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Beware of House Rental Scam on Craigslist - IDENTITY THEFT ALERT

Reblogger
Real Estate Agent with SHAHAR Management

 

Courtesy of:

Irene Dorang, TeamIrene.com & ToolsForRealEstate.com

Kirkland, WA

More about me…

Realtor, ABR, Real Estate E-Marketing Specialist

Cell Phone: (206) 335-3335

 

Original content by Tools for Real Estate

From my TeamIrene blog:

If anyone you know is shopping for house rentals on Craigslist, please make sure they know about a scam that apparently has been going on for a while.

It was brought to my attention by an agent in my office whose client had called on a house advertised on Craigslist as available for rent at $2,200 a month.  The client offered $2,000, to which the listing agent replied that the owner would not accept that.

The next day he saw the same home listed for rent at $1,800 a month, but with different contact information.  He called and was told that before he could see the home he needed to fill out a complete application, which it turns out required ALL of his information, including his social security number and driver license number.

The client realized something fishy was up and called the person he had talked to the first time around to ask what was going on.  As it turns out, the home was still listed with that agent and still for rent at $2,200.

The second listing was a fake, created by scammers to get people to divulge all of their personal information by filling out a phony rental application.

Bottom line?  Be extremely cautious before giving out ANY information to people you are not sure are legitimate.  I personally think Craigslist is a great resource and I know they're trying to crack down on this kind of activity, but ultimately it's up to us to keep ourselves safe.

If you know someone who is searching for home rentals on Craigslist, please make sure they're aware of this scam!

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SHAHAR MANAGEMENT

 

Debbie Walsh, GRI, CNE, CHMS, REM | Office (845) 283-3036 |

website www.viewhudsonvalleyhome.com | search for homes

If you are Buying, Selling or Relocating to the Hudson Valley area and need help from a professional REALTOR®, I would be happy to assist you! Please visit my Hudson Valley website for property searches and to sign up for free listing alerts and other information.

 

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Comments (5)

Leslie Prest
Leslie Prest, Prest Realty, Sales and Rentals in Payson, AZ - Payson, AZ
Owner, Assoc. Broker, Prest Realty, Payson,

I've heard of this. Sometimes it isn't for ID theft- they actually "rent" the house and get money from the prospective tenant when they aren't the Owner. WE manage a lot of rentals, and we tell these stories to our Owners as why we DON'T put their rentals on Craig's List.
Leslie

Jul 30, 2009 06:55 AM
Debbie Walsh
SHAHAR Management - Middletown, NY
Hudson Valley NY Real Estate 845.283-3036

Leslie-Wow it is amazing what people come up with.  Thanks Leslie!


Jul 30, 2009 07:10 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

Good post! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you have a great weekend!!!

Jul 30, 2009 09:38 AM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

Debra,

Thanks for sharing this information.  It is sad that people are always trying to deceive someone.

Jul 31, 2009 02:56 AM
Debbie Walsh
SHAHAR Management - Middletown, NY
Hudson Valley NY Real Estate 845.283-3036

Team-Always good to be aware!  You too!

Rich-It is sad...everyday there is something else to be wary of.

  

Aug 05, 2009 08:57 AM