Homes owned by others falsely being listed as rentals

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A man who has a Norfolk home up for rent was surprised when he saw that very same house listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace.

It was posted by a different person.

Since this scam picked up last fall, a sign went up next to the door that reads in part, “If you see this home listed on Craigslist or Facebook, it is a scam.”

Andrew Consolvo with PathLight Realty had to change the locks after seeing the key boxes were ripped from his rental property. He is worried they might be breaking in to take interior pictures for bogus listings.

“Somebody’s got a scam going and they’re making quite a bit of money off of it, and they’re praying on vulnerable people,” Consolvo said.

On the renting side, Kimeco Green found an ad for a two-bedroom rental home. She was asked to pay a $65 application fee on Cash App and was later asked to send proof of income. Green tried submitting pay stubs.

“I didn’t get a response, and then when I went back to the ad, the ad had already been removed, I mean that quick,” Green said.

When she asked for a refund on the fee, they asked her to send another $40 to process that refund. That is when she stopped talking to this person and reported the listing.

“It’s very heartbreaking,” Green said. “It’s very heartbreaking because people are working, you have a lot of single parent households with children.”

The number she called appeared to be disconnected when we dialed.

10 On Your Side stopped by the house on that listing. Turns out, someone has been living there since December. It is not up for rent and she said she constantly has visitors asking about the bogus rental ads.

“Make them call you, meet with them in person, see the property before you pay the application fee,” Green said.

“I hate to say it, but at least for the time being, stay off of Marketplace and Craigslist when looking for a place to rent,” Consolvo added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.