For Boston-area students still trying to lock down off-campus housing, the challenge is not just the high cost of rent or the scarcity of apartments.
As WBZ-TV reported, the FBI says rental fraud is increasing, and one Boston University graduate student says she lost more than $5,000 on a place she never viewed.
What happened?
That case involved Shana Sargeant, a Boston University graduate student looking for a sublet. On Sublet.com, she found a Beacon Street apartment that appeared to meet her needs, per the station. It was furnished, close to campus and priced within reach.
"It was $1,800 a month," she recalled to WBZ-TV's I Team. "All utilities included, studio furnished and it was in a good location."
When she tried to arrange a tour, the person behind the listing told her to submit the application first and send the deposit by wire transfer.
"I felt rushed to secure the spot because he said somebody else was also interested," Sargeant told WBZ-TV.
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She completed the application without first seeing the apartment, and her mother sent the money, totaling around $5,280 for the security deposit and the first couple of months of rent.
The station reported that when she later went to view the apartment, the person she had been dealing with did not show up. Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston division, said the agency has been seeing more cases like this, per WBZ-TV.
"We have over 490 victims and we see that they reported losses of $2.6 million," Docks informed the station. "So, this is a legitimate issue. It's a legitimate threat."
Why does it matter?
For students looking for apartments, the search often unfolds under time pressure, fierce competition, and a limited supply of available units.
In Sargeant's case, the listing combined a strong location with a comparatively affordable price, as she described to WBZ-TV. Being told that someone else was interested only intensified the pressure.
For many students and their families, several thousand dollars may represent savings set aside for rent, tuition-related expenses, or moving costs. A scam can also send renters back to square one in their housing search.
The bureau's numbers suggest this was more than an isolated case, and scammers can move quickly to shield the money and make it difficult to recover. Whether it's via wire transfers or crypto, scammers endeavor to hide the movement of the money.
What can I do?
One of the warning signs the FBI highlighted was pressure to make a decision quickly. Another red flag is being asked to pay before seeing the apartment in person. In Sargeant's case, she proceeded without touring the unit, which is something she vows to avoid in the future.
"Not wire transfer anything ever probably and make sure I can see the place before I sign anything," she told WBZ-TV.
The FBI also warned renters to be cautious about requests for payment by wire transfer.
"Wire transfers are very dangerous," Docks noted to the station. "Unfortunately, a lot of times, there's some time that passes between when they realize that they've been scammed and that's very difficult to track the money."
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