In our new normal of social distancing, self-showings have become even more widespread. That’s great, as it helps everyone easily and safely carry on with residential leasing.
So what’s the opposite of great? Self-show scammers are getting shockingly aggressive in their tactics. And the makeup of these scammers may be shifting to bad actors who target (and perhaps even physically frequent) specific localities.
New Identity Verification Restrictions
To ward off these threats, we have added two new identity verification options.
Require Mobile Phone for Self-Show: No landlines. No VOIP numbers. The showing must be scheduled with a mobile number only, making it even more difficult to schedule fraud showings. And, when it comes to local scams, you have a traceable mobile number to take to the police.
Don’t Remember ID Approvals: As a convenience to prospective renters, ShowMojo remembers document approvals on your account for 30 days. But this can be a liability when you targeted by a scammer. Requesting prospect IDs, and setting this option, ensures your team reviews every scheduled showing before it is accepted and allowed.
You can enable these options in the Identity Verification section on the new Showing Qualification Settings page. (We’ve grouped some other relevant settings in there as well.)
The Case for In-Person Showings
At ShowMojo, we’re still huge fans of in-person showings.
You can rent listings before they go vacant. You have the best chance to sell to the prospective renter. You don’t need to worry about self-show fraud. And Autonomous Scheduling makes in-person showings effortless (except for the showing part, of course).
To safely conduct in-person showings in our new normal, check out our article on Scheduling and Special Considerations for Coronavirus / COVID-19.
Currently Dealing with Self-Show Scams?
We’ve updated our Defend Your Company Against Self-Show Opportunists knowledge base article with the latest information.
Also, schedule an Account Check-In for more personalized guidance.
Not Yet a ShowMojo Customer?
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