NAR Warns of Property Rental Scam

  Today, the National Association of Realtors issued an alert concerning an Internet scam. The perpetrators are using NAR’s name claiming if prospective tenants wire funds to NAR via Western Union, they will hand over keys to a rental property. The advertisements claim NAR will work as an intermediary to receive deposits on rental property.

NAR is not involved in property management in any form or fashion. Anyone that spots this advertisement is encouraged to report the matter to the FBI’s White Collar Crime Unit.

Even the FBI is not immune from spam scams. Those Nigerians promising to share huge sums of money with any American willing to provide bank account information are now claiming the FBI has lottery or inheritance proceeds waiting to be claimed. Here’s the alert:

Consumers continue to be inundated by spam purportedly from the FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to defraud consumers.

Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to be an “official order” from the FBI’s Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI unit in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification, all informing recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars. To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient’s name, banking information, telephone number, and a copy of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution.

Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.

The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI Executives are briefed on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, the IC3 does not send threatening letters to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their PII. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

For previous PSAs concerning e-mail scams targeting the FBI and other government agencies:

• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/081205-1.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/081016.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/080606.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/080508.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2008/080606.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/071214.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/070717-2.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/070717-3.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2007/070627.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2006/061018.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2006/061013-2.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2006/060724.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2005/051201.aspx
• http://www.ic3.gov/media/2005/051122.aspx

Click on the following link to reach the FBI website: http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx