Craigslist Scam Uses Mountain View Property As Bait

I received a call yesterday from a woman who was looking for information about a rental property in Mountain View that she saw on Craigslist.  The ad was offering a 4 bedroom/3 bath home in the Gest Ranch neighborhood of Mountain View for $2,000 per month.  There was a property address but no further information was given.  The ad also included a rental application that was to be submitted via e-mail.

Since there wasn’t much information about the home, the prospective tenant drove to the property to check it out.  She saw our Coldwell Banker real estate sign (not realizing that it was a “for sale” sign not a “for rent” sign) and called to get further details and access.  That is when I informed her that she almost had her identity taken.

Coldwell Banker does not have a rental in the Gest Ranch neighborhood of Mountain View and if we did, it would not be priced at $2000 per month (market rent is more than double that for a home of that size).  What we do have is a home for sale (although it went sale pending immediately) that matches the subject rental property.  So what happened?

Someone “hijacked” (took the online photo, address etc.) a new Coldwell Banker listing and entered it into the Craigslist rental database as their own.  They were hoping that someone (or better yet, many people) would e-mail a completed rental application and/or someone (or many people) would send them money in the form of a deposit.  Once they had the information, they would assume the person’s financial identity and go shopping.

How to protect oneself from online scams?

Things to think about:

• Does the rent or asking price seem really low.
• Is the text poorly written.
• Do they ask you to submit personal information or a deposit before seeing the property.
• Will they personally meet you at the property (If so, make sure that you go with a friend).
• Can you verify that they are the owner of the property or a representative hired to market the property?
• Google the property address to see if it is for sale/rent, vacant lot etc.
• If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Craigslist has its own personal safety tips when using their site.  They are:

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

• DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON – follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on craigslist.
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service – anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
• FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
• CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer “buyer protection” or “seller certification”
• NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
• AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL “GUARANTEE” YOUR TRANSACTION.
• DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN – in all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item does not exist.
• DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON.

If you are looking for a quick, safe and easy way to find your local dream home, click here?

Should you have any questions about the value of you home in today’s market, please contact me directly at 650 917-4250 for a confidential conversation.