But as more people turn to social media and online marketplaces to find rentals and homes for sale, some are finding fake listings posted by scammers trying to score payments for homes that aren’t actually available.
Experts say it’s a scenario that’s becoming more common and difficult to police.
In the Golden State alone, there has been an uptick in these scams within recent weeks. A homeowner last month reported prospective renters stopping by his Bay Area house — which he lives in and isn’t planning to rent — after it apparently had been listed online to dupe people, according to a report from ABC7 News.
In the San Diego area, a family found out someone had reposted photos from their rental listing and was setting up tours in exchange for cash, according to a CBS 8 News report.
My colleague Grace Toohey wrote last month about a California woman who thought she’d found the perfect rental in a cute bungalow in Fullerton. After spending thousands of dollars trying to secure it, she realized it was all a scam.
“It’s total crap,” Pam Yeager told Grace. She’s now out $2,575 — money she counted on to use in her move or needed to pay her rent if she didn’t find a new place — and she worries she’ll never get it back.
Although she wishes she didn’t have this story to tell, Yeager decided to share it to “make sure this kind of thing doesn’t keep victimizing others.”
Preying on people’s desperation
Officials say the scammers place fake listings on social media and other online marketplaces, sometimes using artificial intelligence to make the content appear legitimate.
They take existing listings and repost them, collecting as much money as they can before victims learn they were never in touch with a legitimate landlord.
The fake ads often offer what appear to be unbeatable deals, capitalizing on people’s desperation.
As social media becomes a hub for people to find rentals and homes for sale, police told the Times it’s created an environment ripe for scammers, given many platforms’ limited regulation and oversight.
“Especially in this housing market, it gets competitive and people feel pressure to act quickly,” said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla, who told The Times the department regularly investigates these types of online rental scams. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.”
Holding scammers accountable is challenging
Real estate professionals across the state have seen cybercrimes like these increasing, said Chris Duff, president of the Greater Los Angeles Realtors Assn. and co-owner of Beach Real Estate Group.
“This is not something new; it’s just rising,” Duff said. “It’s getting worse every year.”
Once such scams occur, it’s extremely challenging to hold someone accountable, Placentia Police Sgt. Frank Garza said, as many perpetrators communicate only through burner social media accounts or ask for money through difficult-to-trace platforms. Some even are operating from outside the country.
“It’s kind of a trend we’re seeing in Orange County,” Garza said of the real estate scams. “These people, they’re good at what they do.”
Though law enforcement officials say there are ways to track down these types of online scammers, it’s a demanding process for detectives that typically involves lengthy search warrants and digging through massive data dumps, if the accounts involved can be identified and tracked.
Many in the industry say raising awareness is the only way to respond to these increasingly common scams.
Once money is sent, “there’s just nothing I can do to help them,” real estate agent Laura Spencer said, recalling a time something similar happened to one of her clients.
“Do not give your money out until you’ve met the agent, met the owner [and] really make sure it’s legitimate,” Spencer said. It’s one reason, she said, real estate agents “are so valuable.”
Today’s top stories
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, left, and his Democratic opponent, Xavier Becerra.
(Los Angeles Times)
Your guide to the California governor’s race
- California’s open governor’s seat pits Democrat Xavier Becerra against Trump-aligned Republican Steve Hilton in a high-stakes fight over the state’s direction after 16 years of Democratic rule.
- Both sons of working-class immigrants, Becerra and Hilton share bootstrap biographies but clash sharply on taxes, regulation and California’s combative posture toward a president who is deeply unpopular in the state.
California city declares a state of emergency after a cyberattack
- The attack affected the communication operations of the Suisun City fire and police departments, including the routing of 911 calls.
- It is believed to be the first of its kind in the city of 30,000 located 55 miles north of San Francisco, as the threat of cybersecurity disruptions of essential services grows in communities across the country.
LAPD rolls out the Rumbler siren
- The Los Angeles Police Department announced its intention to install the low-frequency Rumbler siren into 20 black-and-white vehicles before a larger expansion gets underway.
- The new system has its detractors who worry about the siren’s effect on neighborhoods. It doesn’t seem necessary for bystanders to feel a siren “pounding through your body,” one critic said.
What else is going on
Commentary and opinions
This morning’s must-read
Other must-reads
For your downtime
Ice Cube and Mike Epps host the concert and comedy show “Everyday’s Friday: Lyrics, Lounging & Laughing” at the F&M Bank Amphitheater in Long Beach in late July.
(Daniel Rojas)
Going out
Staying in
A question for you: What’s the best spot for people watching in L.A.?
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
A cat chills inside its house at Tail Town, a cat rescue and cafe in Pasadena.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Jason Armond at a “slumber pawrty” with 39 very cute cats. While many of the cats at Tail Town in Pasadena roamed during the sleepover, this one chilled in its bubble dwelling.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Shi Bradley, audience intern
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.