Fort Collins Police Warn Of Rental Scams

Police in Fort Collins are warning people to watch out for rental scams. That's according to a post on the Fort Collins Police Services Facebook page.

According to the post, scammers often use popular online forums, posting phony listings for rental properties.

They will post photos and other information to make it look like they offer attractive rentals, often at bargain prices. They may claim to be landlords or property managers and demand payment upfront.

When the prospective renter goes to move in, the scammer is nowhere to be found, the money is gone with them and the rental unit is not available for rent if it ever existed.

The agency offered several tips to prospective renters. They include:

-meeting the landlord or property manager in person and seeing the prospective rental.

-never wire money, use cash apps, or provide personal information without verifying the authenticity of the rental listing and the landlord. If possible use more secure payment methods, like checks or credit cards. If you wire someone cash it is usually impossible to cancel the payment and tracking down a con artist is much more difficult.

-absentee landlords/property managers and deals that are too good to be true are often red flags.

-research the property.

-as with all scams, people applying high-pressure tactics to seal the deal are to be avoided.

-if something feels odd or doesn't make sense, trust your instincts.