NWIA Alert: Check Your Listings For Rental Scams

Uh oh. Once again, we’re seeing those crafty Internet scammers attempt to invade the Northwest Iowa real estate market.  Several of our members are reporting their for sale listings are being scraped or copied, and then posted to websites as though they are legitimate properties for rent.

When it comes to light, this is quite an upsetting situation for the agent and the home seller.  It’s also a huge frustration to the unsuspecting individual who has often mailed or wired money with the belief that they’ve secured a rental property.  Not only do they discover they’ve been duped, but there’s generally no way to recoup their lost funds.

Of course it’s not easy to monitor every website at every hour of every single day and as an agent you have many responsibilities.  That’s where technology comes in.  In this case, it might just be your best friend!  Just a few simple technology settings and alerts will search out the scams and do the monitoring legwork for you.

Our friends at the National Association of REALTORS® have produced this five minute video to show members just how easy it is to reduce the risk to your listings.  Five minutes is all you need to learn tips and tricks that might save you hours of headaches.

Grab a fresh cup coffee and click the video.  It’s time to get serious about learning the easy steps you can take to curtail the chances of a disaster befalling you and your clients.