Arizona renters know that in most of the state, prices have finally been coming down.

The Pboenix average rent is down $100 from last year, and now 10% below the national average according to recent Zillow estimates.

But BBB Scam Tracker shows rental scams continue to take both renter’s money and their personal information.

And it’s happening on popular rental listing sites.

A Glendale woman lost $1,000 after sending a deposit only to be told someone else would pay more. The supposed owner was keeping her money.

An Arizona man says he discovered scammers posting fake listings using a real person’s identity.

But they use their own phone number.

The scammers then ask renters to “kindly text” a photo ID, last 4 of their Social Security number and two factor authentication codes they claim will allow you to tour the property.

Once the information is given, the fake phone number is disconnected, the fake rental listing is removed and  a new one goes up using the new identity they just stole.

But while the classic fake listing scam is still alive and well, a new kind of rental concern is emerging. 

BBB Scam Tracker is seeing a wave of complaints from renters being hit with a mandatory $49 fee they must pay before they can even set foot in a property.

Renters say “I needed to be pre-screened to view the property” and “I was prompted to pay  to get the chance to apply for the apartment.”

“No thank you. I’ve never paid for an apartment viewing, ” another renter wrote.

Scam Tracker shows the pre-screening fees seem to come from third party businesses connected to listings on major rental sites.

Complaints show when some did pay they either didn’t hear back or were told they could not get a refund.

Arizona has no law regulating the amount renters can be charged for application or credit check fees.

BBB Bottom line: You don’t need to pay fees that don’t make sense. It’s a warning that the whole listing could be fake.

Before responding to a rental listing, take the pictures and run a reverse image Google search. You may find those pics were stolen from a sales listing and the house is even rentable.

Demand to meet the owner at the property and view it.

Research rental rates and stay away from listings that are far too low.

Never send cash or give out bank account information.

Always pay any deposit by credit card.

Protect yourself! See the latest scams and how to avoid them at joeknowsbetter.com 

Avoid scams by hiring trusted BBB Accredited businesses at bbb.org where you can also check reviews for any business.

Here’s a comprehensive BBB Rental scam study from a few years ago, but the information is still relevant:

https://www.bbb.org/all/scamstudies/is_that_rental_listing_real_scam/is_that_rental_listing_real_full_study

Contact the Arizona Attorney General’s Office if you think you’ve been scammed:

https://www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer