Craigslist Scams Again!

[happily single]

Just a warning to those of you that use Craigslist-The scammers are getting smarter!

I have looked in the rental section several times and several times found rentals that were Waay below market for the rental. I've contacted those "rentors" and of course their names never match the name of the owner per the tax assessor. Also, once the photo on craigslist actually had the mls listing icon, sure enough, the house was for sale.

In any event, I found a house for rent yesterday, sent off the email and received one in turn, in the poorly worded grammar, explaining that he was off doing work in Africa, and that the realtor had inflated the price, and thus it was not for sale. He further went on explaining that I may still see it on the MLS listing. He then gives his name as the owner of the house; sure enough tax assessor records match!@

So, just a warning, these scammers are starting to pay attention and make their offers look more real.

 

[vettegirl]

You should see all the scams out there for cars. It is getting out of hand on that site, but I guess there is no way to regulate it like ebay does.

 

[Robinrs]

No matter how they bait it's up to the consumer to NOT respond to their stupidity.

It's amazing how they keep doing it. The only answer I can come up with is that it must WORK!! Are people really that gullible?

 

[Robinrs]

I found the email of one I found last year :

Hello Dear,


Sorry for the late response!!!!It is a great pleasure that you are interested in my house... Thanks for your email and it is my gladness hearing from you.I own the house you are making enquiry of.I am looking for responsible tenants that he/she is going to take care of the house as if it were your own and he/she will be willing to make the Property clean as we left it.Actually I resided in the house with my family,such as my wife and my only daugther before and presently we had packed due to my transfer from my working place and now situated in the (West Africa Nigeria)and won't be coming to the House until Four years now and that means we are renting the Property for long term and short term lease is also acceptable. and presently my house is still available for rent for $1000 which the deposit is $800 dollars including the utilities like Heat, A/C in wall/window, Hydro, cable, Garbage Disposal, Fireplace , Fridge, stove, Dishwasher, Dryer, Breakfast Bar, Dining Table and Sofa Set,Refrigerator,Canopied deck overlooking nature.,internet access e..t.c .,it is furnished or if u wish to move in with your furnitures no problem..Moreso Now, i went for a Crusade in West Africa.


Pls i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent alot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute mentenance of this house and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken, it is not the money the main problem but want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.i do that once in a while...I also want you to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.I believe its absolutely a perfect home for you and your family.


SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTRESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENTAL APPLICATIONS FORMS BELOW

Pls let me get this answer.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF?

FULL NAME__________________________________________________ HOME PHONE ( ) ________________________
CELL PHONE( )____________________________________
DATE OF BIRTH_________________________________
OTHER PHONE ( ) ___________________
CURRENT ADDRESS_______________________________APT#________ CITY__________________ STATE______ ZIP________
REASONS FOR LEAVING?____________________________RENT $__________PHONE ( ) ____________________________
ARE YOU MARRIED____________________________
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE LIVING IN THE HOUSE____________________________
DO YOU HAVE PETS____________________________
DO YOU HAVE CARS____________________________
OCCUPATION____________________________
IF THE HOUSE IS BEEN GIVEN TO YOU,HOW LONG WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY______________________________
MOVE IN DATE____________________________
HOW SOON CAN YOU HAVE THE DEPOSIT PAYMENT SENT TO ME___________________________
HOW SOON DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THE KEYS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE HOUSE___________________________
You could give me a call as soon as possible so we could proceed asap..



Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you.Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the key to you,please we are giving you all this base on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words,you know that,we do not see yet and only putting everything into Gods hand,so please do not let us down in this our property and God bless you more as you do this.This extraordinary Bedrooms:4 Bath:3



PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR RENT ONLY STARTS COUNTING AFTER YOU HAVE FINALLY MOVED INTO THE HOUSE, SO YOU NEED NOT TO WORRY ABOUT MAKING THE DEPOSIT PAYMENT NOW AND NOT MOVING IN IMMEDIATELY,ALL YOU'RE DOING IS SECURING THE HOUSE IN YOUR FAVOUR IN ORDER NOT TO LOOSE IT TO OTHER INTERESTED APPLICANTS.


PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Ceramic tile flooring, formal dining and living room, separate family room off kitchen, bedroom and bath downstairs, master suite with 2 closets, garden tub and separate shower. Huge backyard with pool and spa.Equipped with full size washer / dryer, frost free refrigerator, gas stove / range, spacious living areas, stylish amenities, plush carpeting.Call Today! .Don't miss this home ! !!Call today this home will not last!pets are welcome. You’ll love living here! Great location,



Bedrooms:4 Bedrooms



Bathrooms: 3 Bathrooms




Approximately 2,850 Square Feet



Parking 2 dedicated



A month rent:$1000



Deposit:$800



Application fee:$0



Pet policyk



Smoking inside:Not allowed



YOU CAN CONTACT ME ON +2348027813636 Or 0112348027813636



Thanks and remain blessed

 

[tink20]

I think that some people are just young and naive. My nephew (19) was looking at a truck (Chevy 03) The guy wanted 2,500 for it. He was in Orlando, 8 hrs from us. The story was he had to go to Iraq and needed to get rid of it. My nephew emailed him he wanted it, that he would drive there and meet him with cash. The guy said the truck was on his base, and he wouldn't be able to come on base. He said he would ship the truck to my nephew, and he would pay shipping. My nephew couldn't ever get the guy to call him. He wanted the money sent by Western Union. Luckily, we (his parents and others) spoke with him before he went through with it. I think he just thought, why would this guy lie? At least he learned this life lesson, the easy way. He worked way too hard to save that money. These criminals should be ashamed!

 

[disney_mommy]

I think these people keep scamming because people keep falling for the scams. Sometimes I can feel sorry for the person, if they are young or desparate. But for most cases, they shouldn't have been so trusting, or should have done better homework. Buyer beware.

 

[Ephany]

I think that some people are just young and naive. My nephew (19) was looking at a truck (Chevy 03) The guy wanted 2,500 for it. He was in Orlando, 8 hrs from us. The story was he had to go to Iraq and needed to get rid of it. My nephew emailed him he wanted it, that he would drive there and meet him with cash. The guy said the truck was on his base, and he wouldn't be able to come on base. He said he would ship the truck to my nephew, and he would pay shipping. My nephew couldn't ever get the guy to call him. He wanted the money sent by Western Union. Luckily, we (his parents and others) spoke with him before he went through with it. I think he just thought, why would this guy lie? At least he learned this life lesson, the easy way. He worked way too hard to save that money. These criminals should be ashamed!

This happened to my (young) co-worker, except the guy was stationed up north and he wanted to sell it cheap to piss off his (ex)wife. At first it was going to be through eBay motors, but for some reason my co-worker agreed to send the money through Western Union instead. I wish she would have talked to people before she did it, but she knew he was a good guy and it was such a good deal.

 

[Carly_Roach]

There was a story on the news last night about a younger woman in Jackson who'd lost $25,000 to scammers who'd called her and said she was a million-dollar winner. Over the course of time they kept telling her that they needed $400 for this fee, $300 for that tax, etc, etc, etc. I guess she kept looking at it as not minding the loss since she thought she was going to be collecting a million. I tried feeling sorry for her. Really I did. But what it comes down to is the basic 'something for nothing' expectation that kind of kills my sympathy.

Those who are most likely to fall for a scam are those who are looking to get something for nothing or something for very little. If you live your life expecting to pay an honest dollar for an honest product, then you're going to be a hard nut to crack for scammers.

 

[pixiewings71]

Here's a response I got when I sent a resume off for a job listed on CL last week.....I sent the resume on Wednesday or Thursday (I thought Friday but after looking it was earlier in the week) and this is the reply I got on Monday morning.

"Thanks for applying. We'd like to interview you!




We're going to need a standard, mandatory background and credit check, which is required of all employees. The background check will be done after the interview, but the credit check can be done by you, at home. Just make sure to bring it in for the interview.




The check must be from a company-mandated source. Many companies have recently adopted similar policies, since credit reports are easily faked.




Click here to obtain your free credit report. Again, this credit report is free-of-charge, completely confidential and won't harm your score. Your history will not be a factor in the hiring decision.




Simply send us the verification number you receive, and make sure to bring your report with you to the interview. We'll set up a time slot for you next week, once we receive your #.




That's it. Let us know if you have any questions. Interviews will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.




Trent Dowager, Manager

All Smiles Dental, Inc.

www.allsmilesdentals.com"

Now, I tried to find "all smiles dentals" and of course no hits, so I searched for "all smiles dental" and found a clinic with that name but not where this job was supposed to be, so I called ASD and asked if they had placed an ad, the receptionist knew exactly what I was talking about and said I wasn't her first call, she also said she wished she knew where to find the listing so she could report it to CL. So I went to my old messages, found the listing and emailed it to her. I just wonder how many others applied for that job, went to the link (which takes you to creditreport.com scam page) and filled out the personal info thereby giving these scammers their personal info. And how pathetic is it that someone would try to steal the identity of someone looking for work......it's pretty pathetic IMO. I'm just glad i trusted my instincts and didn't follow the link in the email. Scammers are all over CL, it's sickening.

 

[Tiggeroo]

I had the same problem when we were looking for a Welsh Corgi puppy. And I agree, I believe they are getting better. They make things look more legitimate. When we were car shopping we got replies like this only they were running the purchase through ebay motors and they gave a link to it which clearly said ebay motors guaranteed purchases and this made it appear as though you were safe to send them money. Although the spelling and grammar are a bit off it is no where near as bad as the old lotter winner scam.