Well it’s happened again but this time it’s worse. At least once a month one of my listings gets scammed on Craigslist.com. This time it was a single family home in North Buffalo, currently on the market for $149,900. It’s located in Olmsted School District, has an updated kitchen, open floor plan, etc. On Tuesday my phone exploded with calls from potential tenants who saw a posting on Craigslist with photos (mine), detailed description (mine) and a fake email address using my owners name. The rent- $600.
You know the saying if it’s to good to be true….??? How soon folks forget.
I “flag” the posting only for it to repost 24 hours later. This time the calls start at 8:30 am and include text messages. I “flag” and go on with my life.
Yesterday morning I get a phone call from a young lady in a panic because she believes shes been scammed on Craigslist- Probably correct.
I begin to tell her her own story. Wild guess, the owner is in Nigeria and is unable to sell the property and would now like to rent it so send $600 and he will mail you the keys-God Bless. God is always a huge part of these scams. Usually the owner is on a call from God in some far away place and all they want is someone to rent their personal home with the same convictions as they do-them meaning the fake owners…. Just love my fake house- God Bless.
This young lady then tells me how convincing they were! Really?
End of story, she MoneyGrams them $600 and fills out an application with social security number and all. She’s screwed. I ask her if she drove by and saw my FOR SALE sign??? She did, she called, she didn’t leave a message.
If it’s to good to be true….
This won’t be the last time one of my listings gets scammed but I sure hope it’s the last time someone flushes a few hundred dollars down the toilet because of it.
My first piece of advice would be to look at any apartment/house you want to rent before actually sending money. Simple. Money is not easy to come by these days. If you are looking for a single family home, call a Realtor. We always have places for rent and we promise to always show you the property before you rent it. Good Luck!
www.BuffaloRealEstatesearch.com <safe, free and honest rental search
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