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Possible Rental Scam Alert: Olive Tree Property Management out of Albuquerque, New Mexico11/11/2011
WKOB Channel 4 is reporting that the Albuquerque Police Department is investigating a possible rental scam using foreclosed and abandoned properties. APD’s White Collar Crimes Unit has been investigating Shaun Anaya who owns Olive Tree Property Management out of Albuquerque.
According to police reports, Anaya is suspected of putting people in foreclosed and abandoned homes to be a caretakers of the house during the foreclosure process. According to the renters statements to police, Anaya charges the renter just a couple hundred dollars a month while they live in the house. When police contacted the banks they said no one should be in the homes and they'd never had contact with Anaya or Olive Tree Property Management. I could not find a valid real estate license under this gentleman's name. As a precaution, consumers should always verify that rental agents or property management A possible timeshare fraud alert has been posted claiming that Timeshare Resale Experts LLC is operating a timeshare resale scam, promising an over market sale price for an unwanted timeshare and then requiring substantial advance fees be paid to an allegedly fake timeshare closing agent, United Closing and Settlement Services.
The consumer warns that no office exists at the advertised business address of 9350 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas- and that the address is simply another drop box used for mail delivery. The local Better Business Bureau has also issued a consumer alert about this business, stating that consumer complaint notices have been returned as undeliverable and advising consumers to seek legal counsel if they believe they have been victimized by the company. The company website still appears to be operational, and actually has a statement that I found quite humorous. "...Saves you from the hassles and high pressure tactics of the less knowledgeable and less honest timeshare resellers doing business on the internet..." The Washington Post has published an article alerting readers to the potential for rental scams perpetrated on the VRBO classified website. A consumer, Tania Rieben, had located a condo rental in Maui advertised on the VRBO website, which is owned by HomeAway and wired $4,300. to an individual who she believed to be the property owner. After transmitting the payment, she was unable to contact the individual any longer. She contacted the property management company for the condo, only to discover that she had been the victim of an online rental scam.
The article also tells the story of another consumer, Amy Hutt, who was scammed in an almost identical fashion when she tried to rent a condo in Bali. Ms. Hutt had reportedly purchased the "Carefree Rental Guarantee" insurance offered by the website, only to be told by a VRBO representative that the insurance does not cover phishing fraud. The following quote may be eye opening for many readers.... "...Doesn’t VRBO bear some responsibility? I asked Carl Shepherd, the co-founder of HomeAway, which owns VRBO, about phishing in general and Rieben’s situation specifically. The company has had 352 secondary phishing incidents this year, only a fraction of which have directly affected its customers, he says. He added that customers who hold the site responsible for phishing attacks don’t understand how VRBO works..." To read the article in its entirety, please click HERE. An AP article has reported that two former Florida-based telemarketing executives have been sentenced to five-year prison terms for pitching $40 million in bogus auto-service warranties through unsolicited calls fielded by recipients from a U.S. senator to a state's top law enforcer and people who didn't even have cars.A federal judge also fined Christopher Cowart, 50, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Cris Sagnelli, 46, of Boca Raton, Fla., $15,000 apiece on Monday and ordered them to spend five years on post-prison supervised release.
Both men had pleaded guilty last December to a felony count of using a fictitious name as part of a mail-fraud scheme they carried out while doing business as Transcontinental Warranty Inc., which the U.S. government said in court filings was behind unwanted sales calls "blasted to every corner of the United States." Recipients of the pitches included a U.S. senator during a committee meeting, Indiana's attorney general and consumers on the Federal Trade Commission's "Do Not Call" registry. A Massachussetts newspaper is reporting that a local resident may have been victimized in another Craigslist apartment scam. While searching for a home rental, she located what appeared to be a fantastic value for a local condo. What she found was actually just another example of the dangers of private rentals advertised in online classifieds.
There are "two types of Craigslist rental scams currently circulating," said Paula Fleming, spokeswoman for the Marlborough-based Better Business Bureau. "In both variations of this scam, the scam artists have found or lifted information concerning real rentals for rent or houses for sale from legitimately posted opportunities, and are using that info to purport their own scams via fake Craigslist postings." The consumer became suspicious when the poster demanded she wire money for the rent and deposit, but after completing an application which gave her personal information to the con artist. The scammer claimed to have been out of the country on missionary work, and said the comparatively low rent of $900 was because he wasn't paying a real estate agent's commission. He even told the consumer that she might "find the ad elsewhere at a higher price" because he had previously listed it with a local realtor and the larger price included a broker commission. Because these scammers often simply copy existing ads and repost the information as their own, consumers who search online will often find both ads. As with many scams, these con artists use the victims own greed against them. If the consumer is scared they will be forced to pay a higher price if they contact the licensed realtor, they will often try to cut the brokerage out of a commission by dealing directly with what they believe is the property owner. Far too often, the reality is that they have just allowed themselves to be scammed! To protect yourself from home and apartment rental scams, always utilize the services of a licensed real estate broker who specializes in home rentals and property management for your target area. Confirm the identify of the real estate associate, and verify that they have an active real estate license. You can use the website http://arello.com to confirm real estate licenses in many states. If you would like a referral, don't hesitate to contact me by email by clicking HERE. A popular online timeshare discussion board has posted a warning about a possible new scam infecting the eBay marketplace. Ads are placed offering $1. RCI points accounts, and when individuals contact the seller to ask questions- the seller allegedly proceeds to deed the unwanted timeshare to the individual asking the question.
