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Posted: Saturday, June 21st, 2008 6:15 AM HST

Rental scam hits Hawaii

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ Bleydis Borge knew exactly what she wanted: a three-bedroom house on the windward side of Oahu. She found one on Craigslist that caught her eye, a $2,450 rental in Kailua posted by ReMax, a real estate agency. A few days later, she saw the identical listing, but the house was going for $1,000. "I thought maybe they were really desperate and had to lower the price," said Borge who was returning to Hawaii from Miami. The second advertisement turned out to be a scam, and now Hawaii's Better Business Bureau and the Honolulu Board of Realtors are warning about fraudulent rentals on the Internet. When Borge contacted the landlord via e-mail, the person said he was in West Africa and requested that she answer a list of 10 questions. Borge's suspicion grew after reading the final question: "How fast can you transfer the payment?" Borge said she wanted to see the place first, and the alleged landlord never responded. She alerted ReMax to report the incident, and the company told her that they experienced similar scams. Scammers are stealing legitimate listings and reposting it well below market prices to lure potential renters to get them to send money or disclose private information, such as social security numbers. The fake listings have property details and photos posted to make it seem authentic. Some of these listings have been copied from legitimate Web sites, such as the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Rochelle Lee Gregson, chief executive of the Honolulu Board of Realtors, said the problem was getting so bad that several sellers were getting random inquiries from renters. "People are knocking on their doors and asking for a tour of the property," Gregson said. Scammers often say they are out-of-state and promise to mail the keys to the renter after payment is made, officials said. "More and more people are using Craigslist to find a home to rent or to rent their own home," said Dwight Kealoha, chief executive of the bureau. "But when you deal with people that you don't meet face to face, you run the risk of working with unscrupulous people." Other tips to avoid rental scams are: — Have a detailed, signed lease in place before exchanging money. — Never wire money to strangers. — Check the Department of Taxation Web site and search the tax licenses to ensure the landlord is registered. Angela Ellenwood, a spokeswoman for the bureau, said other Better Business Bureaus from across the nation are reporting similar rental scams. She said no one in Hawaii has reported sending money, but several people have called to report suspicious listings. Borge, 24, along with her husband and roommate, visited 10 other homes they found on Craigslist before settling on a house in Kaneohe. (Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved)