I contacted our clients to make sure they had not listed the home for rent. This was a rental property for them at one time. They had not. I then proceed to find the "For Rent" listings on Craig's List! WHAT? Our description and photos pulled and used in this bogus scam. After reporting to my local board, I also flagged the listing to be pulled from Craig's List. I also contacted the Scammer as a possible "renter" to see what information I could glean and pass along to our Board, so they could include this information when they reported the incident to the FBI Internet Crimes Division.
Here are the email exchanges:
Hello,Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house. The house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house. Myself and my wife just traveled to Texas with Catholic HEART Workcamp. We will be away for about 4 years. The house is available for rent for short term and long term as we will be moving to our family house when we get back. I was unable to find a tenant before I traveled which I why I posted an ad online. My initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell so never mind if you see the for realtor sign in front of the house, it has already been taken off the market for sale so you will be dealing with me directly. How long do you intend to stay and how soon do you intend to move in?Rental price: $800 per month and security deposit is $800 (security deposit is refundable).Utilities(electric, water & trash) are included in monthly rent.Pets are Welcome.Below is the address to the house : *********************************Get back to me so I can forward you the rent questionnaire I would want you to fill out.Regards.
I followed up with an email asking how I could preview the home? Here is the response to that inquiry:
" I have been disappointed before,by some peoples i trust in the state. So the only person i trust in the state right now that you can meet,has informed me that he has travel to GERMANY for professional course...
SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW:RENT APPLICATION FORM.Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?E-mail :__________?Best time to call :__________?Marital Status:__________?How many proposed occupants :__________?List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?Present Address :__________?City/State :__________?Will you have pets :__________?Please describe Breed, size :__________?Personality of pet :__________?Preferred move in date :__________?Intended length of lease:__________?Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?Earliest possible date of deposit payment:__________?Length of previous tenancy :__________?Present occupation :__________?Are you a section 8 applicantDo you work late night :__________?Do you smoke :__________?Do you drink :__________?Send your picture or family picture __________?Please feel free to ask any questions you do not understand and i will be looking forward to receive your email as soon as possible. As i am not around to show the inside, you can go check out the house and the neighborhood from the outside and get back to me if you really like it for more information. Please respond ASAP.I hope to read from you with more information. Thanks for the time and energy writing me, My regards to your family. For more inquiries, Here is my cell phone number which i roamed so i can receive international calls, call or text me ASAP
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzBest Regards.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
This scam is nothing new under the sun, however it was the first time it had happened to us. After further investigating I have spoken with other agents that have experienced the same. Even hearing a situation where an agent was showing a home, and a man walked in demanding to know why she and her clients were in his house? He had "rented" the home. Well, he had not rented the home, he had been scammed. It leaves us scratching our heads at times wondering how someone could fall for this, but the scammer will instruct the victim to ignore the "for sale" sign in the yard, as you can see from the information above.
How exactly does the rental housing scam work? The criminals search websites that list homes for sale. They take the information in those ads—lock, stock, and barrel—and post it, with their own e-mail address, in an ad on Craigslist (without Craigslist’s consent or knowledge) under the housing rentals category. To sweeten the pot, the houses are almost always listed with below-market rental rates.
An interested party will contact the “homeowner” via e-mail, who usually explains that he or she had to leave the U.S. quickly because of some missionary or contract work in Africa. Victims are usually instructed to send money overseas—enough to cover the first and last month’s rent—via a wire transfer service (because the crooks know it can’t be traced once it gets picked up on the other end).
Renters might sometimes be asked to fill out credit applications asking for personal information like credit history, social security numbers, and work history. The Nigerian crooks can then use this info to commit identity fraud and steal even more money from their victims.
How to avoid being victimized:
- Only deal with landlords or renters who are local;
- Be suspicious if you’re asked to only use a wire transfer service;
- Beware of e-mail correspondence from the “landlord” that’s written in poor or broken English;
- Research the average rental rates in that area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower;
- Don’t give out personal information, like social security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
We would also add this suggestion... if you are in the market to rent a home, contact a local real estate broker to investigate if a home you find is truly for rent. (the agent can also assist in finding homes listed "For rent" in the Broker Listing Cooperative).
Bottom Line! Do your research! Ask a Professional! And if looks too good to be true - it most likely is a SCAM!
