Beware Rental Scam in Cody

A rental scam has been played on Cody residents, and the Cody Police Department is asking everyone to be aware.

Police say two local residences were listed online for rent. Interested renters contacted the person listing the rentals via email and telephone, and arrangements were made to secure the rentals by using prepaid Google Play cards. Only later was it discovered that the residences were in fact not for rent and the properties were only used to perpetuate the scam.

Officials urge residents to be aware of anyone asking for any type of payment via prepaid cards such as iTunes, Visa Prepaid, Green Dot, and Google Play, as they are most likely attempting to defraud you. This form of payment is used by scammers because there is no way to track the ownership of these cards and they can be used as cash to purchase things online.

Cody Police want to remind everyone that conducting transactions online is very risky. Please take precautions, and if you have to purchase something online, use secure payment websites such as Paypal or Venmo.

While using secure payment websites does not ensure you will not get scammed, those websites do offer fraud protection and documentation in the event an investigation needs to be completed.