CraigsList scam - beware

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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CraigsList scam - beware

George P.
Real Estate Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes

I have had similar scenarios when selling household items, but the scammers seem to have expanded the area - I was contacted by someone who tries to pull the old CL scam on me. Below is his/her email - landlords beware. (sender [email protected] John Lee)
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Email #1: hello, i would like to know if the property is still available for renting from.johnleechi

Email #2: Hello,With regards to the property I am inquiring about, I will like to get some more details about it, I am currently in Malaysia and am Relocating to USA to check out the best place to setup a new office for the company i work for ( AIA Insurance Bhd malaysia) Menara AIA Head Office, Menara AIA, 99 Jalan Ampang, 50450, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia ), as we are about to open a new office in the state, so due to my non presence to inspect the Property, I will like you to provide me the following  details, I need full details including address of the property and pictures if available for the place. Monthly rentals/security deposits. If utilities is added to monthly rent. When the property would be available. Mail me how much is due at lease signing.I await your response soon.thanks

Email #3: Hello, Thanks for the details on the Property, I am satisfied and will like to go ahead with the renting process, I will like you to go ahead and reserve the property for me.So I will be needing the following information's so that the check payment for $4500 can be processed and posted to you soon.Name:............

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Jon Holdman
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
15y

This is an old, old scam. I've pretty much given up on craigslist for renting properties.

The clue here is "I am currently in Malaysia and am Relocating to USA". Not specific to Malaysia. I've had more where its a doctor and his daughter relocating from England to the US. The scam is that they want to send you a check that includes more than just your money, and they need you to quickly wire them back the extra.

If someone responds to a craigslist ad who's out of your area, its a scam. If you want to try for the rare person who's really relocating, tell them that when they actually arrive, to give you a call and you'll arrange a showing.

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  • Nick Henson
    Real Estate Investor · Long Beach, CA · Member since 2011 · 74 posts · 17 votes
    15y

    Wow! That is a good one. About the only clue is the lack of a phone number or phone call! Thanks for sharing this!

    0Reply
  • Jon Holdman
    Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
    15y

    This is an old, old scam. I've pretty much given up on craigslist for renting properties.

    The clue here is "I am currently in Malaysia and am Relocating to USA". Not specific to Malaysia. I've had more where its a doctor and his daughter relocating from England to the US. The scam is that they want to send you a check that includes more than just your money, and they need you to quickly wire them back the extra.

    If someone responds to a craigslist ad who's out of your area, its a scam. If you want to try for the rare person who's really relocating, tell them that when they actually arrive, to give you a call and you'll arrange a showing.

    4Reply
  • Jon Klaus
    Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    15y

    Thanks for the heads up, George.

    Jon, I've found most of my tenants through CL, including my most recent one in which the out of state tenant and I emailed about 20 times before he looked at it and signed the lease. Yeah, there are a ton of unqualified candidates from CL, too. What is your best current best method of finding tenants?

    0Reply
  • Kyle Meyers
    Residential Landlord · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2010 · 592 posts · 138 votes
    15y

    If they are say they are moving from another country and they don't want to see the property I assume it is a scam. I don't think anyone would ever want to pay for several months rent up front for a property without seeing it first. I get one of these emails almost everyday.

    I wouldn't ignore people who are from out of the area. I have had several people contact me that are moving from a few hundred miles away, they are usually planning to make a trip and take a look at several properties before they make their decision though. The real clue to a scam is the desire to agree to rent a property without seeing it, once they say that I know the next email will ask me to accept a larger check and then pay their interior decorator, mover, security company, etc.

    0Reply
  • Jon Holdman
    Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
    15y

    I find a yard sign generates plenty of calls. And, I know they've seen the place and the neighborhood.

    4Reply
  • Jeffrey K.
    Real Estate Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 671 votes
    15y

    Jon,
    Have you tried not leaving your email and just putting you phone # on the CL ad?

    0Reply
  • C L.
    near Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2011 · 78 posts · 33 votes
    15y

    That email looks just as suspicious as the one trying to locate me to give my $5mil after the King of Desmania died with no family.

    I'm sure most won't fall for that.

    Alarm bells ring real loud any time I have to hand money back to somebody.

    1Reply
  • Jon C.
    Real Estate Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2008 · 74 posts · 14 votes
    15y

    Has anyone actually gotten a check? Can I just cash it?

