Avoid Rental Scams

ATLANTA - A woman moves into a Marietta home and after living there more than a week learns it is a scam.

Rosie Brown said she saw an ad on Craigslist for a rental company. Brown met with a woman she said posed as an employee for Progress Residential. The single mother of three said the fake realtor gave her a code to access keys to a home in Marietta.

"She had to have a copy of my ID, she had to have five references, she had to have proof of everything, income, she had to have everything like it was legitimate," said Brown. "Nothing about it made me feel uncomfortable."

The scammer met with Brown to sign a lease with the rental property company listed on top and gave her the keys to the house.  Brown said the woman emailed her a receipt after she paid the deposit of $1,500 and she moved into the home.

"It was very well planned," said Michael Teate, a broker at Realty Associates of Atlanta. He watched our report on the fake realtor and told FOX 5's Nathalie Pozo that in his 40 years in the business he has never seen anything like it. "Now with this scam that is out, I think we all need to be very careful," said Teate.

Teate said there are a few things you can do to avoid become a victim.  "If you find a property and they want you to pay money go to the real estate office to pay it that way you can see it is a real estate company and operating business," said Teate. The broker also said if you meet with an agent ask for their real estate pocket card and I.D. you can verify this by calling the Georgia Real Estate Commission or checking the name and/or license number on their website.  He also said to be weary of ads from companies that said "No Credit Check."

Brown said she is the fourth victim in just one month who has been scammed by someone posing as a Progress Residential employee.  Brown said while the rental company is working with her, another tenant is scheduled to move in Friday.