Real Omaha Rentals Used in Online Scam - FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |

Real Omaha Rentals Used in Online Scam

Maureen Wurtz

OMAHA(KPTM)-- Real Omaha rental listings are showing up as fake online listings in other cities.

Dan Cheuvront is an Omaha real estate agent tasked with showing houses up for rent or sale.

But one day he noticed a house he has for sale being advertised with somebody else's name.

"I found out there's somebody down in Florida marketing this property for lease for a much lower price," he said.

The house he's talking about is on 42nd and Pacific Streets.

The multiple bedroom house is being marketed for rent for $745 a month with utilities included.

"If it's too good to be true, it's going to be," Cheuvront warned.

He did some digging and found the house in several different places.

So he emailed the scammer to find out what was going on. The person on the other end even asked for a rental application.

Then, the person asked for all the money up front before ever sending a key.

"They were asking for a $500 deposit as opposed to a $1000 deposit, so they are making it look very sweet and very enticing for somebody," he said.

A final email from the scammer said "You can't see the inside until we finalize the arrangements," and "Your money is refundable if you don't like the house, but we assure you that you will love the house,".

"If it's an owner, they're going to show you the property, they're not going to just send you a key in the mail," said Cheuvront.

A phone call from KPTM to the number listed on the ad went to a disconnected line.

"It could be anybody behind the keyboard, they will say anything you want to hear because they want your money," cautioned Cheuvront.

His number one tip is to check your county assessor's web site to check out who owns a property before you rent it.