In Baja California Sur, housing rentals through social media have become a new form of fraud affecting both home seekers and property owners. Through neighborhood groups and citizen alert pages on Facebook, victims have reported the existence of fake posts seeking to deceive people interested in renting a house or apartment.
The head of the State Police Cybernetic Analysis Unit, Hayde Amador Alameda, reported that those responsible for these scams often operate from outside the state and use digital platforms such as Facebook and Google to obtain photographs of real homes. They then post them in closed groups as if they were available for rent, generally in central, touristy, or high-demand areas such as the Malecón or Cabo San Lucas.
“The fraud begins once the person, the victim, makes contact, sends these photographs, and requests a deposit to reserve the home. That is, once they are in contact on WhatsApp, people say, ‘You know what? I have many interested parties. The only way you can secure the rental is if you make a deposit of 2, 3,000, or 4,000 pesos. That varies greatly depending on the rent of the property. Once this deposit is made, they block the person,” Amador said.
The official specified that at least four cases of rental fraud have been recorded so far this year, and that they have even received reports of people who have seen their homes advertised without authorization, or who have received visits from strangers claiming to have rented the house through a Facebook page.
As part of the recommendations, Amador Alameda emphasized the importance of not making any deposit without first verifying in person that the property actually exists, that it is for rent, and that it is not occupied. He also recommended conducting business directly with the landlord and establishing a formal contract to avoid falling for this type of scam.
The State Cyber Police urges those who have been victims to report these cases to the unit and file a complaint with the appropriate authorities. The public in general is urged to remain vigilant and wary of offers that seem too good to be true.
Source: tribunademexico
