For reasons with which I will not bore you I am considering moving to a new home here in East Bay. I see a 3 bedroom house on craig's list in a decent area of Oakland for $700. No one rents houses in Oakland for $700. I thought typo, maybe should be $1700. So I email and a man says yes, it is $700, he has suddenly been posted overseas for minimum 6 years and does not want house to stand empty. Sent a questionnaire and then says he chose me as potential tenant. Sounded OK at first but red flags (not in the communist sense) started coming up. He never signed an email, even with first name. I can see offering below market rent in a soft housing market to be sure of good tenant, but half market value? I said if he had fax # I'd send proof of employment, credit report, cats' spay/neuter certificates. He could have said 1) yes 2) if you decide to take the house then send or 3) you sound honest don't bother. Instead he just sends another email about house with no comment at all. He said he'd need to send keys & paperwork by courier and would I be willing to cover cost (refundable). I said sure, I'd send $100 to cover mailing and his time. He said he needs at least $250. Where is he sending from, the moon? I have confirmed shipments at work, very secure shipping since it's hazardous pharmaceuticals, and it does not cost $250. How much does a set of keys weigh? Meanwhle I looked at outside of house. I can understand someone leaving curtains at the windows and a hose on front lawn to make it look lived in. But I garden and I know a yard will look neglected after just 2 weeks without care. The lawn was mowed and flowers blooming. So I email and ask is someone caring for the place and also asked what courier service would he use to send me keys. He'd always answered emails in about 30 minutes. 3 days later no reply. Like I asked too many questions so he vanished, although all my questions were pretty standard. I had been wondering if it was a scam, get me to send $250 to some PO Box and vanish. BTW, I've sent no money. Then Friday I email about another house, this one $1200, low by area standards but not ridiculously low. I get a reply almost word for word identical EXCEPT this man signed full name, said he was in Lagos as a missionary, etc. - in other words, a lot of corroborating detail. Looks like the "oakland house" man copied someone's ad but removed all identifying information. Anyway. I'm not sure if I should forward email correspondence to Oakland PD or craig's list since it sure looks like a scam, although no crime has been committed (at least not against me). Thoughts?
Maris, the second one sounds more real because he put in so much detail. But I don't send anyone money without verification. (I'm not so gullible as to reply to Nigerian prince. Do they even still have royalty in Nigeria?) The lack of name or other information was what first raised questions. Damn, would have been a nice location, much easier to get to work.
I am sorry, but the east bay at large, and Oakland specifically - is not the greatest place to live, imho. Nicer places all around San Francisco. Of course, if it makes life easier to get to work... We had a chance to move to San-Fran last year - and after checking potential locations - decided to not do it - and the East Bay was our least favorite part of the area... Good luck in your search.
Absolutely NEVER transact business from someone overseas that you meet on the internet. PERIOD. Personal introductions only. Those ads are scams. They want your cash. They want your identity to steal. Both would be fine with them. And beware. Some of these scamsters put in ads for homes at market rates. The aksing price has NOTHING to do with it. Be careful if you are bargain hunting for a rental. Because of the trashed housing market there are a lot of empty properties. This is a golden opportunity for con artists to squat on empty properties with absentee owners, act like they own it and "rent" it, taking off with your large deposit, first, last, cleaning fee, every dollar they can squeeze out of you for their "bargain" place.
Maris, I interviewed for an opening in Hillsboro but they did not hire me. Still looking but few openings there. They seem to be set at about 150 or so with little growth. I've bought stuff from Canadian companies but that's a far cry from sending $ to an unknown in an unknown place. Believe me, I don't send money or give credit card information unless I have reason to think it's legit. Thanks for the information.
That's why they make Kilts and Lederhosen, I guess. (or, originally, Coke and Pepsi). If you like it, it's all good.
This is most likely a scam... and I did hear or read about this specific scam somewhere... and in some cases they scams were for renting houses that other people owned. From: http://www.fraudguides.com/craigslist-apartment-rental-scams.asp Tips for avoiding Craigslist apartment rental scams: Ask to see the landlord's ID - record all the information you can from it. Use a browser to search for the person's name who you're dealing with. Be sure to add quotes around their name. You could add the words "fraud" or "scam" at the end of your search terms. Use reverse directory look up if the person has given you their telephone number. It's important to double check that they are who they say they are. Visit the local county courthouse to look up property ownership for the apartment in question. Who really owns it? Is it the person you're dealing with? Or someone else? Scan any provided photographs carefully. Do they match up with what you've seen in person? Do they look like they all came from the same place? They don't ask for an application or permission to check your credit? That's a red flag! Considering the current state of our economy and the rise in foreclosures, ask the landlord if they're current on their mortgage payments, and then get their answer in writing. Consider using another method for obtaining a rental, i.e. real estate agent, going through a rental agency, etc...
Paxi, good advice. In the first guy, though, he never signed a name, that was one of the big warning signs. And gave no phone #. Meanwhile, the other person who basically sent the same email but with name, etc. just sent a follow up with rental application questions, again almost word for word identical except this guy asked marital status, illegal in California. I sent him a very polite, very apologetic email, saying his was identical to someone I know now to be a fraud. I said "probably" (ha ha) the other man copied his stuff, but before I send him my current address & phone, could he kindly let me know, since he is out of the country, how a prospective tenant would pay deposit and other fees? Has he a PayPal account or would he be asking to wire money? If he's real I was so apologetic ("I'm sure you must be honest, but you can see how in online transactions I need to be careful") he won't be mad. If he's fake he probably won't reply. If he says wire money I'm out.
That's my thought. The $250 be damned, now this guy has your SSN, and possibly whatever other personal information you put on the "questionarre".
I absolutely do NOT give anyone my SSN. I argue with doctor's offices when they ask for it. The bank uses alternate password when I call them since I never give out SSN over the phone. I will be the last person in the world with a cell phone since I won't give cell phone company my SSN. I am cautious to the point of paranoia about SSN! He does have my name and address, which frankly worries me. He knows where I work, which probably won't help him much. But no SSN, does not know where my bank accounts are. I used my convenient hotmail account, not my "personal" account.
I've probably seen it all after a few NYC Apartment searches where it feels like a majority of listings are scams and the most tried and true advise that you should always take without fail is that you never do business with someone who is overseas, out of the country, or not in the city. It is always a scam. Always. After going through searches on my own for years, the best advice I can give you is to get a realtor, a good one. And stay in touch with them through the years.
Over the last two years I have met probably a have dozen people who have found great deals on craigslist (like houses for rent for $700.00), that three months after moving in a foreclosure notice goes on the door. Clearly, the person you have been in contact with was a scam. But I would be wary about any offer that is too far below market value.
