MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Marquette realtor is giving tips on spotting potential housing scams after a Facebook post circulated in Marquette County about a scam on Zillow. Realtor Linda Johnson said although listings may be off the market quick, the process of buying, renting or even touring a home doesn’t happen overnight. She noted a *true listing doesn’t ask for money upfront.
It was posted on Wednesday of this week saying “Our house in Gwinn was listed by a scam artist for half the price”, “when the scam artist is contacted he/she asks for a deposit in case something breaks during the visit”.
Local real estate agent Linda Johnson noted that along with prequalifications from a lender, the process of buying, renting or evening touring a home don’t happen overnight.
“Nothing is within the week, absolutely not, no but again no money should change hands, and if someone is desperate to get money, that’s a huge red flag and you need to just stop talking to them,” commented Johnson.
WZMQ reached out to the listing website Zillow, the statement is written below:
“Zillow strives to provide a safe online platform, and we go to great lengths to monitor activity and fully inform our users of how to protect themselves from scams online and offline. Our teams use several different tools to prevent inappropriate content from publishing, actively screening for possible scams and blocking them from being posted, and if a listing is found to be fraudulent, it is removed from our site as quickly as possible. Our ‘Beware of scams and other internet fraud’ page provides valuable information on how to spot and avoid red flags like requests for wire transfers or long-distance inquiries.” – a Zillow spokesperson.
Click here to see the red flags that Zillow has listed for buyers to be aware of.
Check with WZMQ on Monday at 6/5c for the latest on this developing story.
