A Man Thought He Found The Perfect Rental In SF. He Lost Thousands To A Scam: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Alvin Tran, 28, was relentlessly hunting for apartments in San Francisco when, in late July, he thought he'd found the perfect two-bedroom in the city's Duboce Triangle, according to a San Francisco Standard report.

Tran filled out the application, talked with the landlord, went to visit the listing and even received a lease, according to the report.

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But on the day he was supposed to pick up his keys, the person he'd been talking to about the apartment stopped responding, according to the report.

That's when he realized he'd be duped out of more than $18,000, according to the report.

"I didn't think much of it. … The lease looked pretty standard to me," Tran told the San Francisco Standard. "There was no red flag."

Tran was the victim of one of San Francisco's rising scams, according to the report: rentals.

The city attorney is currently tracking the issues, according to the report, and it comes as San Francisco officials look to tackle scams altogether.

The city launched a portal earlier this year called "StopScams SF" to protect consumers against schemes.

Last month, San Francisco's City Attorney sued two third-party hotel booking sites, accusing them of scamming consumers into paying "significantly higher rates."

Read more from the San Francisco Standard.