The Craigslist Scam – someone advertised my listing for sale as a rental! HELP!
Hopefully this is not a prevalent scam, but someone advertised one of my listings for sale on Craigslist as a rental! I want to pass along this information should it happen to you.
I received a call from someone inquiring about my $295,000 listing as a rental. After explaining that it was for sale – not for rent – she told me she found it on Craigslist. After receiving SEVERAL calls, I went to Craigslist to verify.
There was my $295,000 listing advertised for rent with MY photos and MY verbiage. What puzzled me was that my phone number was NOT included, but the e-mail address provided was MY Seller’s first name and last name at yahoo.com, i.e., JohnDoe@yahoo.com.
My Seller was furious, needless to say.
The ad included the cross streets and subdivision name, so people were driving to the house and getting my phone number from the FOR SALE sign.
One caller was kind enough to forward the e-mail correspondence with the poster. He, of course, was asking for personal and financial information for a credit application. And he gave a phone number from Nigeria.
I flagged the listing on Craigslist and sent a message. Thankfully, the posting was removed quickly. My Seller contacted yahoo and had the e-mail address canceled.
Most people who called were verifying that this was a scam, because the rent amount requested was $900/month, including paid utilities. Most people were bright enough to understand that $900/month would not cover utility costs and the property tax on this 4,000 square foot home.
What in the world can we do to prevent something like this from happening? I am definitely considering water-marking all future photos. Any other suggestions?
