Our Tips for Renter’s series is here to offer prospective tenants a resource for information and tips on common questions they may have regarding rental properties. This week we would like to address a modern problem associated with the website Craigslist: the scam artist. For those unfamiliar, Craigslist serves an open, online marketplace where users can buy, sell, or trade everything from legal services to lawnmower parts, and unsurprisingly the rental market has taken full advantage of the free listing services. Craigslist can be a great source for pricing out a certain area or neighborhood and browsing rooms or short-term rentals but as popularity has skyrocketed, so 
has the opportunity for scamming unsuspecting renters.
Here’s how it works:
A reputable property management company like Rancho Mesa Properties posts a legitimate ad on Craigslist with pictures, information and contact info. A scammer then copies the entire post and changes the price (usually to something fabulously lower) and contact information. Unsuspecting tenants who think they’ve stumbled across the deal of the century and cannot believe their luck then e-mail the contact (they never provide a telephone number) who then requests that they send a check for deposit/rental applications. Some people actually fall for this scam because it’s oftentimes so well orchestrated that they don’t want to miss out on scoring such a great deal, but of course their money disappears and the “landlord” is never heard from again.
Red Flag’s that you’re dealing with a scam:
-No phone number is listed and there is no way to speak with anyone directly
-A phone number is listed, but it’s for an international number
-The “landlord” asks for money before you have a chance to view the property. Oftentimes they’ll have a story such as: We just moved across country and need someone responsible to take care of our home. Send us the deposit and we will send you the keys right away so you will be able to move right in.
-There is no listed information about the person or company in the ad
Do yourself a favor and always search Google to ascertain whether the person or company is legitimate. Generally there will be multiple listings for a company and other articles/links related to them. Also, try searching Craigslist for the address to see if there are multiple ads posted with different price listings. If yours is lower than other posted ads you know you’re dealing with a scam.
The best piece of advice we can offer to avoid being scammed is to trust your gut. If you’ve just stumbled across your dream rental and its $500 cheaper than every other listing in the area AND the utilities are paid, it’s almost always too good to be true.
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