If you’re looking for a rental apartment, it’s very tempting to start with Craigslist, where several area rental listings are conveniently all in one place. There are definitely deals to be had, especially since individual owners list on the site. As opposed to a few years ago, now nearly every listing comes with photos.

But scammers like Craigslist, too. Just as bank robbers famously “go where the money is,” con artists go where there are people who need apartments – and whose need to move can make them a little desperate sometimes.

Empty Apartment

A few months ago, LearnVest warned about a new rental scam, in which scammers post a description and photos of an apartment that’s not available for rent. An updated version of this has shown up on Craigslist in Sacramento, where we heard about it from our friends at ABC News 10.

Here’s How It Works.

Scammers post a description and photos for a rental apartment that’s actually a sales listing. Because the apartment is real, the ad copy and the photos feel genuine.
The prospective renter sifts through hundreds of listings looking for an apartment and sees one that looks nice and feels real – she might be tempted to let down her guard. Scammers are counting on this.
The con artists ask the renter to send in a deposit in exchange for keys. They take one deposit, or five, or ten, and then disappear.
Ripped-off renters who go to the original address in person simply find the realtor who put up the sales listing – and who had no one idea that anyone stole his or her ad copy and photos in the first place.

What You Can Do: Trust Your Instincts.

Sacramento-area realtor Doug Thomas, who had a listing copied by scammers in this way, noted that it was advertised at an extremely low rental price: $500 for a two-bedroom. If you see anything on Craigslist (or elsewhere) that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Know The Rental Process.

If you’re looking for a place, check out our tips for using Craiglist. Most importantly, never, ever, hand any agent a cash deposit. A responsible real estate agent will take checks and hand you the keys in person at a lease signing.

Do Your Homework.

If you want to find out if an agent is legitimate, you can always check the licensing at your state’s Department of State. Just Google “[your state]” + “department of state” + “licensing.”

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Fiona
This happened to me when I was searching for an apartment last summer! The building they said it was in was real, but the pictures didn’t seem to quite match the floor plan, the price seemed too good to be true, and they conveniently were living out of town and claimed they couldn’t show me the apartment. When I started asking questions, the woman was really rude! Luckily, they never got any money out of me.
end-the-winter-already
Some sites now offer reviews of brokers along with the listings so that you can see what other renters thought of them. NakedApartments.com is one site, but they just focus on NYC apartment rentals, and Zillow is another. Zillow is national.
Eric
We rent apartments on Craigslist in Seattle and have had this happen to us just today. We contacted the FBI and filed a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center:
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
Eric
We rent apartments on Craigslist in Seattle and have had this happen to us just today. We contacted the FBI and filed a complaint at the Internet Crime Complaint Center:
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Ann
This just happened to A few friends and I who were looking for a place together. At first the offer seemed normal, And we Emailed the listing. But when the “owner” emailed backed, they claimed that they were living in West Africa and requested that we send a money order. This was a concern right away. They also asked for very personal information. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about the scammers. We just contacted the real estate agent, and told them of the problem, which apparently has happened alot in the area(northern Mn).
Hugbaby182
I just had this happen to me today. Just like the above info states, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

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