    I am suspicious as soon as it gets into all those hoops to jump through.

    0Reply
  • Jon Holdman
    Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
    15y

    You don't have to look too hard to find stories of people who have received one of these checks. You can deposit it. Then, a few weeks later the bank will figure out its fake and take back the money. It takes a while with an international check. That's what the scammer is counting on. You deposit the check and it seems to be fine. You withdraw their money and wire it to them. Two weeks later the bank takes back the money and you're in the hole by whatever amount you wired them.

    This is a big scam baiter community.
    http://www.419eater.com/

    This is a hilarious story (ok, in my opinion) of scam baiting from "This American Life".
    http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/363/enforcers

    2Reply
  • Matt R.
    Real Estate Investor · Sunnyvale, CA · Member since 2010 · 79 posts · 53 votes
    15y

    Hi Jon,
    you could cash it - just be prepared for some innocent person (and the bank, and the cops) to chase you up asking why you're making unauthorised withdrawls from their account.
    The big check comes out of a victim's account - whatever you send back goes to the criminal and they're long gone when the cops are knocking on your door.

    0Reply
  • Jon Holdman
    Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
    15y

    Yeah, for sure nothing good can come out of messing with these guys.

    0Reply
  • Jimmy C.
    Flipper/Rehabber · Seminole, FL · Member since 2010 · 859 posts · 316 votes
    15y

    If I had more time on my hands I wou kl d be a scam baiter. 419eater.com is awesome at wasting these guys time, humiliating them and having a good laugh.

    0Reply
  • C L.
    near Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2011 · 78 posts · 33 votes
    15y
    Originally posted by Jon C.:
    Has anyone actually gotten a check? Can I just cash it?

    I am suspicious as soon as it gets into all those hoops to jump through.

    A few years ago, I received a scam check in the mail for $5600. Allegedly, I had won a contest - (that I never entered of course). Instructions were included that said I had to send them money but I forgot the details. The mail came from Canada. But the check was drawn on Commerce Bank, a bank that once had a big presence in my area. I had a savings account at the bank. So I decided to drop by the bank one day to see what was going on.

    I showed the check to one of the reps, she looked up something on the computer, then took the check in to the manager's office. I looked over & noticed 3 bank employees gathered around the computer and staring out at me in a suspicious manner. And I'm thinking "what ?????"

    She comes back and asks me for ID and asked where I got the check from. I asked her "what the heck was going on." I had already told her where the check came from. Then the manager comes out and tells me that the check was fake (naturally) and that the scamsters used the routing number for Commerce Bank's money order department on the check. She said this would slow down the processing and return of the check had it been deposited.

    They stared at me a bit longer as if trying to figure if I was really telling the truth. How stupid. What else could it be if I walked in the bank with the check made payable to me with my address and with an account at the bank? I told her I knew the check was a scam but I just wanted the bank to be aware and try to track down the criminals.

    They took the check along with the letter that came with it and the envelope and said it would be investigated by the fraud department who might contact me for more info. I never heard from them again.

    So even w/o getting any money, the bank was still looking at me cross-eyed. That's why sometimes people are so reluctant to jump in and help these days.

    Can't imagine what would have happened had I deposited the check and withdrew the money.

    0Reply
  • George P.
    OP
    Real Estate Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 268 votes
    15y

    Just came across another CL scam on LetsTalk Property Managers Forum (not affiliated with them):

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    "I am having a very difficult time posting ads on craigslist.com. Any time I have a rental property that I am trying to rent and I post it on craigslist, I am having someone else take my desciption of the house, copy my pictures and post their own advertisement with their information.

    These scammers are trying to rent the house themselves. They reduce the rent and sometimes say the utilites are included. Then they are saying that they were living in the house and then all of a sudden had to move to the UK (England) or they had to move to Africa and needs to rent the house immediately at a reduced price. They are asking people to send them $600 security deposit to hold the house and then they will mail them the keys to the property.

    They even send the potential renters a lease or an application via email. They tell the people they can't show the property since they are out of the country. Their story always changes depending on who they are talking to.

    I am not sure how to stop it, but I think that the next ad I post will not have such a good description of the property. I do have an IT guy that flags each posting, but they post more ads then he can keep up with. I hate to quit using craigslist because I actually do get tenants from it. Does anyone have any suggestions? "

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