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Craigslist Rental Scam

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Craigslist Rental Scam Reports & Reviews (5)

- Columbus, OH, USA
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I was looking to rent a house on Craigslist. I found a house at **** **** **** Dr, Columbus, OH. I received an email from [email protected]. His name is Stephen Dillard. His phone number is 402-337-8939. I filled out an application. He asked me to pay $1670. He said the keys to the place were in FL with him, while he was looking for a new place there. He offered to FedEx the keys to me once I send him the deposit and first month's rent.

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- Yakima, WA, USA
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The Email I had received:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[[ On Tue, Sep 18, 2018, 4:30 PM andy_hopp223 wrote:

Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house. Yes the house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house now that we are not around. Myself and my wife just traveled to Las Vegas NV for a program called SERVING IN MISSION (SIM), you can view the link for more info: (http://www.sim.org/index.php/).We will be away for 3 to 4 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my house for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it. However, my initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell before leaving the States so never mind if you see the for sale sign in front of the house, It has already been taken off the market as for sale so there is no need to contact any Realtor.I want you to understand that I spent a lot on my property that you have requested to rent, so I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and would want you to treat it as your own because cleanliness they say is next to Godliness. It is not all about the money to be paid on rent or spent; it is all about a good maintenance culture which I want you to adopt on the property. I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I would be full of smiles whenever I come and above all, a good, strong and tight relationship between us when I come for a check up. Please one more thing, I wouldn't like to have any benefit of trust in you because I want to stand in your words that the property would be well taken care of all the time. I believe you have seen how lovely it is if from only the pictures you saw in my posting compare to the 100% comfort to be derived from it as you are an occupant. you can reach me at my cell phone number or text me at any time (775) 863-8599

FEATURES : Laundry, Electric Range, Electric Heat, Master Bedroom, Playground, Car Park.

AMENITIES: Air Conditioning, Patio/Party Deck, Cable TV, Ceiling Fans, 24 hours Internet service, Dishwasher, Fireplace,

Garbage Disposal, Microwave, security alarm, Pets Friendly, Refrigerator, Washer / Dryer.

Rental Price: $500 per month and security Deposit is $500 (Security Deposit is Refundable) Utilities included in monthly rent.

Pets and cat are Welcome.

House Address:2404 Fairbanks Ave Yakima, WA 98902

Bedroom: 2

Bathroom:1

SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW:

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?

Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?

E-mail :__________?

Best time to call :__________?

Marital Status:__________?

A Picture of your self if possible______________________?

How many proposed occupants :__________?

List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?

Present Address :__________?

City/State :__________?

Will you have pets :__________?

Please describe Breed, size :__________?

Personality of pet :__________?

Preferred move in date :__________?

Intended length of lease:__________?

Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?

Are you ready to make the payment today :__________?

Earliest possible date of deposit payment:__________?

Length of previous tenancy :__________?

Present occupation :__________?

Are you a section 8 applicant

Do you work late at night :__________?

Do you smoke :__________?

Do you drink :__________?

Looking forward to hearing back from you with all this details so that i can have them in my file in case of issuing your rent payment receipt to you and for contacting you. Your quick response will be highly appreciated so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys of my property to you via Express Delivery Services. May GOD bless you and your family and if you are finding it

Best Regard,

Mr/Mrs Andy Hope ]]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[[ Hello (MY NAME),

At this point we will like to say “Congratulations" We are happy to take you as our new tenant. We are satisfied with your Application and also believe l can put my trust in you in terms of taking good care of the house. We can also let you stay in the House till the period of time you wish to.We will Schedule a good time ,maybe when we are less busy to pay you a visit after you have moved in, to see how the maintenance is.However if you are ready to rent the house now then that will not be a problem but i will advice you to provide the payment for the refundable security deposit of $500 now so i can hold the house for you pending when you are ready to move in, as soon as the payment is been confirmed,i will send the keys and document of the house to you via FEDEX or DHL next day delivery service to your current home address (MY ADDRESS),So you can have access to view the interior of the house asap.Mean while the package will be addressed to (MY NAME) and you can reach me at my cell phone number at any time (775) 863-8599

I wish you best of luck in your Job, from what i saw in your application ,you must be a very responsible and hard working person, may the almighty Lord guide and protect you in whatever you do. AMEN!

Here are the contents in the package that will be sent to you through FedEx or DHL

1) Entrance and the rooms Keys.

2) Paper/Permanent House form (Containing your reference details)..

3) The House documented file.

4) Payment Receipt.

5) Signed Lease Agreement Form (sign on both copies and send one back to me)

I had two tenants who were ready to make 3 months Upfront Payment, But i rejected the offers, because they party alot and smoke in doors ,that was the info i got from their current landlord. So please promise me you are going to take good care of my house. Kindly get back to me today so I will give you instructions on how to make the payment. Please note that the deposit is fully refundable you will love everything about this lovely home ]]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ive asked numerous times for inside pics, and info on w/s/g, rental terms, lease terms... Avoided answering me.

Also asked if they'd come back out this way so I could see the inside before making any decisions, that way I could pay them directly with signed papers for proof... Also avoided those questions.

Now luckily I was only dumb enough to give my address and phone number. Not any legal info.

But I started to feel like this wasnt real, so I Facebook and Google searched for the name Andy Hope. Nothing came up.

So I took a drive to the property today (09/20/19) saw the sale sign, took pics.

Texted him that I went and check out the property. He asked to call me. A poor English speaking man was on the other end. He didnt sound like an "Andy Hope". Which made me eerie. And then texted asking me to send money to his son in NY.

