Kennewick Police Warn That Rental Scams Are on the Rise
Every time you turn around there always seems to be a new scam going around and now Kennewick Police are seeing a rise in rental scams.
Kennewick Police says they are seeing a few scams associated with rental properties.
This is how the scam works according to KPD:
Scammers post ads online for rental properties that are currently lived in and not for rent. They often request payments through popular phone payment apps like Venmo or Paypal.
KPD is saying here how you can protect yourself from a possible rental scam:
If you are interested in a particular posted rental property, it's suggested you make contact with the person at the rental location and to not make any monetary transactions until the rental location is confirmed and a contract has been completed.
If it seems to be good to be true, it usually is. I know that rentals are getting harder and harder to come by at a reasonable price but if you aren't able to see the place and you are paying through Venmo or Paypal sight unseen, you are taking a big risk. Don't be a victim and stay vigilant against scammers. You can read more details about the rental scams here.