"Heads Up" 3 br, 3 ba. House for rent for $800 with a Nigerian phone number. Milk ain't right

This "creative advertising" is all over craigslist all the time. Without even contacting them (and I do it sometimes when I have time and feel like wasting theirs with a bunch of questions!) I just report so many immediately when I know the area and know that there's no such thing as a 3BR in that location for that price!

I guess what really amazes me is that people actually still fall for these and similar scams!

The same thing here in STX for a house in Judiths Fancy, same response. The triggerit was fake was Electric Heat and playground. Right

Note also "electric heat" and "fireplace" in the ad. Those are good signs that all is not as it should be.

"However, my initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell before leaving the States"

This also is suspect. Some real estate agents will pressure you to set and keep your price high. But it's the seller who determines the sale price.

Ha ha
It even has 24 hr internet........LOL

Doesn't do anyone, homeowners or Realtors, any good to set the price too high and have it sit on market, forever, nor can a price be set by a Realtor without an agreement from the seller. Many sellers can be unrealistic in their expectations of both what the value of their property is and the length of time it can take if they set the price too high. The seller ultimately sets the price.

The whole ad and inquiry response is a giant red flag from the get go.
Buyer beware or in this case, renter beware.

This is a huge scam all over on craigs list. There were people in Texas that got duped out of a first and last month's rent for a house that someone "rented" to them over the internet using pictures from a for sale listing.

I was thinking about asking a bunch of questions and to string them along, wasting their time and raising their hopes to get them to think that they've "bagged big one" then at the last minute drop them, but it's my time as well that would be wasted.

I heard they even have a popular hip-hop song that's played on the radio about running a scam and stealing money from foreigners, To Nigerians its not a crime to run a scam and steal from foreigners, it's the national sport.

I wanted to warn other's about this so they wouldn't be fooled by this ad and be out of a lot of money. Like I said, I just loved the part about, "don't pay any attention to the For Sale sign. What a laugh.

Butch

I went ahead and posted the ad as a scam on Craigslist. I hope it saves some innocent naïve person from losing their money..

This is a huge scam all over on craigs list. There were people in Texas that got duped out of a first and last month's rent for a house that someone "rented" to them over the internet using pictures from a for sale listing.

I have a friend in Thailand who owns and rents several properties. She's had this happen to her properties 4 times now, twice by the same person, who lives in Canada! In one case, locals broke in to one of her vacant houses, changed the locks and rented the place out while she was out of the country. She had a heck of a time getting the squatters out, because they were paying rent to the faux landlord, complete with receipts and rental agreement.

It's sad and disgusting.
I've notified realtors when I've seen their listing pictures pop up for rent by scammers. No one is safe but the clues are there when they list heaters, fireplaces, basements, parking garages, heated parking, pictures of pristine, updated interiors for $700-$800 per month, they're away in a foreign country, doing social work or something similar, pictures that have no exterior shots or windows showing any tropical landscapes, close to community centers, even garbage disposals for that matter. Very few in VI have them...the list goes on.

I've had it happen on the other end when I've received an inquiry from someone for a rental who's boss is going to pay for the rental but they're in another country and need my personal information to send a money order etc. Shameful.
Not a chance in hell they're getting that.

:-X We've actually been warned by our condo assoc. (Cowpet West) to check Craigslist AND airB&B regularly to make sure "we" aren't listed there. Ugh.

It's people like those who make the internet suck, and the ones who create virus. Good luck and stay safe.

Butch

:-X We've actually been warned by our condo assoc. (Cowpet West) to check Craigslist AND airB&B regularly to make sure "we" aren't listed there. Ugh.[/quote

Well, here's a 3X3 at Cowpet listed for rent for $800!

http://virgin.craigslist.org/apa/5497354958.html

 

These scams are NOT uncommon throughout craigslist anywhere. If you're a local familiar with your area and see a scam then report it. Just early this morning I reported six obvious scams on STT/STJ. They're removed and then the posters re-post so you simply report them again.

I did that today too.
These scammers are relentless!

I'm new to this, sorry to ask a dumb question, how do you have the ad removed?

Thanks
Butch

Click on "prohibited" to tag it for moderator review.