HOUSTON – The Houston Association of Realtors, Crime Stoppers of Houston and the Clear Channel Outdoor have joined together to launch a public awareness campaign about the rise in rental scams in Houston.
According to a release, research conducted by Apartment List revealed that 5.2 million U.S. renters have lost money from rental fraud. It is a common scam that involves fake rental advertisements, which involves a scammer taking a legitimate listing that is for sale and creating an ad on various sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace at an enormously discounted rental price. The scammer attempts to collect a deposit or lease payments from a potential tenant and once they do, they disappear, and the renter never hears from them again.
HAR stated that it has seen a rise in rental scams against Houstonians in recent months, especially targeting people who do not speak English or are not familiar with the rental process.
According to a release, Clear Channel Outdoor has donated advertising space on its digital billboard network throughout the area and on traditional billboards to reach consumers on freeways as well as neighborhoods. These messages will be displayed throughout 2022.
Watch the full announcement below: