ABSTRACT: A new scam has been in the making and it involves people who are being scammed out of their money for an available apartment.
CONTENT: One would think with all the relatively known scams that have been around for a while people would be more wary, yet unfortunately it seems everyday people still fall for a scam.
Many of us are familiar with the scams we get as emails. The most common are those beneficiary type ones, usually originating from Nigeria in which one is being notified of inheriting literally millions of dollars. Then there is the phishing scam, usually and supposedly from a well-known website such as PayPal that indicates one must up-date their account information. There is usually a link one can click in the email and it takes one to a website that looks completely identical to the real McCoy, but of course, it's a fake. There are even bolder email scams that are supposedly from the FBI of money due to the recipient, or from the IRS in which again, one must up-date private information. Actually, when you think of it, some of these scams are downright laughable, especially the FBI one, and yes, believe it or not I've gotten a few of them. One would have to question, like how in the world would the FBI "discover" us as a recipient of any money...same thing with the IRS since they would NEVER contact a person via email but by a snail mail letter. The common denominator in almost all these scams is that the scammer is asking his/her victim to provide personal information, such as Social Security Number, Bank Account numbers, and member ID and passwords for on-line accounts and in the case of those beneficiary type scams that a release of the inherited money can be acquired after sending a certain amount of money via Western Union or MoneyGram.
Now there seems to be a new scam, and it involves Craigslist and targeted to those who are desperate in finding a new apartment or home. I heard this story on the ABC news by investigative reporter Tappy Phillips not long ago of the latest victims in this scam. One couple, by the name of Victor and Kenya Tucker were forced to leave their home due to foreclosure. They had hunted for an apartment and found the ideal sounding apartment listed at Craigslist and the apartment went for $650.00 a month. The couple emailed the landlord several times, and he sent pictures of the supposed available apartment. They were told that the total initial funds for the apartment would be $2,000.00 and would include "security" for the apartment. They unfortunately did all their transactions via the contact email given on that particular apartment listing and were told that the landlord was out of the country at the time, (how convenient) but he would send the keys to the apartment once the couple wired him the $2,000 via MoneyGram. Of course, they never got the keys to the apartment, as the so-called available apartment didn't even exist, and they were out of their money. (1)
This couple's example of being scammed by apartment listings is obviously not the first, for now Craigslist has a disclaimer and warning for all people in search of an apartment and the entire warning can be viewed here I provide a vital excerpt of the Craigslist warning:
You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
* DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the 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.
I did a quick search myself at Craigslist for available apartments in the NYC area and there is a warning for each and every listing:
" Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any arrangement involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, or a landlord/owner who is out of the country or cannot meet you in person."
Apparently, however, apartment scams aren't limited to the Craigslist. I happen to belong to a discussion forum named MyLot and one of my friends there from England has been apartment hunting. She has one possible definite apartment that she would like to move into, and plans to go out and visit the place soon. In the meantime, she felt, just in case things fell through and she didn't get this particular apartment she went on an on-line search for available apartments. It sounds what was being asked of my friend was exactly like the Craigslist apartment scam. The supposed apartment was also in the same area of the apartment she's hoping to get. She contacted the person via email, in which the landlady sent her photos of the apartment and my friend liked it so she emailed this person back . The landlady then was very insistent that if she really wanted the apartment, she would have to send a £400 (660.6 US dollars) deposit that very day and via Western Union and the landlady even emailed my friend an "official" looking form where it was requested that she provide all her bank details. If that wasn't enough, this landlady expected her to move into the apartment within the next few days. It was just by luck, that my friend knows someone that lives only 3 miles away from the address of this "available" apartment, and guess what? Yes, you've guessed right if you sensed that there wasn't even such an existing address. It was all a scam!
As an up-date to what happened to that couple, Victor and Kenya Tucker who were scammed out of $2,000. When the Tuckers wired that $2,000 that was the last of their funds until their jobs as teachers resumed in September and now they suddenly found themselves homeless. Having been evicted of their home due to foreclosure and not even having an apartment now when they thought by sending the money they would, they became homeless and had to live in their car. When Tappy Phillips first reported about the Tuckers being scammed, people took note and two good Samaritans came through. A woman who wished to remained anonymous handed a rather thick envelope to Ms. Phillips. To her amazement when Ms. Phillips opened the envelopes she saw $50 and $100 bills totaling $2,000, then another kind hearted good Samaritan gave $100. The Tuckers now had money to find a legitimate apartment, have enough money to tide them over until they get their paychecks from teaching and are no longer homeless. But this is an exception of a happy ending, for it makes one wonder how many others have been scammed out of their money due to this new apartment scam that is circulating around.
If you are in the position in trying to find a new apartment to live in, take heed on the warning that Craigslist now posts on every page of their apartment listings, and I'll repeat it once again here:
" Avoid scams and fraud by dealing locally! Beware any arrangement involving Western Union, Moneygram, wire transfer, or a landlord/owner who is out of the country or cannot meet you in person."
In other words...DO NOT make any transactions for an apartment solely via by email on any internet on-line listing, whether from Craigslist or other apartment listing websites. Go to the available apartment and deal with the owner in person.
Sources:
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=6946239 (1)
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=6954305 (2)
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
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