Western Mass News is getting answers after a local woman contacted us with questions about real estate scams. She said she became suspicious while she was trying to find a new home to rent.
“I saw how many contacted them. It was like almost 200 or over 200 people,” said Laural Charland.
Charland is looking to rent a new home. While searching sites like Zillow and Trulia, she said two listings in the Hampden area raised red flags when she reached out to the contacts for more information.
“They wanted you to email them, but then they never emailed you back, then I finally found a phone number and they didn’t call you back. They texted you,” Charland added.
She said before she could even see the property, they asked her for an application and for an application fee.
“$500,” Charland explained.
Western Mass News reached out to a local real estate agent who said that in Massachusetts, it is illegal to charge a separate application fee.
