.
Discover more money content on Audacy
—5 easy tips that will help you save money on gas
—Worried about gas prices? Here are 4 mobile apps to help you cut costs on fuel
—Budgeting tips to save money easily in 2021
—Tipping etiquette: How much to tip in every situation
—7 tips to become a millionaire, according to experts
—Do you have student loans? Here's how you could benefit from the new stimulus bill
—Celebs' first gigs: 11 surprising jobs stars had before fame
—The 10 most successful products on 'Shark Tank'
—How would a $15 minimum wage affect the economy?
—The 10 most affordable states, ranked by cost of living
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram