CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Finding a place to live can be stressful. From location to, price, there are many questions to see if something fits the bill.
Eric Lindgren, who grew up in the Cotswold area of Charlotte, shared his experience with WCNC Charlotte anchor and reporter, Jane Monreal, after doing a fair share of online research.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
The father of two said, after his divorce, he moved back up to his old neighborhood.
"The priority for me at that point was to find a three-bedroom," Lindgren said. "I've got two teenage daughters. And teenage girls have their own rooms."
Now trying to figure out his next move, Lindgren has been perusing the marketplace online.
"So I'm trying to kind of gauge what the prices are and what's available and that kind of stuff. In doing that, I stumbled across these ads," Lindgren said. "They're very vague and ambiguous."
The Charlotte native pointed to a number of red flags on a Facebook page titled: "Homes for rent in Charlotte."
"When you go in and you click on the pictures and look at them, there's no identifying marks of any kind, like an address or anything. There are no pictures of the exterior of the home," Lindgren explained.
Another check of the administrator on that page also revealed the person in charge is from Somalia, not Charlotte.
Several posts on the page also asked people to send them a direct message if they were interested in the ambiguous post.
Fortunately, Lindgren said he could spot the fakes and is likely going to stick to reputable real estate sites like Redfin and Zillow.
Juliana O'Rork from the Better Business Bureau warned, there are thousands of fake listings online all the time.
"Unfortunately, people steal photos," O'Rork said. "They steal descriptions of places that are actually being rented and they create these fake listings and they take advantage of people. Once you send them the money for that listing, because you think you found a great deal, they're gone. The funds are gone. You don't hear from them again."
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
WCNC Charlotte's Where's The Money series is all about leveling the playing field in the Carolinas by helping others and breaking down barriers. WCNC Charlotte doesn't want our viewers to be taken advantage of, so we’re here to help. Watch previous stories where we ask the question “Where’s the Money” in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.