We recently got a call from an upset seller requesting that the lockbox be removed from her listing, which had just gone under agreement for sale.  Of course, we did so immediately.  But why was she so concerned?  Because - someone had put an ad on Craig's List advertising her home for rent! 

Potential renters called us requesting information on the ad, and one young woman actually stopped by the house, asking about the rental.  This young woman was thoughtful enough to provide our seller with an email she had received when she responded to the Craig's List rental ad.  It had awkward syntax (i.e., "Dearest, I am Pastor Joseph Ebo", etc.), reminiscent of the ubiquitous Nigerian email scams.

It appears that with the ballooning number of vacant homes, rip-off artists have taken to advertising homes for rent which they have no ownership in.  Innocent tenants have sent money to spoof addresses that look like the landlord's, moved into these vacant homes, and paid rent until they became evicted when the homes were foreclosed or sold at sheriff sale.

If you are selling a vacant property, make sure someone checks regularly that no unauathorized persons are in the home!  It might not even be a bad idea to google for rentals in your area, just to make sure there are no unauthorized ads attempting to rent YOUR property.