How To Spot Craigslist Rental Scams To Avoid

Have you come across a Craigslist rental scam lately? Here are my tips to avoid Craigslist scams and real estate scams so that you can stay safe. Over the past few weeks, we have been searching for the perfect rental home for us to move into, but sadly we have come across many Craigslist rental…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Written By:

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: March 12, 2024

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Have you come across a Craigslist rental scam lately? Here are my tips to avoid Craigslist scams and real estate scams so that you can stay safe.

Over the past few weeks, we have been searching for the perfect rental home for us to move into, but sadly we have come across many Craigslist rental scams. We found many great homes, and actually signed a lease the other day on one (more information on that to come soon).

Even though we found a rental home, we came across many Craigslist scams and Craigslist rental scams firsthand. It led to us wondering “How do I avoid Craigslist rental scams?”

I only received around 10 emails back from potential landlords and three of those I knew were definitely scammers. There might have been others as well. 

Due to this, I knew I had to create a post on the topic of rental scams for people who are looking for apartments and houses on Craigslist for rent.

You can find rental scams everywhere (Craigslist, Zillow, and more), and many people are duped every single day out of hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars.

P.S. If you are looking for a rental, your credit score can be extremely important. You can check your credit score with Credit Sesame for free here.

Interesting articles on Making Sense of Cents that you may want to read:

How do Craigslist rental scams work? How do rental scams work on Craigslist?

There are cases where the person might not actually be a scammer, but you should be on high alert if you decide to continue through with a potential rental that you are unsure about. 

Hopefully with my advice on renting on Craigslist tips below, you’ll be able to find a REAL rental.

Some scams that you may come across include:

  • Craigslist rental scams
  • Craigslist apartment scams
  • Craigslist housing scams
  • Craigslist vacation rental scams
  • Fake house ads on Craigslist
  • Rent to own scams on craigslist

If you’re wondering if Craigslist rentals are legit – yes, they are! But, you need to be careful. So, before you hand over a check, your credit card, or your driver’s license, please make sure that it is not a Craigslist home scammer that you are dealing with.

Below, you’ll learn how to spot a scammer on Craigslist.

Related: What You Need To Know About Renting A Room In Your House

What happens if you get scammed on Craigslist?

If you get scammed on Craigslist, they may be taking your rent money, security deposit, or even your personal information. Plus, they may waste your valuable time, and you may even be thinking that you are truly moving into the rental property.

This can be heartbreaking, and you definitely do not want this to happen to you.

tiny house interior - Craigslist rental scams

How can you tell if someone is scamming you on Craigslist?

There are a few ways to tell if you are dealing with a Craigslist rental poster. Here’s how to spot a rental scammer on Craigslist.

1. The “landlord” is showing you the home, but do they actually own it?

One of the many Craigslist rental scams I have been hearing about a lot lately is when a scammer seems legitimate and even shows you around the rental. You might believe they are the landlord since they somehow got into the rental, but that isn’t always the case.

Sometimes scammers will break into a back window or even steal the key from the actual landlord so they can show the rental to unsuspecting potential tenants. This can be a huge disaster, as many people will believe the scammer since they are pretending to be the landlord.

Another Craigslist scam I have heard about that is related to this is when a renter moves into a home, pays the deposit, rent, etc., only to find out weeks or months later that the actual owner is at their door. The owner might have been on a long vacation or they might have just let the home sit vacant while trying to sell it, and thieves noticed their absence only to take advantage of the situation. This can be bad as you will have to vacate immediately and you will be out of money, such as the refundable deposit you may have given to the scammer.

My Craigslist rental search tip: Always make sure the person renting out the home is the owner or the property manager.  There are many fake house ads on Craigslist. You can usually do a simple search on who owns the property by looking up city records. You also may be able to call the building’s manager (if there is one) and ask if the apartment is for rent and who is renting it.

2. A rental that seems too good to be true is often one of the many Craigslist rental scams.

This is how some rental scammers try to lure you in and an easy way to know how to spot a scammer on Craigslist. They will create a listing, make the rental sound amazing, offer it at a very low price, not require money upfront, many luxurious amenities for a low price, and so on.

Also, if it says something like smoking and pets are allowed, I would be a little cautious as well. I haven’t seen very many rentals that would just say that upfront unless they were really desperate for a renter.

This is a clue that you might be the victim of a Craigslist scam. If the landlord makes it too easy for you to live in their rental, then you need to be very careful. Scammers are often hoping that someone will be caught up in a “great deal” and come running to them with cash.

My rental search tip: Always do your research before you give anyone money. You should check other listings in the area to see if the rental is comparable and you should also see if the place is actually for rent. In most cases, it is not.

Here’s one Craigslist scam email I received (I actually received this response for two different rentals I inquired about):

How can you tell a scam on Craigslist? fake house ads on craigslist

3. A scammer wants your information or money before you view the home.

If you are asked to fill out a rental application before you view a home, then you might be in the middle of one of the many Craigslist rental scams. The scammer is hoping that you will give them personal information, such as your bank account number, social security number, or something else. They will then disappear once they receive all of this information. This is a bad situation because you basically just gave your identity away.

Also, if you are asked to give money before you are allowed to view a home or see the interior, then something is not right. This is most definitely a scam and you should avoid it. You should never have to pay loads of money in order to just view a home.

My rental search tip: You should always do your research, view the home, and more before you give out any extremely personal information. Occasionally, you may have to give your ID to the landlord, but other than that they should not need anything personal from you just to show you the rental house or apartment. Now, many times the Craigslist rental does for your email address, so that they can contact you. That is fine, simply be safe!

Here’s another Craigslist rental scam e-mail I received. This person sent me two e-mails so I just copied and pasted both e-mails into one so that you can easily read them both:

Craigslist houses for rent

4. The landlord’s email has been compromised – Big Craigslist housing scams!

One scary Craigslist rental scam I recently heard about is when all of the information in a rental listing is correct. The home is actually for rent, the e-mail and phone number are real, and more.

However, when you e-mail the landlord you believe you are actually talking to them. It turns out that you are actually talking to someone who hacked into their e-mail. This can be a scary Craigslist scam as it can be hard to detect.

My rental search tip: Even though this Craigslist rental scam seems difficult, it can be easy to overcome. You should contact the landlord via the phone number that is listed on the real listing and talk to a real person. Then, you should verify everything that was discussed in the e-mails. Most of the time, landlords have no idea that their e-mail address was even hacked.

Related: Phone Scams: The Best Tips To Avoid Becoming A Victim

5. They give you a sob story.

Some rental scammers will give you a sob story in order to make you feel bad for them. But, think about it: why would a landlord need to tell you this at all in the first place?

It’s a business for them.

If they give you some sort of sad story, then it is most likely a scam. Lots of Craigslist rental scammers will give you a sob story such as having to move to take care of family, being forced to move due to the military, or something else.

Don’t believe it.

6. Lots of typos are a red flag

If the email or the paperwork has a lot of typos, then this is usually a sign that you are dealing with a Craigslist rental scam.

So, as you are reading their emails, the home rental application, and more, check to see if there are a lot of glaring mistakes. While the grammar and everything may not be perfect, if there are a lot of obvious errors then I would be a little cautious.

Frequently Asked Questions About Craigslist Rental Scams

Below are answers to common questions about Craigslist rental scams.

How do I verify a rental on Craigslist? How can you tell a scam on Craigslist?

You may be wondering “How do you know if a rental is legit?” or “How do I make sure a Craigslist rental is real?”

There are many different things to be aware of when looking for a rental online. Here are my general tips before falling for Craigslist housing scams or Craigslist apartment scams:

  • Always make sure the person showing the home is the landlord or property manager.
  • If a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
  • If the landlord is trying to push a lot of urgency your way, then I would be wary. For example, if they say that they need someone to move in tomorrow because they are flying overseas, and that’s why they have such a good deal, then they may be a con artist.
  • Be careful with your personal information, so that you are not the victim of identity theft.
  • If anyone ever asks you to wire money, you should not. Most scammers will ask for money to be wired and this should be your first red flag that something is not right. Keep in mind that if you wire money, you CANNOT get it back. Too many people think you can get wired money back.
  • Does the listing and/or e-mail communication with the “landlord” have many misspellings? Does the e-mail refer to you as Sir or Madam? Do they say they are out of the country and cannot show you the home until you pay? Do they claim to be a missionary or a reverend? If any of these are true, then this is usually the sign of a scammer.
  • Does the person never want to meet in person? If you never meet the landlord, then it is most likely a Craigslist rental listing scam. The landlord or their property manager will want to meet you, not avoid you.
  • Do they only want you to peak through the windows in order to view the rental? This is a huge red flag if they never want to meet you and instead want you to only look through the windows. Legitimate landlords will want to meet you and rental ads that state otherwise are most likely fake.
  • Does the Craigslist home for rent seem like a really great deal? If so, you may want to ask yourself why they are offering such a great deal. Real owners don’t think you are doing them a favor. Instead, they see it as a way to make money.
  • Do they mention Western Union or receiving funds via money order? If so, then it may be a scam as scammers love to mention Western Union. You simply want to be careful if they ask for either of these.
  • Are they letting you skip any type of background check? Sometimes there are credit checks, background checks, and so on. If it is too easy to get the rental, then it is probably a scam.
  • Always trust your gut instinct as there are always other places to rent in the world.

As you can see, there are many ways to learn how to spot a rental scammer on Craigslist. There are many fake house ads on Craigslist, so you want to be careful.

Are Craigslist rentals legit? How do I know if a rental is legitimate?

Yes, Craigslist rentals cans be legitimate. I have personally found Craigslist houses to rent (and lived in it) through Craigslist.

Below, you will see how to tell if a Craigslist rental is legitimate or if it is a fake Craigslist ad, and how to spot red flags.

Are Craigslist rentals safe? Is renting from Craigslist safe?

Yes, Craigslist rentals can be safe. You simply need to follow the tips in this article so that you can stay away from Craigslist rental scams and find legitimate home rentals.

