Boards > Off Campus Housing > How to post a listing > SCAM Warnings

SCAM Warnings

on 10/23/08 dturner wrote:

It has come to our attention that there are some people who are contacting landlords and potential renters with offers that may be scams. Please remember that these housing forums are open to the public. The information that you put in your listing is viewable to the general public, not just to those in the Denver Seminary community.

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With that in mind, we encourage you to use caution and apply some common-sense principles when responding to requests regarding your listings:

  • Do not share more contact information than you need to
  • Deal locally with people that you can meet in person. While some of our students are relocating, they will not want to rent until they have seen the home. It is especially important to avoid dealings with people who are outside of the U.S. While it is possible that some of our international students may live off campus, almost all of them actually choose to live on campus.
  • NEVER give out financial information, this includes your bank information, Social Security number, or any other type of highly sensitive and personal information.
  • Remember that transactions are between you and the potential renter/landlord. Denver Seminary is never involved, does not require payment for the listings, nor do we guarantee any of the listings on this site.

Examples of Scams

  • You receive an offer to rent your apartment sight unseen
  • A cashier’s check is offered as a deposit. (These are often fakes for which your bank will hold you responsible when, weeks later, it turns out that they were a fake.)
  • The value of the cashier’s check exceeds your deposit or rent, the scammer says they “trust you” and asks you to wire the difference to them.
  • The person making the offer includes or involves a third-party (e.g., a friend or relative who owes them money).

Who to Notify about a suspected fraud or scam attempt

  • Non-emergency number for your local police department.

Edited by dturner on 11/10/08

on 6/8/10 dturner wrote:

We have also just learned of a resource for checking email addresses for known rental scammers. You can access the free database and search for email addresses on this website: http://www.rentvine.com/tools/scammerblacklist/

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