Craigslist Rental Scam Complaint Reported to Police on Madeline Island
In our Madeline Island Real Estate Blog, we've tried to warn readers about the perils of using Craigslist to advertise properties for sale or for rent. And we also routinely warn consumers about the lack of safety or consumer protection when responding to Craigslist real estate ads.
Now, it appears the La Pointe (Wisconsin) Police Department has posted a warning on Facebook about a rental scam on Craigslist which targets people searching for a place to rent on Madeline Island. [see below]
The warning from the La Pointe police department states that a Craigslist ad is attempting to rent a property on Madeline Island which is currently for sale. According to police, the folks who placed this ad are not the owners of that property.
Curiously, we still see local real estate agents in the Madeline Island and Bayfield Wisconsin area who use Craigslist to post their listings for sale. After all the problems that consumers have experienced with that website, you'd think a real estate brokerage would get the message that advertising on Craigslist is not a wise marketing strategy.
To our readers who happen to own or vacation on Madeline Island, we ask that you spread the word and help someone who is attempting to rent a place avoid a lot of misery. I know it's tempting for a real estate agent or broker to place "free advertising" on a site like Craigslist, but the risk isn't worth it.
And if you know someone in the Aposle Islands area whose property listed for sale is currently being advertised on Craigslist, you'd be doing them a favor to advise them to speak with their listing agent about advertising their property somewhere else.
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