Why do people post fake rentals on Craigslist?

People post fake rental ads on Craigslist because they are scammers and are looking for easy money. Plus, some potential renters who may be looking for a new home may be a little desperate as well, because everyone needs a place to live in, of course.

Is it safe to rent a room from Craigslist?

Yes, it can be safe to rent a room from Craigslist. Follow the tips here, and make sure you get along with your potential future roommates.

You also want to be safe on Facebook Marketplace, and anywhere else where you may be looking at potential homes to rent.

What can a Craigslist scammer do with my phone number?

A scammer can use the phone number that you give them to scam others, through Google Voice. I recommend being careful with giving your phone number out.

Someone posted my house for rent on Craigslist, what do I do?

If you have a realtor or real estate agent and your house or condo are currently for sale, I highly recommend contacting them and seeing what you can do. This is because many times homes that are for sale will be listed for rent on Craigslist through a fake ad.

You should also report the fraudulent Craigslist ad to Craigslist. Doing this will help to curb Craigslist rental frauds and help anyone who may fall for the Craigslist rental scam.

You also will want to go to your local police department and attorney general to see what they can do for you as well.

How do I protect myself from Craigslist rental scams? How do I avoid getting scammed on Craigslist?

Don’t give money or any of your personal information (such as your bank account number, social security number, and so on) until you are 100% sure that it is a real rental on Craigslist.

Also, if the person requests money or your personal info from you before you even view the rental property, then I would be careful as well.

You will want to make sure you do your research before you give the person cashier’s checks, a PayPal account, or even Venmoing or sending a Zelle payment to them. Whatever way that they ask for payment, you simply want to be careful and spend your time to make sure that you are not dealing with a Craigslist scammer.

Unfortunately, there are many Craigslist rental scams on the internet which are scamming potential renters.

P.S. There are over 200 comments below (you may have to click “« Older Comments” to see all of them), and many of you have been sharing your Craigslist rental scam stories and screenshots of exact emails. This is a great way to learn how to catch a rental scammer on Craigslist. Let’s continue to help one another out, thank you!

How to spot Craigslist housing scams? How to spot a rental scammer on Craigslist? 

I hope you enjoyed today’s article on how to find Craigslist rental scams. There are definitely many fake ads out there, but do not let a Craigslist scammer deter you. There are ways to learn how to avoid rental scams on Craigslist so that you don’t get scammed.

Instead, I recommend doing your research and being careful before you hand over money or start a wire transfer. You may want to ask locals about a specific rental property, search anything you can on Google to see if the rental pops up for you (such as if you can see any complaints for that specific address), reaching out to a property management company, and more. This is so that you can make sure you are talking to the true owner of the property or whoever works for them.

After all, you don’t want to give scam artists a security deposit, Moneygram, first month’s rent, application fee, cashier’s checks, Venmo, Zelle, or whatever else they want without some verification that it is all real.

And, if a landlord asks you to send over gift cards as a form of payment, it is most likely fake and you are dealing with a Craigslist scammer. I have never, never heard of a landlord asking for a gift card as payment. It can be easy to fall for a rental scam, especially in today’s rental market where there is no rental inventory, which can lead to a lot of desperation.

Also, please be careful and watch out for Craigslist sublet scams. You can use many of the same Craigslist rental scam tips above to avoid Craigslist sublet scams.

But, there are legitimate rentals on Craigslist, you simply need to be careful. This may mean making sure to meet the property owner face-to-face, doing some research on the contact information that you are given, and more before you give a personal check and last month’s rent.

I, personally, have found a home rental on Craigslist and it was a great home. You can find Craigslist apartment rentals, Craigslist house rentals, and more that are legitimate – you just have to be careful.

What Craigslist rental scams and Craigslist apartment scams have you seen or heard about? Have you wondered how Craigslist rental scams work? Have you ever been the victim of any type of scam?

Filed under:

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank

    Thanks for the heads-up Michelle. These are some reasons I never give out personal financial information and I always remember the most important rule: BUYER BEWARE.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, exactly!

      Reply
      1. Amina

        Michelle,

        really wanted to say Thank you!!! for this post and for saving my behind. just got an email for an appartment in Belgium and something felt fishy, after reading your article, it became obvious that the listing was a scam.
        so again, Thanks!

        Amina

        Reply
  2. diane @smartmoneysimplelife

    Wow… The scammers are definitely making life challenging!

    I guess the lessons are to always do your homework and never take anything on face value.

    Looking forward to hearing about your new residence.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, I wish scammers didn’t exist.

      Reply
  3. Kara @ The Daily Whisk

    Getting caught up in any of those scams would be a nightmare! I’m gal to hear you guys found a place!!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Thanks Kara!

      Reply
  4. Holly@ClubThrifty

    That is crazy and sad! Glad you see through all the scams, Michelle! If only people put that much energy into getting a real job.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, exactly Holly!

      Reply
    2. Alex 48

      What do u mean GETTING A REAL JOB? If it was that easy many people would! Get off your high horse lady. Life isn’t all roses

      Reply
      1. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

        I think you’re reading her comment wrong. She’s talking about how scammers need to get real jobs.

        OR, are you saying that scamming is a job and you agree with scammers?

        Reply
  5. Katelyn @ Diaries of a Wandering Lobster

    I love CraigsList but there are so many scams! I tried listing one of my bicycles on CraigsList and I keep getting spammed in return. I always love the Nigerian spam emails/faxes/etc. We got a fax once at my old job from the “Cabinent of King of Nigera” telling us we won a million dollars! Haha!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yeah, it’s truly sad. Someone must be falling for all of these scams or they wouldn’t be doing it.

      Reply
  6. Amy

    Wow – this is crazy and frightening stuff!! Thanks for putting this information out there.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Welcome Amy!

      Reply
  7. Kristin

    Oh wow, those are horrible!! I haven’t encountered anything too crazy (yet) but I have noticed with Craigslist, I feel like I am put on some kind of spam email list or something because I’ll start getting really random emails. I wish there was a better verification process for people who post things on CL!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, there needs to be a better verification process.

      Reply
  8. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life

    I feel like every time I look on Craigslist for housing, MOST of the listings are scams. It’s so discouraging.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Definitely discouraging!

      Reply
  9. Mrs. Frugalwoods

    Ugh, that’s scary and disheartening. I think you’re right about trusting your instincts–I find that usually when something seems like a scam, it is a scam.

    Here in Cambridge, people often use a rental broker to help them find their apartment because of both the scarcity of units and the hassle of wading through scammers on Craigslist. It’s a bummer for the tenant because you have to pay the broker, but, it is a way to find a good apartment free of scandal. Good luck to you in your search!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Thanks! We already found a rental. It’s the only one we liked and the only one we applied for, and thankfully they said yes!

      Reply
  10. Fervent Finance

    I feel that Craigslist can be a scary place for anything of value. I’m always reading in the news and on blogs on someone who was scammed out of thousands on Craigslist trying to rent an apartment or buy a car. Before you shell out your information and money, be sure to due your due diligence. Never buy a car site-unseen. Research property tax records to make sure they line up with the “owner.” No one is going to protect you from these scammers but yourself! Great post.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, all great tips!

      Reply
  11. Adrienne

    I’m pretty sure we got the exact same email that you shared under bullet #2 when we were looking for rental homes out here!

    You are completely right, if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is! One of the rental houses we were inquired about was listed on Craigslist for $500/month, but after doing a simple Google search we found that the house was owned by one of the property management companies in town and actually cost $1200/month. I hope no one else fell for that scam.

    Good idea for a post, shell! Hope this helps others avoid scams in the future!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      That’s sad! I hate scammers!

      Reply
  12. Brenda

    My son and his girlfriend were looking for a house and they received an email like #2, only it did not mention a realtor. When they went to look at the house and saw the for sale sign they realized it was a scam. Thank goodness they had not been roped into anything yet.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      That’s good that they realized it was a scam. So many people don’t figure it out until it’s too late.

      Reply
  13. Michelle S.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  14. Fig

    Craigslist is the worst! It sucks because it;s also a place where legit homes and jobs are listed. You just have to sort through all the crap and be very careful and use common sense.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yup, I agree!

      Reply
  15. Michelle S.

    What an idiot!

    Reply
  16. Christina @ Embracing Simple

    Yikes! It’s so scary how your information and safety can be compromised when using Craigslist. This is a great compilation of what to avoid for potential renters!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Thanks Christina!

      Reply
  17. Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom

    Congrats on finding a new place!

    I’ve never heard of these scams and wouldn’t expect to come across them if I was looking for a rental. If we’re ever looking, I’ll be a bit more cautious!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, definitely be cautious!

      Reply
  18. NZ Muse

    I recently emailed about 2 places I saw on Gumtree (sort of our CL equivalent) and got responses back that were almost identical. Some BS story about being a pastor and an engineer in Africa and renting out the family home – they changed the names slightly but everything else was the same between the two emails. (Looked pretty similar to your screengrab) Sigh. So many scams out there.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, so many scams. That stinks that you’re having the same problem that we did.

      Reply
  19. Stephanie

    I’ve seen the one with the people moving to Africa a few times. It’s weird how it’s always to Africa they go! 😛

    They always say they want people they can trust hence are not in it for the money. This is the red flag!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yup, definitely a red flag!

      Reply
    2. Kristan

      It’s actually funny if you think about it. “Yes, I don’t know you but I need someone I can trust so I’m going to trust YOU, a complete stranger.” RED FLAG for sure.

      Reply
    3. Heather

      Nope, now some of them are moving to Norway! I’ve been apartment hunting in Copenhagen and ran into three scammers just yesterday with French and Swiss names, claiming they have to rent out the apartment because they’ve recently moved in with their families in Norway.

      Since I’m an American I’ve seen these scams hundreds of times before and just politely inform them I found an apartment elsewhere, and that seems to silence them and make them move on.

      I’m beginning to wonder what INTERPOL is for if not to investigate and shut down these international scam offices. It’s international wire fraud. What the H are they waiting for?

