He found a listing on craigslist for a furnished house in
the Seattle area. The deal was that the owner lived in Florida and would send
the key when they received the deposit. Once receiving the deposit, the
supposed owner said that they had forgotten to charge another fee, and would my
friend please forward that to them. Then my friend would receive the key. No
key was sent and my friend was out a chunk of money.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), scammers
will hijack real estate listings changing the contact information so they, the
scammers, receive any phone calls or emails and hook their prospective victims.
Other scammers will make up listings will make up listings with homes or
apartments that do not exist or are not for rent. The goal is to entice you
with the promise of a great place to live for cheap. They take your money and
do not deliver.
Often the scammers will say that they are in another country
or another state. And, they will want money up front before you sign a lease or
even have seen the rental. And they want you to “wire” the money to them.
• DEAL LOCALLY WITH
FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam
attempts.
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS
VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks
you to do so is likely a scammer.
• FAKE CASHIER CHECKS
& MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU
RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
• CRAIGSLIST IS NOT
INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee
transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or
"seller certification"
• NEVER GIVE OUT
FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number,
eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
• AVOID DEALS
INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.
• DO NOT RENT HOUSING
WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN - in
all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item
does not exist.
• DO NOT SUBMIT TO
CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET
THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON.
Craigslist web site:
If you are a victim of a rental scam, report it to your
local police agency/sheriff’s office and to the FTC. To report to the FTC go
to:
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