So I decided to Facebook and Google search his son's name. That came up with a few faces.

This is the text he sent me as to where I send money:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[[ Here is my son information for the payment through western union

Name-Oscar khan

State-New York

Zip code-11221 ]]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I googled the guys phone number, which brought me to this sight.

I then did a search for the sale sign's website. Called the numbers on there and found out its a scam.

Which sucks because its a super cute home, but unfortunately I cant afford to buy it. And that did seem like a too-good-to-be-true rental price. But still.... this isnt ok.

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- Marshfield, MA, USA
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Good morning! My name is ... I'm interested in the Braintree rental listed on Craigslist. I'm in need of moving closer to work and so far your listing suits my needs most. I'd appreciate a chance to check it out or at least find out your requirements/costs to move in. Thank you for your time hoping to hear back soon. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/abo/6328339466.html

Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house. Yes the house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house now that we are not around. Myself and my wife just traveled to Anchorage,Alaska for a program called SERVING IN MISSION (SIM), you can view the link for more info: (http://www.sim.org/index.php/ ).We will be away for 3 to 4 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my house for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it. However, my initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell before leaving the States so never mind if you see the for sale sign in front of the house, It has already been taken off the market as for sale so there is no need to contact any Realtor.I want you to understand that I spent a lot on my property that you have requested to rent, so I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and would want you to treat it as your own because cleanliness they say is next to Godliness. It is not all about the money to be paid on rent or spent; it is all about a good maintenance culture which I want you to adopt on the property. I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I would be full of smiles whenever I come and above all, a good, strong and tight relationship between us when I come for a check up. Please one more thing, I wouldn't like to have any benefit of trust in you because I want to stand in your words that the property would be well taken care of all the time. I believe you have seen how lovely it is if from only the pictures you saw in my posting compare to the 100% comfort to be derived from it as you are an occupant. you can reach me at my cell phone number or text me at any time (725) 333-2984

FEATURES : Laundry, Electric Range, Electric Heat, Master Bedroom, Playground, Car Park.

AMENITIES: Air Conditioning, Patio/Party Deck, Cable TV, Ceiling Fans, 24 hours Internet service, Dishwasher, Fireplace, Garbage Disposal, Microwave, security alarm, Pets Friendly, Refrigerator, Washer Dryer.

Rental Price: $510 per month and security Deposit is $800 (Security Deposit is Refundable) Utilities included in monthly rent.

Pets and cat are Welcome.

House Address: 100 Bellevue Rd,Braintree, MA 02184

Bedroom: 2

Bathroom: 2

SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW:

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?

Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?

E-mail :__________?

Best time to call :__________?

Marital Status:__________?

A Picture of your self if possible______________________?

How many proposed occupants :__________?

List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?

Present Address :__________?

City/State :__________?

Will you have pets :__________?

Please describe Breed, size :__________?

Personality of pet :__________?

Preferred move in date :__________?

Intended length of lease:__________?

Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?

Are you ready to make the payment today :__________?

Earliest possible date of deposit payment:__________?

Length of previous tenancy :__________?

Present occupation :__________?

Are you a section 8 applicant

Do you work late at night :__________?

Do you smoke :__________?

Do you drink :__________?

Looking forward to hearing back from you with all this details so that i can have them in my file in case of issuing your rent payment receipt to you and for contacting you. Your quick response will be highly appreciated so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys of my property to you via Express Delivery Services. May GOD bless you and your family and if you are finding it

Best Regard,

Mr/Mrs Lai M Yung

Show quoted text

Evening, so any way we could have a signed document or contract in order to send the security?

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This person is advertising a house for rent on Craigslist. Upon emailing, it becomes evident that the tenant would be wiring money as the "owner" now lives in Texas. The house is for sale, but the contact says he is no longer working with the Realtors and to disregard the sale sign in the yard.

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- Billings, MT, USA
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I was told I had to get my credit score from eFreeScore before being allowed to view a rental home. This is a scam. I had to provide my credit card number and my social security number to this credit score place. It said I could call back to cancel the monthly charge they would automatically bill me every month. I called the provided number and get a recording that it is not a valid number. I then checked online and found others had the same thing happen and reported the same fraud scheme.

~

Subject: RE: Southwest Corridor - Large 1 Bed - 1 Bath

Apartment - 2931- Newer large Side x S

Thank you for your interest in the property listed for rent. You were the second to e-mail from the ad. The first prospective tenant no longer had to move because of his work situation. So we give the opportunity to you. We just completed all new renovations and are currently ready to rent with flexible terms. We will work with you on move in date, lease security deposit and length.

I know that you want the exact address of the property but we do want not to disclose the address before you are qualified. We have had a string of break-ins, squatters and thefts at our other properties. We would like to prevent that with this property due to the renovations that have

cost plenty of money. You are going to be the first to move in with the renovations.

All utilities are priced into the lease along with garage parking spaces. The appliances in the kitchen as well as laundry room were just installed. You have the option to pick your paint color and flooring prior to your arrival When you're ready to schedule an appointment to see the place, then please go to the link below to get your report. All of our tenants use this site because it is widely trusted. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the report. We are not concerned with any negative report items, it's more of a formality to ensure you have rental history. Simply get your report by CLICKING HERE

Do not send me the report over mail, bring it to the tour. We'll waive your security deposit if your score is above 560+. Once you let me know that you have your report ready, then I can personally schedule a showing of the place.

Thanks,

(the email I responded to on the CL ad is different from the email account I received the scam from)

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