      Reply
  20. femmefrugality

    We looked at moving a couple of years ago and no joke got the same missionary email complete with an identical application. Actually, one of the biggest reasons we didn’t move was because I ran into so many Craigslist scams that I wasn’t confident any of the ones I wanted to view were actually for real.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Wow that’s crazy!

      Reply
  21. Squirrelers

    Great discussion of why we need to be CAREFUL and vigilant when dealing with potential financial transactions. I make it a policy to avoid giving people any personal information such as SS# unless absolutely necessary.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, same here!

      Reply
  22. Michelle S.

    Wow that’s sad!

    Reply
  23. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies

    So crazy! And there’s scams on the other end too! We had one guy claiming to be a contractor moving to our area from overseas and his company wanted to rent our unit but needed all sorts of crazy information to arrange the lease. Ummm… no!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      I hate scammers!

      Reply
  24. Barry @ Moneywehave

    Okay I knew there were scammers of Craigslist but it’s crazy how much effort they put into this to scam rentals. It’s actually pretty impressive, but obviously awful.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yep, definitely awful.

      Reply
  25. jp

    yes, be very careful. We own a rental property; we have a property manager that had it listed….someone decided to open an email account in my brothers name (so if you checked ownership, our last names were the same, but he has nothing to do with the house), they use my property manager’s listings (so pictures/verbage matched anywhere you looked…zillow, etc.) and just changed the email and phone number. we found out when a neighbor called and said a couple was trying to get into the house because their key didn’t work. the scammers used the “we are out of the country and need someone to rent”…they even mailed the poor people a key to try (the one that didn’t work).

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Oh my god! That is insane.

      Reply
  26. C@thesingledollar

    Good grief. I’d like to think I’d see right through most of these, but the email hack is pretty scary!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yeah, the email hack is very scary!

      Reply
  27. Kim

    There was big article in our local paper a while back about a family who moved here thinking they had rented a house and found out it was not owned by the scammers. They had already paid their deposit and first month’s rent. Sad story. I guess that’s one reason I’m a little scared of doing anything on Craig’s List.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yeah, that’s very scary!

      P.S. We rented a house near Grand Junction. We will be in Fruita! 🙂

      Reply
  28. Cindy Brick

    This happened to my daughter in Denver, CO — offered a very nice house with low rent, she could move in right away, etc etc. Only the house didn’t belong to the guy who was offering to rent it!

    I’m more concerned with the ‘IRS’ callers who can’t speak English well, and threaten to bring a lawsuit — have gotten two of these now. We got a ‘lawyer,’ too, same threat. I know anyone authentic will send a letter, but still…

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      That is crazy! I haven’t received any of those calls but I have heard about that a lot lately.

      Reply
  29. DEBRA GIFFORD

    Great article and just in time since I will be looking for an apartment this week. It’s really sad that there are so many scammers and we do have to be very cautious!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, it’s so sad that there are so many scammers.

      Reply
  30. Sandy Klocinski

    We were looking for an apartment to rent and while I looked at CraigsList to see if there was anything of interest, I never really found anything that resonated. I am leery of CraigsList anyway because you just can’t ever be sure who you’re dealing with

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Nope, you can’t be sure at all.

      Reply
  31. Jack @ Enwealthen

    Wow. Being in the heart of Craigslist country, I’ve had great experiences with it over the years, but I haven’t tried renting a place in many years.

    That said, the first rule of craigslist is caveat emptor. You always have to protect yourself first.

    Another scam on Craigslist is outright theft. My nephew was robbed when he went with a friend to buy an iPod – supposed seller pulled a fun on them and cleaned them out. You can’t be too careful when doing business with people you don’t know.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Wow that is scary about the theft!

      Reply
  32. Jessica

    Wow that’s some crazy stuff! I think the scariest one is the scammer who doesn’t actually own the property. I can’t believe people have the gall to do such things!

    I’m glad you were able to find a place. Good luck!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Thanks Jessica!

      Reply
  33. Natalie

    Thank you for all the helpful tips to avoid being scammed.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Welcome 🙂

      Reply
  34. Michelle L

    thanks for the tips Michelle

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Welcome Michelle 🙂

      Reply
  35. Melissa @ Sunburnt Saver

    Oh my gosh, I have seen some Craigslist scams in my day, but these are bad & scary! Breaking into someone’s house while they are gone, or pretending to be a realtor?! Ugh, the bad guys have so much free time and creativity on their hands… :-/

    Luckily, they are still dumb – look at all those spelling mistakes and random capitalizations! Also, really? You’re a missionary/in Alabama? That’s one of the oldest scams in the book… suuuuuure I’ll wire you money. Mhmm…

    Not totally off-topic (although I’m showing my poor taste in TV shows), Farrah from Teen Mom got scammed by that “wire me money first” tactic when she tried to buy a car on Craigslist. That was one of my first introductions to the “send me money first and I’ll pay you back the difference” scam!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Haha I remember that episode. I still can’t believe she did that!

      Reply
  36. tanya

    Crazy what people are doing got get money! How sad 🙁 that would be crazy to be living somewhere and the owner just suddenly shows up.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yeah, that would just be horrible.

      Reply
  37. Victoria@ The British Berliner

    Oh my goodness. It sounds really scary. I have never even been on Craigslist and when we were moving house and needed to get rid of some stuff, we announced it to friends and colleagues and not to strangers.

    I have been a victim of a scam as far as I know (touch wood), only the once.
    It was about 10 years ago and I was trying to book 2 flights to Prague using the Czech National Airline. The flights cost €400. I was on their website and put in my credit card details of course, but the page wouldn’t confirm the booking. Hmm. There was a Berlin telephone (I live in Germany), so I called it to check up on my booking. The person on the line sounded weird and wasn’t speaking German or Czech (I used to live in Prague)! I went to Google and looked for the Head Office number and I called them. They told me that there had been no booking and that they had had people complaining about making and paying for flights that didn’t exist. They gave me some info as to what to check for on the flight page. It wasn’t there. It was a scam website!

    I became worried so rang my bank to block anyone trying to take the money from my card for the so-called Czech flight. They did, and my €400 was returned. Phew!

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Wow crazy!

      Reply
  38. Barrie

    Honestly, it would never enter my mind to look at Craigslist for an apartment or house. Just never thought of it. I don’t use Craigslist as I’ve heard many issues with it.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yes, there are many issues with it.

      Reply
  39. robyn donnelly

    I don’t mess with craigslist just because it is a large scam overall. There are free things on there but I don’t bother with it.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Yeah, you have to tread carefully on the site.

      Reply
  40. Jerri Lyn

    I used Craigslist to look for rooms to rent in a larger home. So one other thing I would add is to check the local court records.

    I later very painfully found out that I was the 23rd person in two years that the land”lady” took to court! She even filled out paperwork to make it look like she was taking me to small claims and I took time from work to attend the hearing but she never filed it! She was just making my life a living hell.

    Reply
    1. Michelle S.

      Wow that’s something I will have to do!

      Reply
  41. nicole dziedzic

    Craigslist is where a lot of scam artist thrive, I have heard so many stories of ppl. getting scammed out of a lot of money, especially people who buy cars on there, apparently people are selling stolen cars too using fake titles.

    Reply
  42. April

    A few years ago we were moving out of a rental and people kept showing up to view the house without an appointment. I was beginning to get mad at the realtor handling the rental when a friend came across a fake Craigslist ad for the house. They used all the photos from the real ad. Only difference was the contact information and price.

    Reply
  43. Eddie

    This is why everyone should use a professional when searching for rentals. All properties are 100% no scam. You are also using legal paperwork. Most people are not aware that here in VA for example owners are now required to disclose tax issues, bankruptcy,foreclosures. When you go direct to an owner or possible owner if it’s not a scam there is no requirement to disclosure. Most don’t even have the lead-based paint disclosure that is legally required on all properties built prior to 1978. I’ve been in the business for 30 years. It is amazing to me that people still use sites like Craigslist to find rentals. All of the big commercial sites are loaded with scams also. Take away>>>>Use a professional.

    Reply
  44. Stacy

    Thank you for the tips. Found a rent to own home that looked ugly on the outside but the pictures of the inside were amazing, 4 bedroom 2 full bath for just 750. But the pictures showed 3 bathrooms, 2 were almost identical but one had a partial wall separating the shower from the room. I emailed the “sergeant” and he told me he is NY for the next 4 years and he’s “new ” to this landlord business. He wants 2300$ for a deposit and “all money goes towards the purchase of the house”. There’s red flags all over the place.

    Reply
  45. Kristan

    You REALLY need to list this scam… because it’s ALL I seem to be encountering.

    You respond via email to an ad for an apartment for rent. This is the email I get back:

    Hi Kristan,

    Good to talk to you. The unit is here still to rent. We thought we had the unit leased to someone that we gave a walk-through to today, but now it seems that they are no longer needing to move, so we need to keep searching. You were the 2nd one to e-mail to me about the unit.

    I bet you want the address of the property, but my husband doesn’t want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, it was broken into and ripped up. As you can imagine, we want to avoid that! That is why we require you to confirm you recieved your most current credit report before we setup a walk-through.You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. For the FIRST time, we are allowing pets at this property. The rental term is one year, but can be switched into a half year term if preferred. We just ask that you give us fair notice if you are moving out.

    When you’re ready for a personal appointment, then please go to the link below and grab your credit report. We use this site since it’s it gives you 3 scores. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the report. We aren’t interested in specifics of your score, 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 also waive your security deposit if we see that your rating is above 600+.

    Please let me know when you grab your report. I can then schedule you for a showing of the place.

    See you soon,
    Katherine Smith
    *********************

    So… the bottom line is they want you to go to this site and order a credit report… then they never call you. I knew it was a scam the first time I saw it and I never did it… but it really annoys me to no end that it seems like every place I look at, it’s these same scammers.

    What really bothers me is that the company you would order your credit report from is clearly giving these people a kickback because they have varying referral links that identify who they are with the company and if you order the credit report, they get paid for that referral. Actually, it’s probably more like when you forget to cancel your *free* report that they hit you for a $30 charge… because most people don’t read the fine print.

