Rental scams spike in 2022; FBI reports more than $396 million lost

The FBI is warning about the risk of rental rip-offs, with more than $396 million lost in 2022. In Manatee County, two women lost $2,000 on a fake rental. The modest two-bedroom home in Bradenton ticked all the boxes for renter Jennifer Griffith. Griffith found the ad for the house on Facebook. She texted the person posing as the property manager and asked for a tour. The stranger on the other end of the text string did not meet her at the home, but the door was unlocked when she arrived.