$350K Home Discounted To $38K? It's A Scam, Austin Police Say

AUSTIN, TX— Austin Police Department Region I property detectives said they've received several calls and reports regarding a real estate posting offering a house for sale for $38,000. Bottom line: It's a scam.

The property is valued at $350,000 and is not currently for sale, police said. The owners recently posted the house for lease on Craigslist, and the scammers copied their posting and fraudulently placed the house for sale on Zillow, according to police.

"The text of the ad is clearly designed to attract people who have no idea how buying a house works and asks for 20% deposit upfront to view the property," police wrote in an advisory. As a result of that illegitimate posting making the rounds, APD offered would-be home buyers the following tips:

• Deal locally with people you can meet in person.
• Never wire money to anyone you’ve never met.
• Never give financial information (bank account information, social security number, etc.) to anyone you’ve never met.
• Do not buy or rent any property, sight unseen.
• Do not submit to any sort of credit or background check with anyone you’ve never met.
• Take your time, do your research and don't get rushed by phony deadlines imposed by the seller.
• If a deal sounds too good to be true…it almost certainly is.

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