NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Local realtor Sandy Kapeller stands infront of a house she is selling. She is warning Hatters of an online renting scam offering deals on houses that are too good to be true.
Medicine Hat News
When it comes to real estate — some deals are just too good to be true.
Realtor Sandy Kapeller has been working in the field for more than 20 years and is warning Hatters looking for a place to rent of a new online scam.
“The site is called prop2go.com and it really looks like a legit rental page, which is really scary,” said Kapeller. “There’s pictures on the site and little descriptions on the site of each house.
“They have a little button to ask for more and they do have someone getting back to you.”
Kapeller was holding an open house Saturday for a house on Rossland Rd. SE, a home that is also listed for rent on the site.
“This house I’m standing in, that we have for sale, is up for rent on this site — I’ve had a few people emailing me asking me what’s going on,” she said. “It’s obviously a scam because I’m selling this house — it’s not up for rent.”
Kapeller sent two emails to the company to see what response she would get as someone interested in the property.
“They got back to me and the first red flag was pretty bad grammar,” she said. “They sent a form over asking for drivers licence and passport information — people need to know to never give that information to anyone. It’s not something a realtor is going to ask for.
“They’re either trying to scam you for a deposit or for your information _ whichever one you give up first, I guess.”
Kappeller says some things are just too good to be true.
“Call a realtor if something seems fishy,” she said. “This house is listed for $900 including utilities — that’s hundreds less than it would be rented for.
“Someone may think they’ve hit the jackpot here, but no. If something seems too good call a professional.”
