INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis man says at first he tried to just ignore the callers wanting to rent his home – but then they just kept coming.
Ryan Liffrig says he started receiving calls yesterday from people interested in renting a home he and his wife own north of Broad Ripple Village.
But, Liffrig said, the house isn't for rent – he and his wife live there and don't have a listing up.
At first, Liffrig said, he thought maybe the callers had the wrong address.
"It started happening around lunch yesterday," he said. "I ignored it for most of the day. But when I got home we got a little more concerned about it."
In addition to the calls, Liffrig said someone who saw the ad and suspected it was a hoax dropped by their house to warn them.
Liffrig discovered that someone had taken photos of their home from a real estate website and placed a false ad on Craigslist.
"Someone is trying to scam people by taking our pictures off the real estate website," Liffrig said. "It's a total fraud. It's not for rent. Someone just took our pictures."
Liffrig said at least six people contacted him about seeing the ad, placed by an unknown person who said he was located out of state.
"This guy said he was out of town in Texas and if they sent him money he would send them the keys," Liffrig said.
Liffrig reported the scam to police, and flagged it on Craiglist and Zillow. He also contacted the poster directly – who then tried to rent him his own home, according to an email exchange Liffrig provided.
RTV6 has reported on similar rental scams in the past. Police recommend anyone looking to rent check the ownership of the property through the Marion County Assessor's Office, and to meet anyone claiming to be a realtor at their office.
