LEAWOOD, Kan. — Since James Paskiewicz closed on his Leawood home two weeks ago, he’s encountered several people looking through his windows and walking around the property.
“I’ve put signs on all of my windows to let people know I will call police, and this is a scam,” Paskiewicz said.
An advertisement has been circulating on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist stating that his new home near 86th Street and State Line Road is available for rent, but it's not a legitimate listing.
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“It’s pretty sad people stoop to these levels to make some money,” Paskiewicz said.
It’s not an uncommon scam. 41 Action News has reported on similar rental scams happening in Tonganoxie and Kansas City throughout the years.
“They basically prey on people’s desperation to get money out of people,” Phillip Syrios, with 333 Rent, said.
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Syrios is familiar with these rental scams.
If a deal appears too good to be true or the “agent” asks for a deposit or first month's rent in an unconventional manner, these should be red flags.
“You never know who's on the other end of a phone conversation or a text conversation or an email conversation," Syrios said. "So meet them face to face."
For homeowners or property managers looking to legitimately list property, Syrios suggested watermarking the listing photos to avoid scammers using them in fake ads.
