North Port police issue warning following rise in rental scams within past year

NORTH PORT, Fla. - After noting a rise in the number of rental scams reported in the area, the North Port Police Department said they want to make sure people in the community know what to look out for.

Police said the scammers copy the details of legitimate rental listings and then post them on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.

"Our goal is to try to catch whoever's doing this because, you know, it could be somebody's grandmother. It could be the young family starting out. To have these thousands of dollars impact their lives is going to be a big hardship," Josh Taylor, NPPD's public information officer, said.

Police have received 15 of these reports in the last year, something they attribute partially to the current affordable housing crisis.

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"It's one of those things where it's supply and demand. And if people feel like if they don't make this decision right now, that somebody else is going to get it," Taylor said.

Police said to avoid people that only want to text or email, refuse to meet in person and those who are seeking payment through a third-party app. However, they said the biggest indicator is the price of the rental listing. If a listing is hundreds of dollars lower than nearby rental properties that’s a big red flag.

"Well, certainly if something sounds too good to be true in today's market, it probably is. You know, for somebody to do a lot of what these thieves do is they reduce the cost drastically, so they can get that quick money," Taylor said.

A team of crime analysts at the agency is scouring these sites looking for suspicious postings and having them removed.

If you are a victim of a rental scam, call North Port police at (941) 429-7300 or your local law enforcement agency.