    Anyways… BEWARE people. You have to be smarter than the scammers.

    Reply
    1. Ria Alex

      This is crazy. I found some apartments that seemed great and I emailed the “owner”. I kept searching and noticing all of these great apartments for very cheap. I clicked on them and I realized they were all by people with 3 names(a first, middle, and last name). Its rare for people to post their very FULL name online, maybe first and last but not full. The apartments were all newly renovated and had almost all of the same amenities. They were 1 bedroom 2 bathroom apartments. Why 2 bathrooms I don’t know. Maybe that’s the norm where there from.So I went online and started looking for rental scams. Right as I was looking I received that same email you got but with a changed name. I kept looking because I really wanted to believe this was one of those GEMS, but then as I kept searching for more info on scams I came across another person who had gotten that email. I must admit their stories get more creative as the years go by, but you can almost ALWAYS catch a scam before it’s too late. Never ignore the red flags!

      Reply
      1. Eric

        Its not March 2016, and every house I’ve emailed about on CL I have gotten this same scam email, each with slightly different verbiage. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. I’m talking like 20 in the past couple of weeks. F*** CL, not doing it anymore. I haven’t even clicked on their link, not worth it. I replied to a couple at first, but they just bounced back. CL is like the ghetto of the internet.

        Reply
  46. Abdullah

    I was about to get scammed…luckily some thing click to mind I start searching and found out…the guy has multiple ads on craigslist with same ID…. he was saying he live in USA and he is trying to rent out his property in Canada while I was inquiring more about payment and keys and rental agreement he is like fill out the forum and send money thru western union and I will send you the keys and the paper work in mail…it does not feel right to me so stop the conversation right there.
    This was the email ID mazaherimarjanrentalpeoperty @ hotmail.com

    Reply
  47. Nayelli C

    Thanks for this article, we just avoided a big time scam and we notified the people living in the home.

    Reply
  48. Aaron

    Unfortunately I became the victim of one these rental scams today, and mine just so happened to be an individual that said he and his wife were moving back to Nigeria and were going to be renting they’re property out. Since I am in a situation of trying to find a nice home for my family and I, I went with it, until I started picking up subtle clues like his name not showing up on property history and that since he was supposedly in Nigeria now he was calling me and texting using a number that began with a 313 area code(Michigan). Unfortunate, my bank is trying to help me dispute this so that I can reclaim my hard earned money. This is the email I received.

    Hello,

    Thanks for your interest.I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business,My name is Fred Mitchell,I got a 3 Years contract to work with a major printing firm in West Africa and that is the main reason why am renting out my house out ,I came over with my lovely wife because of the love I have for her and we shall be staying for at least 4 to 5 years before coming back to the state,i made up my mind to sell the house until my lovely wife advised that we keep it for future purpose. right now we are renting and not selling but we would like to leave it into a good hand.the house is currently vacant and locked while I’m seeking to find suitable , responsible couples , single or Student and if i may ask how long are you willing to stay ? . The house is furnished with all the necessary equipment and appliances and its inclusive all the bills too. The home is located at (808 Audubon Cir,North Augusta, SC 29841).Don’t be surprise if you find the home with another site and deference price, I have plan to rent it through Real estate before, but they are not serious simply because they have a lot of house to lease out and they added some money to the rent while there commission is not fair.We were not getting the responses we needed so i decided to terminated our contract with them and put it up for rent ourselves.If you notice, you will discover that the price we are offering is far below standard price and this is enough for you to know that we are not after the rental fee but the absolute care for the property.The house is available for as long as you want.

    We offering the latest in contemporary features, including a spacious bedroom with an oversize walk in closet and large bathroom. The home as a Bathroom and Toilet , with a Kitchen. The kitchen Appliances-including, fridge / freezer and a dishwasher, four burner gas hob with an oven are present.The home has refrigerator and garbage disposal, kitchen and the site of the laundry, screen door that slipped of order in the lateral entrance.Newly renovated and we have each convenience that you could always wish.

    Please if you are ready now to occupy the house kindly provide the information below for record purpose..If you are interested in renting my home then answer the question below

    RENTAL APPLICATION FORM

    Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?
    Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?
    Marital Status:__________?
    How many proposed occupants :__________?
    List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?
    Present Address :__________?
    Will you have pets :__________?
    Please describe Breed, size :__________?
    Personality of pet :__________?
    When do you plan to move in, please write exact date?
    Intended length of lease:__________?
    Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?
    If you are ask to make a down payment to secure the house today and take it off market, How much will you be able to pay:__________?
    Length of previous tenancy :__________?
    Present occupation :__________?
    Are you a section 8 applicant
    Do you work late night :__________?
    Do you smoke :__________?
    Do you drink :__________?
    A picture of occupant________________?
    How soon do you want to receive the keys/documents________________?

    TERMS AND CONDITION:

    ~The lease is for long and short term , from 2 month or 1yrs and can be renewed
    ~It can be rented furnished or unfurnished.
    ~ You will have to take good care of my house
    ~Utilities are included in the rent
    ~Pets Allowed

    Attn : I’d have actually left it vacant, but my wife advised that I must rent it out. It’s 3 bedroom & 2 bathroom, furnished, electricity, water and Parking space are included in the monthly rent. The rent, which includes all utilities is $720 per month. A Refundable damage deposit of $720 will be paid alongside the rent before you move in. I will like you to tell me about yourself because I am interested in knowing your capability of funding the rent and taking care of my house.Please make sure this questions are filled correctly because the best way you answer with your comment will impress me the more to accept your application.I await your reply

    You can contact at: (313) 855-5817 you are also free to text me.

    Thanks and best regards
    Fred Mitchell

    Reply
    1. Amd

      Thank you thank you thank you for posting this. I got an email woth the same application, but different name, contact info, and location. Even the prices were around the same. Of course, the wife always suggests to rent it though, huh.

      Reply
  49. Robin Patton

    Holey crap! I found a house for rent on craigslist and emailed the owner. we have been emailing back and forth. his house is for sale and it checked out with the county assessors (names matching). I provided him with my work info, several references, employer name, an current rental address. I decided to try to safe guard against being scammed. I have not sent any money. I found this site and my jaw dropped when I saw #3. His listing was almost word for word!! wow. He has no Idea yet that I am now on to him. I am worried now that he has mine and my references contact info. No bank account #s or social security numbers THANK GOD!! Do I need to report it to the police? Who else should I report it to? I hate people who scam!

    Reply
    1. Deborah Annette Eubans

      This JUST happened to me. What did you do?

      Reply
      1. angelia mcghee

        wow i got the same email but when they asked for money i new it was a scam

        Reply
      2. T.F.

        I recently have also been messaging back and forth with a scammer, no money was sent, specially after “the owner” called me and forgot he described himself as female in the emails lol. I have provided an email and the joke of the contract they sent me, maybe they should be included in this article to help others avoid these people.
        ——–
        “We will be away for Four years or more that is why We have made up Our mind to put up Our house for rent to whomever that will take good care of it. However, Our initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for Us to sell before leaving (Colton, CA) So you ignore the sign post because We have stop dealing and contacting the Realtor for too much fees We paid and the Realtor was trying to rip Us off.

        We have a cordial relationship with the neighborhood as it is a neighborhood where,everyone keep to themselves go about their business without interference from anybody and we expect that as you move in.

        We left behind some Facilities and electronics which include the rent, and a DVD player, air conditioning, alarm system. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils, a refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and oven, microwave,dishwasher and washing machine, My Computer Connected with Internet Access Also the keys to the House are right here with me, and the house documents. Which I can send to you after all necessary agreement has be accepted. Also I will like you to know that the rent charges is not really the issue ,but your absolute maintenance of my House is most important thing

        HOUSE DESCRIPTION:
        Property type: Single-Family Home
        Address:458 W L St, Colton, CA 92324
        Bedroom: 2
        bathroom: 1
        Monthly Rent: $800
        Security Deposit: $800 (Security Deposit is Refundable)
        Utilities included in monthly rent
        Pet: Accepted.

        SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT

        APPLICATION FORM.

        RENTAL APPLICATION FORM

        FIRST NAME: __________________
        MIDDLE NAME: __________________
        LAST NAME: __________________
        PROFESSION: ________________
        PHONE (____) __________ (WORK)
        PHONE (____) __________ (CELL)
        THE BEST NUMBER TO CONTACT YOU ON__________?
        ATTACH ID CARD
        MARITAL STATUS: _________
        KIDS _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________?
        PRESENT ADDRESS: ___________________________
        CITY: _______________
        STATE: ______________
        CURRENT RENT: _______?
        HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING? ____________
        HOW SOON DO HAVE THE DEPOSIT AND RENT ?
        HOW SOON DO YOU INTEND MAKING THE PAYMENT?
        WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN? ______________?

        *PETS*
        IF YOU HAVE A PET,
        NAME OF PET: ______________
        KIND OF PETS: _____________
        WEIGHT: ___________________
        HABITS
        DO YOU SMOKE? ______________
        DO YOU DRINK? ______________
        DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT? ____

        I CERTIFY that answers given here in are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize investigation of all statements contained in this application for tenet screening as may be necessary in arriving at a tenant decision. I understand that the landlord may terminate any rental agreement entered into for any misrepresentation made above. you can bring in your stuffs and items, only inform me about your move in.

        Please make sure this questions are fill correctly because the best way you answer with your comment will impress me the more to accept your applications.I know you would want to see the house before making any kind of rental payment , which is understandable.We can make arrangement for the keys and documentation including an Authorization letter to be shipped to you, this will give you the opportunity to view house.

