How not to get scammed by a fake landlord

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The recent story of people getting scammed by a man renting foreclosed homes on Craigslist is a good warning for anyone looking to rent a home. Here are some useful tips for renters.

It's a sign of the times when you have to advise a renter to check out the landlord before they turn over any money, but unfortunately that's the reality. So, how do you check out a landlord?

For that we want to Keller William realtor Michael Temby out of Brentwood. He suggests doing a title search to make sure the person renting really has the right to rent to you. Temby thinks any licensed realtor should be willing to do that for you for free.

You'll also want to make sure the property you're renting is not in foreclosure. Again, a licensed realtor can find that out for you. This is good advice, because almost any of us can be a victim. It even almost happened to KGO 810 AM morning news anchor Jennifer Jones.

"We looked on Craigslist, we found this great house. I thought though in the beginning it was a little too good to be true because it was listed at under $1,500; fabulous house, pool, the whole nine yards, but I thought, it's right down the street, I've got to go check it out," she said.

Jones did her due diligence and checked out her potential landlord before signing on the dotted line. Good thing, too, because she found out it was a scam and did not sign.

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foreclosures, scam, 7 on your side, michael finney

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