This is an entirely new aspect of a possible timeshare scam, where an unscrupulous reseller is allegedly deeding properties to individuals who are unaware that a transfer is being completed. The unknowing buyers are then sent the next maintenance fee bill as the new owner of record! Since there are numerous companies operating that solicit timeshare owners for thousands of dollars in upfront fees to take over the ownership of an unwanted vacation ownership property, it appears there may be a rogue operator who is simply in turn dumping these ownerships onto any unsuspecting individual who provides a name and address. Critics of eBay's timeshare marketplace point at this bizarre story as yet another example of why consumers may want to avoid the popular websites timeshare classified section to protect themselves from rampant timeshare fraud and product misrepresentation. If you are considering purchasing a timeshare on the resale market, if is recommended that you purchase through a licensed real estate broker who is properly licensed in the state where the resort is physically located. A recent article in the Tennessean provides additional details of the alleged timeshare resale scam being perpetrated by individuals claiming to work with Accent Event Management, Legacy Closing Services, and Heritage Closing Services. The articles claims that consumers lost as much as $24,000. in fake closing fees that were wired to Mexican banks, after timeshare owners received ridiculously high "offers" for their unwanted timeshares.
...According to the complaints, Accent made unsolicited offers on behalf of an undisclosed client to buy time shares. Owners who agreed to sell then were referred to Legacy for closing services. The two entities then would instruct owners to wire thousands of dollars, purportedly for taxes and fees, to a Mexican bank account with promises that the buyer would reimburse the money at closing. Some owners complied with multiple payment requests, sending $10,000 or more. But no closings took place.." The story also listed several names that were used by callers as part of the scam including Taylor Collins, Kelly Jacobs, Malcolm Levine, Michelle Palmer, Brent Sutter, Victor Leon, and Edward Rains. Whether any of these names are true identities or just another lie remains to be seen. Prior Vacation-Times.org scam alerts were issued warning consumers about these companies in August and again in October. A possible timeshare rental scam has been reported involving a company using the name Global Travel Services that is allegedly operating a call center out of the Philippines. The company calls timeshare owners and promises that they have located a renter for their timeshare, often promising that a business or group has hired them to secure accommodations for a convention or other event. They promise large rental payments, but state that the transaction has to go through a timeshare exchange company called Universal Exchange that requires a $199. fee be paid for each week to be rented. Consumers who pay these fees claim that no timeshare rental ever occurs, and that they are unable to obtain a refund.
A new release from the National Association of Realtors warns consumers about an increasing number of fraud cases being reported where con artists are scamming the public by offering fake home rentals in many popular destinations. With the emergence of online rental engines such as HomeAway and VRBO, as well as popular classifieds such as CraigsList- con artists are finding it much easier to prey on consumers hoping to take advantage of rental bargains due t the economy.
I've now seen reports in both Las Vegas and Tampa claiming that con artists are breaking into vacant of foreclosed homes and changing the locks- then advertising these properties for rent. When a tenant moves in, the con artist simply pockets the deposits and rental payments until the scam is discovered by the true property owners. The tenants are then thrown out of the property, and are unable to get back large security deposits. If you are currently searching for a rental home, you can protect yourself by working with a licensed real estate agent or respected property management company. Always confirm that the individual you work with is truly licensed. Most states maintain online databases where consumers can confirm the license status of individuals or businesses. For real estate licensing, the website http://arello.org can verify licenses in multiple states. The Observer is reporting another instance of an online rental scam offering bogus home rentals to consumers.
A local resident responded to a rental classified ad on Kijiji, an eBay classified engine targeting the real estate market. The website advertised a home for rent in Sarnia. Lisa Mayo contacted an individual who she believed was the owner of the residence via the online ad and negotiated a rental price, but when the con artist demanded a wire transfer be sent for the first month's rent- she began to get suspicious. Mayo contacted a local real estate agent in the area who was able to track down the name of the home's actual owner. Mayo contacted the real owners, who said they'd heard from others also claiming to have rented their home. If you are searching for a home rental, it is always wise to utilize the services of a licensed real estate professional to ensure you protect your family from online rental scams. In most cases, when using a realtor- the buyer or renter does not have to pay anything extra since the broker's commission is normally paid by the property owner. If you would need a referral to a licensed brokerage in your area, the Progressive Real Estate Agency offers a free client referral service to assist with any type of real estate transaction within the United States and Canada. You can contact a licensed agent with the Progressive Real Estate Agency by phone at 800-868-8290 or by visiting http://progressiveresales.com. |
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