        Please get back to me today with a reply, You can contact me:+1(702) 751-4326

        Best Regard

        Lawson May & FAMILY”
        _____________________

        “LEGAL RENTAL AGREEMENT FORM
        Residential Lease

        • PARTIES.
        APPROVED

        Landlord Name: Lawson May
        ADDRESS: 458 W L St, Colton, CA 92324
        Tenant Name: —
        ADDRESS: —

        • to tenant as long as the premises is left in good conduct, landlord must have receive the total payment of $800 before the tenant receive the keys and the documentations of the house.
        APPROVED

        LATE CHARGE. Tenants shall pay a late charge of 5% of any rental amount not received by Landlord at the above address by 5:00 pm
        TERM. The term of this tenancy shall run from MOVE IN DATE till tenant decides to move out from the house, this lease is year to year lease tenancy.

        • RENT. Tenants shall pay a sum of $800 for security deposit which shall be refunded back
        • .m. on the fourth day after the date the rent is due. (If rent is due on the first, a late fee will be assessed if rent is received by 5 p.m. on the fifth.

        • SECURITY DEPOSIT. Landlord has acknowledged that he is going to receive the sum of $800 refundable security deposit. Landlord may, as allowed by law, deduct from the security deposit the amount of damages incurred by him due to Tenants’ breach of this lease. Tenants are not entitled to have the security deposit applied to late or unpaid rent, after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession (including return of all keys), Landlord shall return the unused portion of the security deposit.

        • MOVE-IN CONDITION. Landlord shall provide the first Tenant to take possession of the premises with a “Move-In/Move-Out Condition Report” form. That Tenant shall complete the form and return it to Landlord within five days. Unless Landlord objects within five days of his receipt of the completed form, the report shall be deemed conclusive evidence that the premises are as described in the report.

        Landlord shall deliver the premises and all common areas to the Tenants in a clean, safe, and habitable condition, free of pests and visible mole, with all smoke detectors installed in the premises in proper working condition.

        • POSSESSION. Landlord shall be ready to deliver possession of the premises to Tenants at the start date of the tenancy. Landlord shall be responsible for having hold-over tenants evicted. Rent shall abate until Landlord is able to put Tenants into possession but he shall not be responsible for any other damages to Tenants unless Landlord’s failure was will full, in which case Tenants’ remedies shall be in accordance with law.

        APPROVED
        If Landlord is unable to deliver possession due to circumstances beyond his control, he shall have ten (10) days to remedy the situation and put Tenants into possession. If he fails to do so, Tenants may immediately terminate the lease and recover all prepaid rent and deposits. If Landlord is unable to deliver possession due to his or his agent’s fault, Tenants may choose to both give the Landlord ten (10) days to remedy the situation as above or immediately terminate the lease and recover all prepaid rent and deposits.

        • SUBLEASES & ASSIGNMENTS. Tenants shall not sublease or assign this lease without the prior, written permission from the Landlord. Landlord shall not unreasonably deny permission to sublease or assign.

        • USE OF PREMISES. Tenants shall not permit any other persons to occupy the premises. For purposes of this agreement, “occupy” is defined as residing, living, or staying on the premises overnight for more than seven nights in a row or for more than fourteen nights in a twelve-month period.

        Tenants shall use the premises only as a residential dwelling. Tenants shall not use the premises or permit any guests to use the premises for any unlawful activities or to unreasonably interfere with the rights, comforts, or conveniences of their neighbours or other Tenants. Tenants shall not host any party or gathering of more than fifteen (20) people at any time.
        APPROVED

        • LANDLORD’S RULES. Tenants acknowledge receipt of Landlord’s Rules. Tenants shall comply with all written Rules provided to the Tenant. Landlord may, with reasonable written notice to Tenants, modify these rules as allowed by law.

        • LOCKS, KEYS, & PEEPHOLES. Even if no local ordinance requires it, Landlord shall provide locks and peepholes Tenants shall not change or add any locks on the premises without immediately providing duplicates of all keys to the Landlord. Landlord shall issue to each Tenant one set of keys to the premises and mailbox. Upon Tenants’ surrender of the premises to Landlord, each Tenant shall return to Landlord all keys issued to him as well as all copies. If Tenants fail to return all keys, Tenants shall pay the cost of making replacement copies or replacing the locks, at Landlord’s option.

        • RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. If rent is unpaid when due, and Tenants fail to pay rent within five days after written notice is served notifying the Tenants of the non-payment and of Landlord’s intention to terminate the lease if the rent is not paid within the five-day period (i.e. within five days of service of the “Five Day Pay-or-Quit Notice”), the landlord may terminate the lease and proceed to obtain possession of the premises in accordance with the law. Acceptance of rent after the five-day period shall not act as a waiver of Landlord’s rights and Landlord hereby reserves all rights to receive payment of rent after the five-day notice and proceed in court for possession of the premises and all other remedies allowed by law.

        • PROPERTY DAMAGE & MAINTENANCE. Tenants shall promptly notify Landlord of any defects in or damages to the plumbing, sanitary, electrical, gas, heating, or cooling systems as well as any leaks in the roof or evidence of structural damage. Tenants shall not repair these defects or damages without obtaining the prior, written permission of Landlord, which Landlord may reasonably refuse; however, Tenants shall take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage.

        APPROVED
        Tenants shall pay Landlord’s reasonable expenses for repairing damages caused by Tenants and their guests, reasonable wear and tear excepted. Landlord shall present a written, itemized bill with copies of receipts for material and outside labour before demanding payment. Landlord shall not consider payment as being late until fifteen (15) days after presentment of the bill.

        Tenants shall ensure the lawn is mowed at least once every two weeks during January through February and in no case shall Tenants allow grass and weeds to exceed six inches in height at any time during the year. Landlord shall be responsible for all other yard maintenance and for having the gutters cleaned.

        • DEATH. If a Tenant dies during the tenancy, any of the surviving Tenants or the executor or administrator of the decedent’s estate may terminate this lease by giving thirty (30) days written notice to Landlord and the other Tenants. Termination under this clause does not relieve the surviving Tenants or the estate of the deceased from their liability to pay all rent and charges owed through the date that Landlord is put in possession of the premises.

        • EXTENDED ABSENCES & ABANDONMENT. If all of the Tenants will be absent from the premises for a period in excess of ten (10) days, Tenants shall give Landlord advance, written notice of the absence. If Tenants fail to do so, Landlord may consider the premises abandoned and avail him of all lawful remedies.

        • MOVE-OUT INSPECTION. Tenants may request to be at a move-out inspection to be held within seventy-two (72) hours of Tenants’ delivery of possession to Landlord. If Tenants wish to be present at such an inspection, they shall give Landlord written notice two weeks in advance.

        • APPROVED
        • UTILITIES. Landlord shall maintain all the utility charges such as Heat, water, sewer, gas, and electrical utility service at the premises starting on or before the start of the tenancy and until possession of the premises is returned to Landlord. Tenants shall ensure that the heat is maintained at a temperature sufficient to prevent freezing of pipes during cold periods.

        • PETS. After providing written notice to Landlord and paying any pet deposit required herein, Tenants may keep one aquarium with fish up to 100 gallons and one cat. Tenants shall keep any other pets if he/she wishes to.

        • JOINTLY AND SEVERAL LIABILITY. All Tenants shall be jointly and severally liable for all Tenant obligations (rent, damages, and other). The Landlord may collect the entirety of any damages from any one or all Tenants, no matter which Tenant is actually responsible.

        • INCORPORATION & MODIFICATION. This Lease is the complete and entire agreement between the parties and all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, have been incorporated herein. It may only be modified or amended by executing another written document signed by all parties or their authorized agents.

        • SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this lease are severable, and if any part of the Lease is held illegal, invalid, or inapplicable to any person or circumstance, the remainder of this lease shall remain in effect.
        APPROVED

        • CONDITION. This lease is conditional on being signed by all parties named on page 1.

        We, the undersigned, hereby represent that we have read this entire lease and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.

        Landlord: Lawson May Tenant:

        Tenant Signature
        Date: 06/10/2017

        APPROVED”

        Reply
        1. JJ Malone

          Received a similar email today with the same phone # (702) 751-4326 for an ad for a townhouse in Hugo, MN. The poster for that one goes by Michael Hagglund with an email address of plsz.own@aol.com.

          Reply
          1. Kai Carter

            Yes, I just had the same scam saying they’re in Turkey for a mission for 4 years the email is almost identical to the one that is above and that the same phone number. I just called them out on it though cuz I said why would I need to send money to Turkey if you are only visiting you should still have financial institutions in the states and I just asked him who’s the name of the person to showing as the realtor was to them. I noticed slip-ups in the email the email wasn’t making much sense words weren’t used in the proper context, and he would slip up and call himself Laura but then refer to his wife either he’s a lesbian or you just called yourself a man.

            Reply
    2. Nan

      I gave out my name and add. Is that bad but no money HELP

      Reply
      1. glen

        I gave out my name, add, and a picture of myself. Lol HELP

        Reply
    3. Khang dang

      Lol, same thing’s happening to me
      A guy who’s reting me an apartment has everything was mentioned.
      Big red flag.
      Be aware guys!!!

      Reply
  50. James

    My wife and I are looking for an apt in St. Louis. While searching we came across a listing on Craigslist advertising, 1000 soft 1 bedroom, 1.5 bath, washer/dryer, Internet/ cable included and a 2 car detached garage for $600 per month. 1st of all I drive around St. Louis all day for my job and the area described is all big commercial. When I emailed and asked for a more accurate address, I got back a “canned” response not mentioning an address just that they needed us to fill out a background check ourselves @ $30.00 each on a site they provided the link for, before they show the property. Didn’t receive any more response.
    Two days later we see the same ad listed, but br a different email. We got back the same form letter requesting background check. I sent I didn’t have a problem doing the background check but after we looked at the apt. Haven’t heard anything back.
    I drove past the area just to make sure I didn’t miss something, but no. There wasn’t any housing within a 4 block area of the intersection they advertised and not anywhere $ they were wanting.
    Make sure to do some digging before you commit to anything. In this case knowing the area set the “bells off” in my head and saved us from a potential ID scam.

