Well, Thesa, you stop it by reporting the person. This person is stealing your identity. I asked some of people who received emails from this scam artist to send me the headers, but I suspect the FBI can get them from Yahoo as well.

Scott: That's a good idea. But any half-witted West African knows you can also do it on hotmail or gmail or a dozen other sites. I'm still getting phone calls about that house. The scammer is telling people it's OK to look in the windows, and that all the furniture stays with the house. (The house is staged.)

Hi Tom: I'm swamped. That's how I'm doing. I'm doing triple buyer showings every day and very busy. Not that I am complaining, oh, wait . . .

Hi Erin: The people who contacted me just put my name into Google. Since I rank in the top whatever pages, it was fairly easy to find me. They asked if I was renting a home that was listed for sale -- sorta put two and two together.

Isn't this market weird now? It's like, hey, buyers have figured out it's a really good time to buy! I haven't slept in 4 days. I was lucky to find time at 4 AM this morning to post a blog. I might be complaining, but I'm not, really. :)

I hear you've been facing some challenges as well. The grapevine, you know. I hope all is well with you!

Thanks, Gene. I have posted it there.

The same thing happened to another agent at my company just last week, so it's been going around. I imagine it will continue. A news report actually said it wasn't considered fraud if a person advertised a home for rent that the person did not own nor was authorized to rent. The reporter said it was fraud only if the person collected rent. I don't think the reporter even stopped to think about identify theft or copyright issues over the photos that these crooks swipe, among a host of other violations.

Hi Chris: I don't believe it's legal to state a preference for a tenant. It most likely falls under the Fair Housing laws. But stating the property must be viewed prior to application is a good way to do it.

Jim: I suspect this is wide-spread fraud. It seems like there is more and more fraud these days, or maybe we're just hearing about it more often. Have you checked those small charges on your credit card statement yet? :) I swear.

Hi Lenore: Yes, Craig's List does take these things seriously and they act right away. Soon as they were notified, the ad was pulled. As for people figuring out it sounded too good to be true, these scams work because they prey on people's propensity for greed. The "what if it was true" factor and I am the luckiest person in the world? At least they smart enough to call me, but I had some call me from the sign and STILL think they were talking to a person who wanted to rent the house.

Darleen: That's the reason I notified the FBI about identity theft. When a scammer sets up an email with YOUR name and pretends to be YOU, that's identity theft.

Billie: Didn't want to give you something new to worry about, but there is always something new to worry about. Just wait a few seconds. Yes, here is something else new. Crooks are also renting out vacant, foreclosed homes without involving agents at all.

Hi Bob: Typically, Craigslist ads expire in seven days, assuming it's a legitimate ad. If somebody else is advertising your home for rent and that person is not your landlord, then you might want to notify Craigslist to let them know.

Thanks, Michelle and June. It never ceases to amaze me as to what the crooks will think of next.

Hi Tony: It seems wherever there is a new misfortune or people in trouble, the crooks are already busy devising scamming schemes. They are doing the same rental scams in Sacarmento with REOs.

Thanks, Aida. I have posted it there as well. :)

Hi June and Dominic: One way you can help to minimize this type of fraud is to set up a Google Alert for your listings by address. Then, you will know if scammers are advertising it as a rental.