Craigslist Rental Real Estate A Target for Scam Artists
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by: ChristianJacobsen
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Word Count: 447
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If you've bought a rental property and are advertising it on Craigslist or other online classifieds, beware! There are people out there who want to take your money without even seeing the inside of the home you're renting out. Typically you will receive an email that states that an individual is very interested in renting your property, but is currently out of the country. Okay, well that's hardly unusual in many cases. Many people go outside the U.S. and when they return, they need a place to live, right? So you reply. You get a letter that this person is very happy about renting the property and you will receive a check. Not for the first/last month's rent and damage deposit, but for an amount far beyond that. You're to cash the check and forward the difference back. Well, who wouldn't want to have more money given than was asked for, huh? Eventually you start getting emails that get more and more urgent. The individual needs to get an airplane ticket or has a mother dying of cancer or the country's financial system is going down the tubes or some other big problem. By this time, thought, you two are fast friends... somehow, at least on your renter's end. They can't wait to meet you, they're sure that you'll make the world's best landlord EVER and they don't care about the property that much... as long as you're the one renting to them, they're sure it's perfect in every way. At this point some people are snorting and saying, "Well it should be obvious that these people are only after money!". Unfortunately, people get cheated by scams like these every day. The check will eventually come and here's where people get cheated. Either they send the difference between the check and their price or they deposit the check and then get fined because it bounces. Or both. Of course, when you demand to know what happened to the money, your scammer is gone, probably to Western Union to pick up the money they sent. It is virtually impossible to trace scammers, as they use public email accounts like Yahoo and Hotmail. Also, while there are organizations built to combat this sort of crime, such as the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, it is still unlikely that victims will see their money again. Be suspicious of people who contact you from out-of-country and proceed to use manipulative tactics to gain your compliance with their goals, which will always include you wiring them money. Legitimate renters want to go through verified services and banks to get homes; they also ask a lot more questions. When in doubt, contact the authorities. |
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