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Put-in-Bay Property Scam
We had a letter from a seasonal property owner who has a vacant lot on South Bass Island. Recently the lot was
listed (unbeknownst to them) on Zillow. They reported that it was a fraud on Zillow. A short while later they
received a note from a Cleveland Realtor thanking them for listing their property with her. They were totally
surprised because they had no intention of selling the property.
Apparently a man claiming to be the owner spoke with the Realtor and tried to get her to list their lot. He had a
drivers license which matched the owner’s driver’s license number, but with someone else’s picture photoshopped
in.
The lot owners thought that possibly it was a random identity theft case, but then the same real estate agent was
contacted again by another person wanting to list another vacant lot on Put-in-Bay Road. It appears that English is
not their primary language and they may be operating from another country.
The lot owners just thought it may be helpful to have something in the Gazette so that people are aware of this
scam. They may want to periodically check out their own property information. Any local Realtor can tell you what
is listed on the island, plus the Ottawa County Auditor’s website is helpful when it comes to checking on any of the
island property you might own.
The owners are in the process of reporting to proper authorities, but doubt much will be done due to the nature
of the scammers and these type of frauds.
The previous piece is published in this month’s Put-in-Bay Gazette. The Gazette has been producing incredible independent Put-in-Bay island news for over 40 years. If you have any interest at all in what is happening on South Bass Island, we urge you strongly to subscribe to the Put-in-Bay Gazette. One-year online subscriptions are only $15, and print subscriptions are available as well. To subscribe please click here.
