So I have a bedroom I am trying to rent out and I have been getting emails from a woman that claims to be in a remote fishing village in Alaska right now and is moving to Austin. She says they don't have phone service so she cant call me and she wont be able to sign a lease until she arrives in town. In all honesty I didn't really take it seriously because it sounded like a Nigerian prince scam. Usually I want to meet the tenant and explain them the lease before they sign. Make sure they are a real human and feel them out. So she mentions she is going to mail a check for first months rent and deposit to secure the room. I forget all about it because it doesn't sound real. Well I get my mail today and find a check for $5600 from her which is deposit and 6 months rent. I was sort of floored because I've never had a tenant pay ahead like that but it also set off my spidey senses as well. My question is would you accept a tenant that is renting a room sight unseen that you have never met before? Does this sound sketchy at all or just weird?

@Joseph Weisenbloom. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, this a SCAM. One giant SCAM. The way it works is that check is fake. You’ll deposit it, it’ll take the bank a few days or weeks to figure out it’s fake, then the “tenant” (scammer) will tell you they need some of that money back, then if you send them any, they get your real money and eventually the bank pulls the money from that check since it’s fake. Again, one giant SCAM.

Do you actually need to ask ??? Absolutely no way I would even consider renting to anyone I have not personally interview and screened. Would not even consider it. Don't waste your time send the check back immediately.

100% scam. Don’t deposit the check because it will eventually bounce. What will probably happen is, after you deposit it and it appears to have cleared, she’ll say she changed her mind and ask you to refund her. Though she’ll offer to let you keep a small amount ($500-$1000) for your trouble. That’ll sound pretty good until at some point it bounces and you’re out whatever amount you refunded her. It’s a scam. Just ignore her. (By the way, never accept personal checks from anyone for the initial first month’s rent and deposit.)

I’m from Alaska and they have phone service in the villages and this sounds like a scam!

If she can get somewhere to send the check, she can probably get somewhere to borrow a phone. Doesn't exactly seem like an ideal roomie ... Plus, even remote villages have cell phones these days (generally speaking). Have you just said, "Hey, I'm worried about scammers because there are so many on CL. Do you have a FB profile or any other way that I can verify you're a real person? It'll help me get a feel for if your offer is legit. Is there any possible way you can find a way to call?"

This is one of the most classic CL scams, right up there with the cloned listing, the illegal sublet, and the fake database. She'll email you soon saying something along the lines of she has to move to Tacoma instead of Texas now because her Aunt Alice is sick and she has to take care of her. But you can cash the check and keep $200 for your troubles, just please wire the rest of the money right away as she's having a financial emergency and trying to get to Tacoma to see her very sick Aunt Alice immediately! Craigslist is pretty worthless these days, it's outdated technology and should only be used for local, face to face, cash transactions (preferably in a police station parking lot).

Tell her thank you and that you cashed her check but unfortunately you blew it all because you have a 5,000$ a day heroin habit and couldn’t help yourself .

Ask what they are fishing for this time of year. "Alaskan king crab fishing occurs during the fall and winter months. The peak season of crab fishing usually is between October and January, it lasts only for several weeks." Commercial fishing for king salmon in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet will also be closed for the 2019 season (May 27, and June 3, 10, 17, and 24). If she says crab, then maybe she's legit, If she says salmon, it's the wrong season, if she says "suckers' you know where she's coming from. My best buddy in high school worked on a boat in Alaska and could only call home when they were in dock. I bought a couple of houses in Seattle from fishermen who worked the Alaska waters and I couldn't reach them for two or three months a time. You can send a PDF lease agreement by email and she can print it off, sign it and email it back, or she could snap a photo of her driver's license and download it to her computer and email it to you for verification. You could ask her which airline she takes from Nome or Anchorage or wherever and verify. You can call her bank and see if funds are available. I guess I'm showing my age. This seems pretty basic. Anyway, If she is serious and legit, there are ways to see.

Is this a scam or just weird?

Jonathan G.

Investor · Marietta, GA · Member since 2015 · 382 posts · 258 votes

7y

@Scott Lewis

Agree. I would do the same thing . Tell em the check is deposited and then the scam follows except you really have the uncashed check available to send right back to the scammers if they are willing to provide a real address

Is this a scam or just weird?

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