(MURFREESBORO, TN) In this day and age, it’s always important to make sure you know who you are doing business with. This is especially true if you're planning to rent a home or an apartment. This month, an out-of-town woman found out the hard way that she cannot trust a potential landlord who may be more of a scam artist than property owner. 

A woman from California who is working with a realtor in Rutherford County found a home for rent that was advertised online. It was a property that she was interested in renting out, however her realtor said the landlord was throwing up several red flags that she should be aware of.   

Throwing caution to the wind, the West Coast woman decided to take a look at the home on Federal Court, which is off of Saddlebrook Drive in Murfreesboro. Prior to viewing the property, the landlord asked her to fill out an application and send a picture of her ID while also paying $150 thru Zelle, a money transfer app.

Again, the realtor suggested that too many red flags were popping up, especially after the man claiming to be the property owner asked for more funds. The real estate agent said the alleged landlord was acting “Sketchy.” Thankfully, the potential scam stopped at $150 through Zelle, but the possible scammer now has some of the victim’s information.  

Homes and apartments that are advertised ‘For Rent’ on places like CraigsList and Marketplace are not always real deals and instead, real scams. Stories like this one in Murfreesboro highlight the need to find your perfect property through a real estate agent, a property management company or face-to-face with employees of an actual an apartment complex.

Source: Murfreesboro Police Report filed Sept. 5, 2022

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