Renters scams are ‘rampant’ as tenants, landlords get hit by pandemic fraud

The scams are costing renters thousands of dollars.

By Meha Ahmad
Eviction notice
Illinois begins to phase out its eviction moratorium starting August 1. While the state has devoted $2 billion in rental assistance to help struggling renters and landlords, lawyers say just 19% of applicants have received of state money as of mid-July. Vyacheslav Dumchev / Getty Images
Eviction notice
Illinois begins to phase out its eviction moratorium starting August 1. While the state has devoted $2 billion in rental assistance to help struggling renters and landlords, lawyers say just 19% of applicants have received of state money as of mid-July. Vyacheslav Dumchev / Getty Images

Renters scams are ‘rampant’ as tenants, landlords get hit by pandemic fraud

The scams are costing renters thousands of dollars.

By Meha Ahmad
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In some cases, fraudsters are breaking into buildings, changing the locks and luring would-be tenants into fake leases. Other times, the fraud is a bit more sophisticated. But the results are the same: tenants and landlords are being swindled out of thousands of dollars.

Reset explores what scams renters and landlords need to know and how to protect themselves.

GUEST: Stephanie Zimmerman, consumer investigations reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times