Rockford Area Renters Are Being Targeted By Eviction Scams

No matter how dire the circumstances may be, you can always count on the fact that there are some really bad people out there ready, willing, and able to make things worse for their victims.

The bad guys in this case are scammers who are preying on folks all over the country, including here in the Rockford area, that have fallen behind on their rent payments.

Doesn't The Eviction Moratorium Prevent These Scams From Happening?

The Biden Administration may have extended the eviction moratorium through October 3rd of this year, but that doesn’t mean scammers have postponed their tricks. While you may not find yourself kicked out of your current living arrangements, you very well may find your bank account empty if you accept one of the many fake deals that scam artists are offering up.

Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB):

As the eviction moratorium winds down, watch out for scammers offering loans, peddling credit repair services, or promoting government programs. These cons are a way to trick desperate people out of money they don’t have.

 

How Does This Sort Of Scam Work?

As you might imagine, with the eviction moratorium set to expire a little over a month from today, scammers know that desperation is setting in with many in the Rockford area and elsewhere because the demand for payment will increase soon, as will the very real possibility of being evicted.

One story that was shared by the BBB on their ScamTracker website tells of a woman who was desperately seeking loans as a means with which to pay her rent. After being turned down multiple times, she was finally offered a loan by a "loan provider."

The scammers set their hook by telling her that in order to release the money to her, she'd have to improve her credit score. They offered to help by sending $1000 to her bank account. They said she should just send it right back to them, which would raise her credit score. Except they didn't transfer the money to her account. She sent them $1000, and her account was immediately overdrawn. Now, she's out of money and they're out of the picture.

Click here to read up on ways to avoid this scam.