    Reply
  51. Kylie

    I was wondering if anyone here could help me tell if this is a rental scam. I found an insanely cheap 2 bedroom in Manhattan on Craigslist. I replied to the post and the email I received back was from someone with a different name and email address than was listed on the post:
    “Hi Kylie,

    Great to speak with you. The unit is here still to rent. We thought we had the unit leased to someone that we gave a walk-through to today, but now it seems that they can’t get out of their current lease, so we need to keep searching. You were the second one to contact me.

    I am sure you want the address of the place, but my husband doesn’t want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, it was broken into and ripped up. As you can imagine, we want to avoid that! That is why we require you to confirm you recieved your updated credit report before we setup a tour.You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. For the FIRST time, we are allowing pets at this property. The rental term is 12 month lease, but can be switched into a 6-month term if preferred. We require one month notice before moving out, as a courtesy.

    When you want to come look at the place, then please visit the link below and grab your credit 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 aren’t interested in specifics of your score, it’s more of a formality to ensure you have rental history. You can 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+.

    Please let me know when you grab your report. I can then schedule you for a showing of the place.

    Thanks again,
    Sherry Wright”

    It doesn’t have a lot of the factors I’ve seen people mention, but there are a few red flags.
    Help!

    Reply
    1. Kylie

      ….Nevermind…I just read the same email in an earlier comment….
      Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Kelly

      Omg I got the same email yesterday!!!

      Reply
  52. Andrew

    Question – Could capitalization in your craigslist search identify scams? For instance, I searched my city, both words lower case, and 12 legitimate-looking postings came up. But with I capitalized the words, 12 more appeared. 12 that were much cheaper & nicer than the others. None of them gave their addresses and only a few showed pictures. When I messaged one of the location, they responded by asking me to fill out a credit check which I absolutely did not. This whole capitalization thing has me curious. Do you know anything about it?

    Reply
    1. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

      Hey Andrew! Sorry, I do not know. You would think that proper capitalization would mean legitimate posting, not fakes ones. Interesting!

      Reply
  53. Dolce

    How can I tell if an apartment listed in Rome, Italy on craigslist is a scam or legit? I am hoping to move to Rome and I need a really cheap apt.

    Reply
  54. Dolce

    I am interested in an apt.in Rome, Italy I saw on Craigslist. The landlady is asking me to send her a depost to airbnb. That sounds legit to me. Is it?

    Reply
    1. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

      Is the Airbnb account verified?

      Reply
    2. Erika

      This is clearly not relevant to you anymore, but just for others to know. Nobody in Europe uses craiglist, so just go straightly to airbnb or something like that. Never heard of airbnb scams, as people there are verified and have same listings for years, where renters leave their comments, so you really know whats up with that place. I wish craighlist was the same.

      Reply
  55. Alex Acevez

    Receiver’s Name: Amy DupontReceiver’s Address: 1701 Micanopy Ave, Miami, FL 33133 heres the name and address of scammer wantedaware
    other to send 500$ for a house in walnut ca. Please be aware

    Reply
  56. tina

    This is a very helpful post. However, I’m running into another curious issue looking for a place to rent on craigslist. Since a week ago, I’ve sent off around 10-15 inquiries to the places I was interested in, hoping to schedule a viewing/tour and not one has responded to my emails. Since then, i sent off another 5 and still no response. I’ve even seen some being reposted the next day. I checked if something was wrong with my own email system and it was working fine, nothing in the spam folder either. All the leads had only email contacts so I had no numbers to call. In the past, I’ve had success in finding a place on craigslist and I’ve never encountered this type of issue. Do you think this could be a scam too?

    Reply
    1. laylaa

      You should check your spam folder to see if it went there. But usually it is a scam. They want your email to direct you to other rental sites. They usually use a fake listing with a really good price.

      Reply
  57. JC

    Hi I was wondering what you should do if you “sort of fell” for a scam.
    Trying to get an apartment, I got a reply from a person that send images and asked questions. I answered the questions vaguely and told I could show ID when I meet you.
    After sending that, I did some research and realized that this could be a scam. I also found the real landlord and said he never advertised the apartment for that price (the scammer took the 1 in front off the number and got the apartment price)

    I was wondering if I gave them really vague information, would I still be open to identity theft?

    Reply
    1. Nan

      Did any thing ever happen i gave my name and home address

      Reply
  58. Crystal

    Thanks so much for this information!!! These tips are definitely helpful. I’m currently in the process of looking for a new rental place, and the scams on Craigslist are TOO numerous to count! In fact, I would venture that about 70% of the ads on Craigslist are either some type of ad, OR a scam. I’ve been actively looking for over 3 months and I keep running into the same thing, so now I’ve sort of figured out which ads on Craigslist are scams, and which are legit.

    Of course, it’s always good to do your due diligence and be VERY cautious even if an ad seems legit, but I’ve started to learn how to spot these scams a mile away.

    Some *RED FLAGS* that let me know that a Craigslist ad MAY be a scam/false/fraudulent:
    -The EMAIL address is from hotmail, gmail, aol, etc. Not always a “red flag”, but USUALLY I notice that if the email address is not a Craigslist/encrypted email address, then it’s typically a SCAM. Don’t ask me why!

    -There is not a phone number listed. Usually a LEGIT ad/landlord will provide you with their phone number because they’re actually honestly looking for a tenant and they aren’t doing anything shady. Still, it’s good to be cautious.

    -There isn’t ANY contact info listed. You don’t know how many times I see this smh.

    -There is NOT an address to the rental property. HUGE red flag!!!

    -The rental price/amenities/inclusions sound WAAAAY too good to be true! Maybe the rental is priced FAR below market value, or the landlord promises to pay for all utilities, w/d in the unit, the house looks immaculate, and you know that the rentals in your area go for much higher prices, etc. Those are all red flags. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t some really good LEGIT deals on Craigslist. I’ve seen some that were definitely legit and priced far below market value. But as always, proceed with caution.

    -The landlord wants you to provide you with your personal information before you meet them or see the property. DON’T do it!

    -You’re asked to give/wire money before seeing the property.

    -The scammer emails you back with some LONG drawn-out story about how they are “out of town” or living in another state and won’t be able to show you the house/rental, but you can drive by or peek through windows, etc… Ummm…..sorry, but talk about suspicious? Besides, I’ve noticed that whenever an email is super LONG and drawn out, that means there is something fishy going on. A legit person trying to rent their place out would rather CALL you or have you call THEM. These long emails (which can just be copied and pasted to respond to other unsuspecting people who are looking to rent) are usually a BIG sign this ad is not legit.

    Hope that helped!

    Reply
  59. Ashley

    We have just received an email back, while looking for a house in the Bay Area. We knew after the long explanation they blurted out, that we needed to do some research. The email we received was similar to one of the above. This is a copy and paste of the exact email fyi.
    ************************
    Hi,

    We are pleased that you have an interest in our Apartment, our lovely home is still available for lease and we want responsible adults/family that are neat and also believe that they have what it takes to take care of our Apartment as if it were theirs. My wife and I initially had it up for sale but had a change of mind in leasing it out ourselves because the agent that was in charge of our rental property was asking too much of an agent fee and also making it difficult for people who cannot afford the rent, stay away from renting my Apartment.

    The reason why our Apartment is up for lease is because I got transferred from my place of work to PRETORIA,SOUTH AFRICA and I will be away with my family for at least 4 to 5 years because of the love I have for them, I have decided not to sell our Apartment and also assuring them that we only have few years to spend here and will be willing to lease it out to person/family who is willing to assure us of taking absolute care of our home and pay their rent on time. I will start by telling you more about me and my family. We have two children ages 8 and 11. They are pretty shy and they are the sweetest little babies in the world. They love to read, color and play at the park. They also love to do homework and are very interested in school and learning new things. They are very helpful little girls and are always offering to help mummy out with chores.. I work at Topeka Foundry & Ironworks CO here in SOUTH AFRICA and got married to a lovely wife who is a member of First United Methodist Church. We will be very pleased if we can find the right tenant to rent our home, a person who is a clean freak and does not tolerate anything that has to do with dirt… If you notice, you will discovered that the price we are offering is far below standard price, this is enough for you to know that we are not after the rental fee but the absolute care for the property. I know there is no way I can be sure that you are the right person to live in the Apartment because we won’t be able to see physical before sending you the keys and the documents to occupy the space. But I just had a feeling that anyone who knows what it takes to put the kind of structure down should know that maintaining a building is mandatory, so if you belief you can take good care of the Apartment and handle it like yours then I will be more than happy to let you rent the Apartment if you can promise me that you will surely take very good care of the Apartment for us as if it were your own. I have my furniture in the Apartment, if you which to move in with your furnished items there is a storage room where you can move my furniture’s. we also would like to know more about you and your family, your renting experience and how long and when you plan moving into our home.. RENTAL FEE IS INCLUSIVE WITH UTILITIES LIKE CABLE, HEAT/AIR, WATER, GAS, HYDRO, SECURITY AND INTERNET E.T.C…

    Please if you are ready now to occupy the Apartment kindly provide the information below for record purpose

    RENTAL APPLICATION FORM
    Full Name__________________________
    ________________________ Phone ( ) ________________________
    Date of Birth_________________________
    ________
    Other Phone ( ) ___________________
    Current Address_______________________
    ________Apt#________ City__________________ State______ Zip________
    Reasons for Leaving_______________________
    _____Rent $__________Phone ( ) ____________________________
    Are you married_______________________
    _____
    How many people will be living in the Apartment_____________________
    _______
    Do you have a pet___________________________
    _
    Do you have a car____________________________
    Occupation____________________________
    Move In Date____________________________
    First & Last Month Deposit is required prior moving in?
    Reference Details_________________________
    Pictures of all the Occupant that will stay in my Apartment..

    MONTHLY RENT: $880
    PROPERTY ADDRESS: 225 Pennsylvania Ave,Fairfield, CA 94533

    PLEASE TAKE NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE BY AND SEE MY APARTMENT FROM THE OUTSIDE AND IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RENTING IT GET THE APPLICATION FORM FILLED OUT AND SEND IT BACK TO ME. I WOULD HAVE REALLY LOVE TO SHIP THE KEYS TO SOMEONE IN STATE BUT I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY THERE RIGHT NOW AND I DON’T WANT TO MAKE USE OF ANY THIRD PARTY THAT IS WHY AM HANDLING MY PROPERTY MYSELF..

