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Craigslist is a popular online portal that allows sellers and private parties to advertise everything from automobiles, homes, furniture and jobs. The advantage of such a big advertising database is that it helps you find listings in your area, but there is a major downside too: scams. Over the past few years, there have been fraudulent activities being conducted via Craigslist, including major real estate scams.
A recent article from Mercurynews.com reports that the police caught two men who were trying to rent out a vacant house, which they did not own. The house in this case was on sale and the men were trying to get a $3000 deposit for it. Luckily, the real estate agent selling the house came across the advertisement and reported it. It is scary to know that the men had even managed to change the locks on the door.
An article published in huliq.com talks about how a real estate agent received a call about one of their listings that was posted on Craigslist. Even though the house was for sale, the online posting showed that it was for rent. A potential renter had even spoken to a lady who claimed to be renting the house out and noticed that the lady had a Texas area phone number while the house was in Maryland.
She wanted the renter to wire her money before even showing the house. This renter was cautious and called the real estate agent to clarify the situation and was told that the house was only for sale. He went on to report the phone number to the police and soon the listing was removed from Craigslist.
Watch Out For
- Posts that sounds too good to be true
- Posts with only images of the exterior, sometimes taken from across the street
- Weird email addresses and content with words like Dear Sir or Madam, spelling errors, references to being away on business and not showing the home until you pay
- Emails or phone calls asking for personal details like your social security number, employment history and salary details to run a background check to even show the house
Be Cautious
- Ensure that the person showing the home is the owner or property manager
- Do not give out your personal information without good reason
- Be alerted if the person asks you to transfer money before showing the house
Make sure you do your due diligence before leaping into a suspicious transaction.