Luv Bunnies
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2006
- Messages
- 9,189
My parents have a rental vacation home that I post on Craigslist for them. The replies come to my inbox and, if someone want to rent and their dates are open, I have them call my mom to make the arrangements. Otherwise, I just post the ad and field the questions as a favor to my parents (and because I get to use the place for free - I'm there right now!).
The other day, I got a reply from a woman who wanted to rent August 8-15. I replied back that it was open. Her next message said she would be taking the week of July 31 - August 7. She never asked if it was available, just said she would be taking that week (which happens to be open). Her message was very specific about sending her our name, address and phone number so she could send us a check. She said the check was coming from her husband's employer and would be a "cashier's check drawn on a US bank." Her messages are full of poor grammar and spelling errors. We sent my mom's name and address and also sent her cell phone number. We said that since her rental dates were coming up so soon, we would need to mail the keys through FedEx and she would need to call my mom right away to discuss the details. She never called.
While waiting for the check, I read a post on the Budget Board where someone was selling a car and got almost the exact same reply including the part about the check being drawn on a US bank. Other posters said the check would come and be written for an amount in excess of what you asked. The sender would ask you to refund them the difference by Western Union, the check would bounce and then you would be out all the money. I called my parents and told them if the check does, in fact, come not to cash it or destroy it. This morning, I got an e-mail from the person saying the check should arrive today by UPS and that it would be for more than the weekly rental amount. Surprise, surprise! She gave very detail instructions about how and where to wire the excess. She also said the check was 2 days after the date promised because her father had died and she had to make the burial arrangements. But, she is still planning her vacation to Lake Tahoe on Saturday!!!!!
I played along a little to see where it would go. I told her it was too late to rent to her since her arrival was only 2 days away and she never called us to confirm the details. I said we would destroy the check or we would be happy to mail it back. I talked to my dad this morning and the check did show up at their house. It was written for $3800 (the amount of the rental and cleaning fee came to $820). She e-mailed back saying she understood about us not being able to rent to her but she still wanted us to cash the check, keep $200 for our trouble and wire the rest by Western Union.
My husband just sent her a message saying that we would not be cashing the check or sending her any money. He said, "We're independent owners and we have to be wary of scams. I'm sure you understand." We're waiting to see if she responds again or if she knows the jig is up. We also contacting a consumer reporter on our local news channel. We want to get his advice on where we should report this scam. My dad said he would keep the check.
So, if you're selling anything on Craigslist, beware of this scam. I'm sure this person used a fake name and will probably disable the e-mail address and create a new one. My dad said my uncle was scammed out of $200 for something he listed on Craiglist. Our scammers were going for close to $3000! That takes a lot of nerve. I'm sure there's a special in he** for this person!
The other day, I got a reply from a woman who wanted to rent August 8-15. I replied back that it was open. Her next message said she would be taking the week of July 31 - August 7. She never asked if it was available, just said she would be taking that week (which happens to be open). Her message was very specific about sending her our name, address and phone number so she could send us a check. She said the check was coming from her husband's employer and would be a "cashier's check drawn on a US bank." Her messages are full of poor grammar and spelling errors. We sent my mom's name and address and also sent her cell phone number. We said that since her rental dates were coming up so soon, we would need to mail the keys through FedEx and she would need to call my mom right away to discuss the details. She never called.
While waiting for the check, I read a post on the Budget Board where someone was selling a car and got almost the exact same reply including the part about the check being drawn on a US bank. Other posters said the check would come and be written for an amount in excess of what you asked. The sender would ask you to refund them the difference by Western Union, the check would bounce and then you would be out all the money. I called my parents and told them if the check does, in fact, come not to cash it or destroy it. This morning, I got an e-mail from the person saying the check should arrive today by UPS and that it would be for more than the weekly rental amount. Surprise, surprise! She gave very detail instructions about how and where to wire the excess. She also said the check was 2 days after the date promised because her father had died and she had to make the burial arrangements. But, she is still planning her vacation to Lake Tahoe on Saturday!!!!!
I played along a little to see where it would go. I told her it was too late to rent to her since her arrival was only 2 days away and she never called us to confirm the details. I said we would destroy the check or we would be happy to mail it back. I talked to my dad this morning and the check did show up at their house. It was written for $3800 (the amount of the rental and cleaning fee came to $820). She e-mailed back saying she understood about us not being able to rent to her but she still wanted us to cash the check, keep $200 for our trouble and wire the rest by Western Union.
My husband just sent her a message saying that we would not be cashing the check or sending her any money. He said, "We're independent owners and we have to be wary of scams. I'm sure you understand." We're waiting to see if she responds again or if she knows the jig is up. We also contacting a consumer reporter on our local news channel. We want to get his advice on where we should report this scam. My dad said he would keep the check.
So, if you're selling anything on Craigslist, beware of this scam. I'm sure this person used a fake name and will probably disable the e-mail address and create a new one. My dad said my uncle was scammed out of $200 for something he listed on Craiglist. Our scammers were going for close to $3000! That takes a lot of nerve. I'm sure there's a special in he** for this person!