    I can be reachable here any time at ( +27623601884) ….. ( If i didn’t answer call, text is best since I’m super busy at the moment )

    Sincerely,
    Mr. & Mrs. Weindorf.

    Reply
    1. Allie

      Hahaha this is the email I received.
      Same email DIFFERENT address
      Hi,

      We are pleased that you have an interest in our Apartment, our lovely home is still available for lease and we want responsible adults/family that are neat and also believe that they have what it takes to take care of our Apartment as if it were theirs. My wife and I initially had it up for sale but had a change of mind in leasing it out ourselves because the agent that was in charge of our rental property was asking too much of an agent fee and also making it difficult for people who cannot afford the rent, stay away from renting my Apartment.

      The reason why our Apartment is up for lease is because I got transferred from my place of work to PRETORIA,SOUTH AFRICA and I will be away with my family for at least 4 to 5 years because of the love I have for them, I have decided not to sell our Apartment and also assuring them that we only have few years to spend here and will be willing to lease it out to person/family who is willing to assure us of taking absolute care of our home and pay their rent on time. I will start by telling you more about me and my family. We have two children ages 8 and 11. They are pretty shy and they are the sweetest little babies in the world. They love to read, color and play at the park. They also love to do homework and are very interested in school and learning new things. They are very helpful little girls and are always offering to help mummy out with chores.. I work at Topeka Foundry & Ironworks CO here in SOUTH AFRICA and got married to a lovely wife who is a member of First United Methodist Church. We will be very pleased if we can find the right tenant to rent our home, a person who is a clean freak and does not tolerate anything that has to do with dirt… If you notice, you will discovered that the price we are offering is far below standard price, this is enough for you to know that we are not after the rental fee but the absolute care for the property. I know there is no way I can be sure that you are the right person to live in the Apartment because we won’t be able to see physical before sending you the keys and the documents to occupy the space. But I just had a feeling that anyone who knows what it takes to put the kind of structure down should know that maintaining a building is mandatory, so if you belief you can take good care of the Apartment and handle it like yours then I will be more than happy to let you rent the Apartment if you can promise me that you will surely take very good care of the Apartment for us as if it were your own. I have my furniture in the Apartment, if you which to move in with your furnished items there is a storage room where you can move my furniture’s. we also would like to know more about you and your family, your renting experience and how long and when you plan moving into our home.. RENTAL FEE IS INCLUSIVE WITH UTILITIES LIKE CABLE, HEAT/AIR, WATER, GAS, HYDRO, SECURITY AND INTERNET E.T.C…

      Please if you are ready now to occupy the Apartment kindly provide the information below for record purpose

      RENTAL APPLICATION FORM
      Full Name__________________________
      ________________________ Phone ( ) ________________________
      Date of Birth_________________________
      ________
      Other Phone ( ) ___________________
      Current Address_______________________
      ________Apt#________ City__________________ State______ Zip________
      Reasons for Leaving_______________________
      _____Rent $__________Phone ( ) ____________________________
      Are you married_______________________
      _____
      How many people will be living in the Apartment_____________________
      _______
      Do you have a pet___________________________
      _
      Do you have a car____________________________
      Occupation____________________________
      Move In Date____________________________
      First & Last Month Deposit is required prior moving in?
      Reference Details_________________________
      Pictures of all the Occupant that will stay in my Apartment..

      MONTHLY RENT: $880
      PROPERTY ADDRESS: 2012 Powell St,San Francisco, CA 94133

      PLEASE TAKE NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE BY AND SEE MY APARTMENT FROM THE OUTSIDE AND IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RENTING IT GET THE APPLICATION FORM FILLED OUT AND SEND IT BACK TO ME. I WOULD HAVE REALLY LOVE TO SHIP THE KEYS TO SOMEONE IN STATE BUT I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY THERE RIGHT NOW AND I DON’T WANT TO MAKE USE OF ANY THIRD PARTY THAT IS WHY AM HANDLING MY PROPERTY MYSELF..

      I can be reachable here any time at +27623705326 ….. ( If i didn’t answer call, text is best since I’m super busy at the moment )

      Sincerely,
      Mr. & Mrs. Tonnette.

      Reply
      1. Amy

        I have had one close to the same wording except they said to ignore the For Sale sign in the yard because they were going to sell the house but decided to rent it, and the agent hadn’t gone by to pick up the sign. I thought that was clever.

        I have had more scams from Craig’s list than I can count. There are roughly 4-5 versions of a story. I fell for the first one and gave him lots of info, but thankfully, not my date of birth or social security number. They stated they were missionaries with a group that I knew about, so I thought it was real.

        I have also found that not all scammers are looking for money. Some of them are collecting email addresses and/or phone numbers to sell to telemarketing firms. I now don’t even give out either of these by saying they can reach me through the CL email relay to set up an appointment to view the rental. They don’t typically respond to that!

        There is great info on the CL site if you look at the bottom of the page of listings. They have articles about how to spot scams, what to do or not do, examples of known scams, and how you report them to CL. There is a box tagged as ‘prohibited’ right next to the ‘reply’ button. If you find out that an offer is a scam, or even if they are trying to sell you something other than that category, you check the prohibited box. When enough people check that box, than CL investigates and will take the ad down. I found out all about that by going to the CL forums and just reading through what other people have experienced. It just really kills me that so many people just want to steal from people who are just desperately trying to make ends meet. I have sent back a few nasty emails to the ones that I have found to be scams. Maybe a few will grow a conscience.

        Reply
  60. Dejah Kelley

    I am so glad I read this. I just recently had an experience similar to this. It felt wrong from the jump but I was so eager to move into a bigger home. I am so relieved that I saw this before I did anything that would have jeopardized my family because we did not have $2000 to waste.

    Reply
  61. Meghan

    I once had a ‘too good to be true’ rental scam. The listing sounded and looked amazing online, but when I asked to see the apartment they said I needed to send them money and they would send me the keys. Nice try.

    Reply
  62. Smarter than the SCAMMER

    Glad I came across this post, Was looking for a home to rent on CL and he wants all of my information, He is conveniently in another state and can not show the inside of the property but assures me that is is all newly updated..Once I send him the application back (with all of my information on it) and the deposit of 1st and last months rent totaling @2000 he will Fed Ex me the keys… LOL Yea right.. that’s not happening.. That is HORRIBLE to try and SCAM someone out of their money.

    Reply
  63. Careful buyer

    This just happened to me and my fiance from a Craigslist ad. We were contacted by the “mother” of the “landlord”, who actually showed the house to us and didn’t know a single thing about the place and claiming her “daughter” had been out of the country in Bermuda, giving us a number to contact. We, fortunately, didn’t give out any personal information, thinking it was inappropriate for the landlord to ask for banking information on a “rental application”. Once she found out my fiance was law enforcement, she discontinued any contact with us, except to inform us that the unit was “rented,” even though ensuring us the day before that we were the only interested renters. Now that we look back on this experience, we can recall a lot of things that didn’t add up. We are better prepared now that we know what can go wrong with rental scams. Buyers beware and always stick to your gut instinct if you feel you are being hassled!

    Reply
  64. Wow

    Wow, thank you so much for this article. I’ve just received a reply, and since I’ve just graduated high school and this is the first time moving by myself, I almost got fooled! The “landlord” claimed he’s in China as a missionary and he’d send me the keys later on after I fill out the form and give him a copy of my photo ID. Since I’m Christian too, I thought it was reasonable and I didn’t realise how ridiculous his offer (and his grammar for someone who has an English surname) was until I read this. I was just about to send the email, but I just decided to google craigslist scams just to be safe, and thank God I did. Thank you so much for this.
    Plus in the ad, he said the apartment is only 32 square metres and the apartment in the pictures he’d shown me looked like 4 times than that.

    Reply
    1. Wow

      Just to add, with a little bit of google image search, I realised that the picture he’d sent me belonged to an apartment in California. I live in New Zealand.

      Reply
  65. Rebecca

    I was almost either scammed or stripped of my identity with a Craig’s Lister for $900 room in Pacifica with a lady who didn’t give me her apartment number, last name, property management company name, landlord owner info. a move in date or even a mention of copy of keys.

    When I requested the following:
    1. Scheduled meeting with the landlord
    2. Leasing Agreement and paperwork

    She flipped out on me and said:

    “You know what I have all the authorities to rent the room but my landlord is busy person she only asked for social security to look the record ! You know what you ask a lot forget the room is no anymore on rent you can look other place thanks”

    She is either a rental scam, identity thief or renting out the room without the landlord’s permission. All in all just bad, bad, bad…. Be careful out there! After this, I am not using Craig’s List anymore Room.me seems like a better option they have RentPal that protects both parties.

    Reply
    1. Amy

      I don’t know about room.me, but I have had at least 10 requests where they asked me to fill out an application via a provided link. When you click on the link, it routes through a few different addresses and then lands you at roomster.com. I researched this site, and they are almost 100% scams. Some of the people that just wanted to get my email address or phone number were doing this to sell to roomster.com or to receive a referral bonus. Don’t trust that site either. A local ministry group in the suburbs of north Atlanta told me that they only legitimate one they know is OK is roommate.com. The only thing that bothers me about them is that you have to pay to actually read replies to any inquiries you send out. I do personally know someone that has found good roommates through that site a couple of times. You fill out a profile and they match – kinda like a dating site, I guess. Anyways, it looks like I am going to have to give in and pay for that one since i have verification that it is legit. I really hope these people aren’t wrong about that…. I never thought it would be so difficult to find a room rental since I am disabled, work part-time with variable income, and have a dog that doesn’t get along with other dogs or any other pet, I guess. I have been homeless for almost 4 months because i can’t find anything I can afford. Good luck to all seekers – just be careful with your info.

