SE North Carolina News

From March 29, 2023 post. 

SCAM ALERT - Real Estate Scam

The Sheriff's Office has been made aware of scam that a citizen recently encountered. The scam involves a home, currently being rented, that showed up listed for sale. The renter stated the scammer went so far as to send someone to take photos and appear to do other things that would be typical of a home that was going up for sale. When the renter contacted the home owner, he was told the house was NOT for sale and he knew nothing about it. The end game for scammers putting properties up for sale fictitiously is to try and con the victim into sending money for down payments and other fees associated with buying a home. They can be very convincing and unfortunately, many people fall for these scams and lose hundreds and even thousands of dollars. The Sheriff's Office advises the public to be extremely cautious of property listings, particularly property for sale by owner, on Facebook or other social media sites. Never send money, gift cards, or provide personal information to anyone who is not the verified property owner. This information can be obtained by looking up the owner of of the property on the county tax website and/or register of deeds website. Asking the owner for a photo identification can also ensure it matches the public record. If the purported owner will not identify them self, or they get angry or rude with you for your due diligence efforts, this is a red flag that a scam may be in the making. More information about scams can be found on our website https://www.brunswicksheriff.com/resources/latest-scams

Original source can be found here.