Family Discovers Home Listed For Rent In Bogus Online Ad

A Norman family said a scammer tried to rent out their home that they own and currently live in.

Someone posted a bogus listing for their home on reputable websites, trying to dupe unsuspecting renters.

“There's some fraud going on out there,” Marlene Hoyt of Norman said.

The scammer listed Hoyt's two-bedroom home for rent for $600.

"It was saying, you know, ‘Send us your deposit, and I will send you the keys,' and that kind of terrified me, because I didn't want to be liable,” Hoyt explained.

Hoyt found out about the listing when a potential renter tracked her down through Cleveland County Tax Assessor records, saying she wanted to make sure the online ad was legit.

The listing asked for a $1,000 deposit.

"I said, ‘It's not for rent. My son lives there,'" Hoyt recalled.

Hoyt said the interior pictures are not correct, but the exterior photo was accurate.

"I didn't want somebody knocking on my son's door and say, ‘Uh, I just rented this house,'" Hoyt added.

Hoyt is warning others that the posting is a scam and there could be others.

Even if one or two people a month bite on it, it's worth it to a scammer.

"Looks very legit and had this lady not called me, I would not have known our house was involved,” Hoyt told News 9.

Hoyt said she contacted Zillow to remove the listing, and it has been taken down. She found another rental listing for her home on the Trulia website, and it has since been removed.

We called the phone number on the ads, but it has been disconnected.

When we emailed the email address listed on the posting, we received a message back saying the home is still available to rent.