      Reply
  66. Stranger

    I was just showed a room in a house. She lives there, her kids live there, they know her name or at least the name she gave me, her daughter opened the door, she had a kid in a playpen. Her mother, who I had contacted on the phone and gave me the address to go see the room, showed me the two rooms. One looked like utter crap but the other one looked semi decent Nothing was in room and no one lived in it. She wanted deposit and I foolishly gave it to her. 30 days later I call and say I am ready to move in. She starts by asking me why i didn’t call her back she said she called numerous times, left voicemails. That is a lie. She kept saying ‘why didn’t you call me?’ said she was in California and that the room wouldn’t be available till July. Then said someone is on the other line and hung up. I have tried reaching her and she will not answer. Obviously I do not want to move there at all at this point, and I don’t think she is in California Is there anything I can do? Tell the police? Anything? I believe it is a scam and it’s weird she showed me the place. Any and all help will be appreciated.

    Reply
  67. Grace Hansen

    Thank you for posting this! I got almost an identical email while looking for apartments in Asheville, NC. The crazy thing is, I think the scammer was even using the legal name of the actual property owner because I found a voter record for the name and address but nothing else added up.

    Here’s the message I got:
    “Thanks for showing interest , the property is available for rent to own and move-in ASAP, due to my job factor am in CA
    I am currently working as a counselor for the United States Aid for International Development (US-AID).at the moment and am gonna be here for about 3 years or more my name is MARY KATHERINE BACKUS the owner of the property located at — ———————- which as just been recently renovated, the neighborhood is lovely and am sure you gonna like it there, the property is about 1,345sqft with 3beds,1bath,I wanted to sell it out but due to some factor about the realtor I was working with before I decided not to sell it again, the agents are not truthful about handling things and I am looking to handle things myself now the best way I can . Am looking for someone that will take care of the property as if it was there own, someone that will be very neat, take good care of the property for me and make payment of rent with no delay pet are allowed as long as they are not destructive the rent is $700 and security down-payment is $1000. Thanks will be looking forward for your reply

    MARY KATHERINE BACKUS”

    Reply
    1. Adriena Lewis

      I got this same email word for word but different name. They actually had me sign the lease before I sent a paymemt and kept in contact with me. I sent the payment and no key. I’m out of 1200 dollars wish I would have found this sooner. The house is actually pencil a sell right now.

      Reply
  68. Tenaya

    Haha she tried to get me the email I got back:

    Thank you very much for your interest regarding our home for rent. I will Like to let you know that our home is still available for rent and you can drive by or take a walk to View it for yourself. Like to also let you know that right Now we are actually out of town on a church visit to Birmingham, Alabama it came up as an urgent call so we had to go for it and our visit here will last about seven(7) good weeks because it is a church program as we are launching a new branch here and I and my Husband happen to be two of the leading members of the church. We Like you also understand that we are not into agents because last time my husband employed realtor agent they put price of our house above what we told them to rent for us just to make selfish gains so we decided this time we wont employ them to rent out for us and because we really need a tenant in our home and not just the money but someone who can take good care of our home like his own home to rent to as soon as possible. I will also Like to let you know that we are people of God and peaceful people we do not allow smoking or disturbing of neighbors like partying and so we hope you understand that pets are allowed as long as they are not destructive,. We have had a bad tenant once before who damaged things in our home and refused to pay up rents while we where away on Church visit to Canada only to come back he had run away with keys and document because I promise to deal with him by calling the cops.. This is the physical address to our 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house with 1,282 sqft: 146 Guilford Frg, Universal City, TX 78148 and you pay utilities which is already included in the price of the month rent which is compulsory. We hope you are aware of the price of the month rent $650 which is already on site? the security deposit is $350 plus fee for rental application form which equals $390.
    Please note that you are paying 40 dollars to fill the rental application form and which you can make during the payment of security deposit upon been selected as our new tenant in our home.
    Get back to us for a request for Application form so we can send it to you.
    Thank you and God bless you.

    contact: 205 289 0989

    Mrs. Tracey Hil

    Reply
  69. Bruno

    Same thing is happening to me here in a Berlin…
    I’m catching them really easy.
    I spotted the ones with huge spelling mistakes plus wanting money through Western Union.
    To which I replied I have paid my rentals and deposits all my life by bank transfer and that’s how I intended to keep doing. No more replies…
    Then there’s all the people that are out of Berlin, with the keys, can’t show the property beforehand but are wanting to rent it… well hang on a minute… how do we do then if you’re in Africa (yes the priest missionary thing), or in Finland, or in Edinburgh or wherever… do I just do a Star Trek trick and teleport myself inside and outside of the flats?
    Now I just caught two, that are sending me pictures and addresses
    And I’m checking all addresses on Google Maps satellite view and street views.
    Plus check it also on Google Earth
    Plus I’m passing all picture through 8 different engines to reverse search any image.
    Call me paranoid, I don’t care… fact is I caught two more
    One is telling me the entrance is independent, ground floor, etc… lovely cozy house pics… but not one time said his/hers name, but already asked huge list of my details
    Google Maps street view shows me a huge all glass building, full of companies and offices. So I asked where was the ground floor entrance to my flat, I was confused…
    (About 12 screenshots attached to my emails to them… I bet I won’t get any rep,y back!)
    Another sends me pics of a flat that in one picture there is abig window and the view shows tall red brick building across the street… look up the address on Google Maps and use steeet view… and it shows me a quiet street with chalet type houses.
    No fall red brick building in sight… so I use the reverse image engine apps and turns out they are sending me pictures of an hotel in a Berlin.
    It’s unbelievable this… thank god I have not given any detail to anyone and thank god as well that my gut feeling started to think there was something wrong…
    I strongly advise to look as well on Google reverse image search engine. And see if it’s what they announce.
    What’s worst, I don’t understand how Craigslist doesn’t check these vendors?
    I’m telling… in Berlin there are hundreds and hundreds of ads for rentals this type… what a shame!
    All I want and need is to find a nice flat and instead I am wasting my time and efforts the last 48h
    Great article and blog by the way
    Thoroughly enjoyed it!
    Thanks
    B

    Reply
  70. 0Esmeray

    hi all just off the phone on Skype i got crazy angry

    I was searching for a room in Paris, off course as you guess come across very nice and affordable one
    the owner asked me to send deposit 500 Euros first and then he was going to send me keys from Manchester
    when I asked why youre there
    He answered for job he moved to Manchester
    Today he told me okey im sending the keys
    “sent ” the key (ı really donnow what he sent)
    there was an email in my spam box which says it is sent by Benin DHL
    when i saw Benin which should be Manchester, I woke up that this is scam …
    so my question how he was going to make sham by this
    ????

    Reply
    1. Max

      I imagine he sent you an old key that opens nothing that you could ever find and you would send him 500 Euros for it before getting to Paris and realizing you didn’t actually have a key to an apartment.

      Reply
  71. Amy

    What part of the rental description are you copying? There is typically a title/header, but then the ad itself can sometimes be lengthy and they rarely give an address. So much of the time, they list the city as one thing and then the map shows a totally different area.

    Reply
    1. Phids

      Just copy and past a sentence or two from the body of the listing and that should be enough to find duplicates.

      Reply
  72. Tom R.

    A real person named Florien Rotardier is a real scammer and is playing his scams for all over France, through rental websites, using other persons (male and female) names. I was victim of him while trying to rent an appartment there and I didn’t have time to see that it was a scam before already sending him “caution” money on his Western Union account.
    If you search on Google, there’s a possible picture of the scammer online…be aware, this s**t just took me 300 Euros!

    Reply
  73. Jalle

    I ran into the same problem here when trying to find appt in Berlin.
    This whole Craiglist is completely useless !!
    Can someone just shut it down ??!?

    Reply
  74. Fart

    One thing I have noticed more recently is that they reply via email ask you to give them your email address so they can send you details (as if they can’t send them via the Craig’s list anonimous reply), or they reply asking you to go to another site like Roomster so they can scam you there. It’s too bad that Craigslist is becoming what economists call a lost lead. Neither legitimate landlords or legitimate renters can find each other in the sea of scams that exist in some major cities where Craig’s list has sites.

    Reply
  75. Jessie L.

    Just got this e-mail in reply to an inquiry in Boulder. Note the terrible punctuation for someone who works for “UNDP.”

    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.I work with the united nations development program(UNDP)Edinburgh Scotland and i just got a transfer that is bringing me down to West Africa .Myself and my Family just travelled to West Africa for the programm.My transfer would be for a period between 2-3 years, so i would definitely be renting my house to whom ever that will take good care of it.

    Also how long do you intend to stay? How soon do you intend to move in?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, Fire pit, Garbage Disposal, Microwave, security alarm, Pets Friendly, Refrigerator, Washer / Dryer.

    DETAILS ABOUT THE HOUSE
    Number of bedrooms:3
    Number of bathrooms:2
    Rental price: $750 per month and security Deposit is $650 (Security Deposit is Refundable)

    Utilities included in monthly rent Pets Welcome
    House address:3020 13th St,Boulder, CO 80304

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

    1)Your Full Name?
    2)Your Full Address?
    3)Phone Number?
    4)Are you married ?
    5)Age & Email Address ?
    6)How many people will be living in the house?
    7)Do you have a pet?
    8)Do you have a car?
    9)Occupation?
    10)When will you like to move in?
    11)How long are you willing to stay in the property?
    12)Picture of the occupant If Available?
    13)When are you ready to Move In?
    14)How Many Months are you willing to rent?
    15) How many months rent can you pay upfront? Minimum ( 1month +
    SECURITY DEPOSIT) or (2months + SECURITY DEPOSIT)(or you have only the refundable security deposit to move in first?)so which option do you prefer ???

    Looking forward to hearing from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you.Awaiting your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the key to you. We may not see, yet we are only putting everything into Gods hand, kindly do not let us down in your taking care of our property and God bless you more as you do this Amen.contact details:+2348090800960

    Best Regards…

    Reply
    1. Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

      Thank you for sharing! This helps everyone.

      Reply
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