I bet your new landlord lives on a different continent. Craigslist is a wonderful place to advertise if you are a property owner looking for a tenant. It's also a good source if you are a person looking for a rental. BUT, BE WARNED! I recently put one of my FOR SALE listings on Craigslist for additional exposure. Within 24 hours, a fraud was committed. A person stole my pictures, was able to get the name of my client (the legal owner) and had it on Craigslist as a rental. When people contacted him -- because the rent he was charging was way below market rent -- he emailed the following to several people:
Greetings! Thanks for your email. The house is still available. I decided to rent the house because we are going to spend more time here in West Africa, about 4 years... Let me start by introducing myself. I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business.. However, My name is (he had my client, the owner's name here), I own the house located at (the address of my listing was here). Due to my job as a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church International, I am presently serving as Area Financial Executive (AFE) with the United Methodist Church in Lagos, West Africa.I am responsible for receiving distribution of funds for various UMC projects in West Africa , and all related works with other mission personnel. my current home is in the vineyard of the Lord in BENIN West Africa.I spent less time in the States so I could not get a hold on any Realtor to handle this rent issue, although it was when I knew how long we are going to stay in Africa that I decided to rent out the house. However, the initial plan was to sale out the House. which I tried, but sometimes the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person (With good credit) that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take it as if it were yours. The rent is $800 and 600 for Security Deposit For this 3Bedroom, 2 Bath Features: Air Conditioning, Dishwasher, Fireplace, Garage, Washer, Dryer, Yard.
Fortunately, when people drove by the home, they saw my For Sale sign and called me. I filled them in on the scam, got the information, and reported this person to Craigslist, the FCC and the Internet Fraud Agency. For those looking for a place to rent, there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there running scams. Here is what I suggest is to check to see if the home is For Sale by typing the address into one of the other property websites (Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Realtor.com, etc). If it's For Sale then it's probably a scam and some jerk stole the information online and is using it for fraudulent purposes. Second, call a Realtor. They can look up the property and verify the owner and the address where the tax bill is sent. If tax records show the tax bill is sent to "Lagos, West Africa" for example, maybe the rental is legit. It doesn't hurt to call a Realtor anyway. They can verify that the home is not in default and headed for foreclosure.
If any landlord asks for your social security number, driver's license or birthday without meeting you, I would just leave it blank and tell the landlord you're happy to give them what's necessary in person. These fraudsters are always out of the country/area and need to do everything without ever meeting in person. Most important, DO NOT SEND CASH OR USE WESTERN UNION...EVER! Good luck and happy hunting!
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