• Originally published October 3, 2009 at midnight, updated October 4, 2009 at 12:21 a.m.

Thirty-six million, or one-third of U.S. households, currently rent according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Many prospective renters find homes through online classifieds, but some consumers, including a few in the Victoria area are being set up by scammers. Better Business Bureau warns consumers to be on the lookout for phony ads on Craigslist and other Internet services aimed at stealing money from unsuspecting renters.

Scammers are unfortunately using online classifieds like Craigslist to trick consumers into paying large sums of money upfront for places that aren't even available. Consumers need to be just as picky finding a place to live through the Internet as they would be visiting the property in person.

Consumers typically fall victim to these scams after responding to an online classified for a rental property. Victims say they were asked by the supposed landlord to wire as much as $1,400 as a deposit in order to receive the keys to the rental home.

As a result of this scam, many shocked homeowners have received knocks at their doors by people who were planning to move into their new rental home. Often the real homeowners have their house up for sale - not rent - and had pictures posted online that the scammers could steal for their phony listings.

BBB advises consumers of the following red flags to look out for:

The deal sounds too good to be true. Scammers will often list a rental for a very low price to lure in victims. Find out how comparable listings are priced, and if the rental comes in suspiciously low, walk away.

The landlord is located elsewhere and prefers to communicate via e-mail. Scammers might say they have just been relocated out of the country for a job or missionary work. If the landlord is truly overseas, there is no way to get a copy of a lease or keys so don't believe it.

The landlord requires a substantial deposit before handing over the keys or even showing the property. Don't pay any money before inspecting the home, inside and out. Additionally, most apartment rentals require a small application fee before the first deposit is due.

The landlord asks the renter to wire money through wire transfer services such as Western Union or Money Gram. Money sent via wire transfer service is extremely difficult to retrieve. Once the scammers have picked it up, there is little recourse, if any, for getting any money back.

Alan Bligh is the executive director of the Better Business Bureau in Corpus Christi. Contact him by e-mail at abligh@corpuschristi.bbb.org.

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