Jamey and Lauren Bertram (pictured above) are fending off house hunters flocking to their door after seeing their $1.6 million house listed on Zillow for $10,200. It turns out that the couple never put their 5-bedroom, 5,300-square-foot home on the market. Instead, it was a brazen scam that took them most of a week to fix, all while people were knocking on their door to have a look. The scammer explained the crazy low price by making it sound like the owner was so rich they could afford to practically give the house away. The ad specified that the house was only available to first-time buyers — no realtors, lenders, investors, wholesalers or lawyers need inquire. Excluding this list of savvy property buyers was likely because it was essential to making the scam work. Buyers were told to call “Mandi” and then told to send $200 to the owner’s mother through an online banking app, which, of course, would be refunded. The Bertrams had no idea their house was on the market until friends asked if they were moving. The house was quickly taken off the Zillow website after they were made aware of the scam. Zillow has detailed guides about how to spot and avoid being scammed on its platform, and the fake listing for the Bertrams’ house used several classic strategies that are red flags to buyers or renters who take precautions. House hunters were also warned not to send deposits, and to beware of sellers or landlords who ask for unorthodox procedures because they are overseas. The biggest red flag on this listing was the ridiculously low price.
