Warning: Craigslist Rental Scam
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If you are looking to find a rental unit on Craigslist, be very careful before you turn over your deposit. As just recently happened in Sacramento, a renter in the middle of eviction decided to raise money for his next abode. Instead of working for it he placed an ad in Craigslist offering to rent the apartment that he was being evicted from.
After getting 4 prospective tenants to give him a deposit and pre-payed rent he was busted. But if the suspect, Michael Blair, had half a brain, he could have been gone and in a new place and those folks would have been out the money. I can not imagine the police working really hard in an urban area to prosecute this sort of crime.
So if you are going to use Craigslist, be smart. Call the local property recorders office and find out who owns the property before handing over a check. These scams are too easy to pull off and getting your money back will be nearly impossible.
Sacramento Police say 28-year-old Michael Blair pled guilty to theft by false pretense after advertising a Condo in North Natomas for rent on Craigslist. He didn’t own it and was actually being evicted.
Michelle Lezark of the Sacramento Police Department says Blair collected thousands of dollars in rent and deposits from at least four people. He’s one of many scammers who use the popular Craigslist website.
Lezark recommends checking with the Recorder’s Office to find out if it’s the legitimate owner and don’t pay in cash. via NewsTalk 1530 KFBK
It probably is a really good time to buy real estate - monthly payments are about equal to market rents ...
The part about the inventory is right on but in my area they are mostly low end and beat up ...
I worked for this man, he is a great con man and has done this in more than States then ...
You're right. If you come from Central Jersey (as the Boss and I do), you go to Florida at some ...
Maybe it was kryptonite...
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By Mike ...
I couldn't agree more.
The newspaper has always "stuck" it to the real estate agent with rates that were much higher ...
By the way, homeowners trying to get short sale approval should be aware that lenders are comparing the initial loan ...
Ouch! Thankfully I haven't come across anything like that yet. We normally don't have situations like that in ...
well, the guy was here illegally.
serves him right. 
BY USING FIRST CLAIM INSURANCE ADJUSTERS YOU WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT YOUR INSURANCE SETTLEMENT AND REALIZE FIRST ...
Comment by Wealth for investors on 13 September 2008:
People i invest with had the same problem with craigs=list and it is a constant place for SPAM!
I have found legit people to buy and sell homes though.
Comment by Paul in Las Vegas on 16 September 2008:
Other scams include renting out homes in foreclosure that have been abandoned. Just helped out some people in Las Vegas that were just notified by the Bank that the home they have been renting out for the past four months was not owned by the people renting it out.