The Craigslist Scam

Lately, we’ve been running into a fairly regular situation with Craig’s List that you need to be aware of. We go out an list a house for sale. We input the data through all the regular channels and within about a week, the scammer get’s his work started. Soon, the home we have listed for sale may appear on craigslist as a rental… usually at a monthly rate that is well below the market value. This is your first warning sign.

I contacted one such scammer to inquire about the property. He promptly replied with some story about how he’s travelling and cannot meet me to view the house. But if I will send a wire to him with the deposit and the first month’s rent, he’ll mail me the keys. Of course he makes it sound really good and says that he’ll refund the money if I don’t like the house. The key is that he is not the owner. He doesn’t have any keys to mail to anyone. And once he receives and money that is sent to him, you have been had.

I also contacted the state police about this scam. They indicated that these scammers are usually located outside the country and we have no jurisdiction over them. So the moral of the story is 1: if it’s too good to be true then it’s not true! and 2: don’t send money to strangers in strange parts of the world no matter how good it sounds.

If you are the owner of a home and have found your home listed (without your permission) on craigslist you can go on craigslist and submit a report on the ad stating that you are the owner and the house is not available as advertised. Craigslist has been quite good at removing the ads once it’s caught by the owner and requested to be removed. But new scammers often pop up and repost the ads. This is just the nature of the beast.

If you are a prospective tenant, deal with people who are here locally who you can see and touch to ensure the chances that you are dealing with someone who is legitimate. Or hire a REALTOR to help you find the right rental. This can be a great way to protect yourself when securing your next rental property.