Juneau’s rental market is competitive, and some people have taken advantage of the situation to scam people who are desperate for housing.
Last week, the Juneau Police Department arrested Rebecca Jo Burke for allegedly advertising a property she was not authorized to rent. Police say Burke sent photos of the fake rental to an individual and accepted an $850 deposit after they signed a meaningless lease.
KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac spoke to Lt. Krag Campbell from the Juneau Police Department to learn how people can identify and avoid rental scams.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Chloe Pleznac: Lieutenant, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. This month an arrest was made surrounding a scheme to collect rental deposits for fraudulent apartment listings. Has Juneau Police Department dealt with other cases related to rental fraud in the past year? How common is this particular crime?
Lt. Krag Campbell: You know, that’s the first one that I’ve heard about. I think it’s a pretty uncommon thing, at least for rental stuff, to the point where someone actually gets scammed out. I mean, I’m sure everybody’s pretty familiar with online scams through social media, advertising something fake. But as far as reports to the police department where somebody’s out money, this was the first one I’m familiar with.
Chloe Pleznac: And we know…
