How to Avoid Fraudulent Liars Who Post Invalid Apartment Listings on Craiglist

Craiglist has been a quick and easy way to connect with many resources that people need; from finding cheap or free furniture, to part time jobs under their employment section. A lot of people in this day and age, want and need to find housing that is affordable due to the resounding effect of the recession. The demand for more affordable housing has created a way for those shifty individuals in our society to prey upon thirsty humans who do not double check information correctly via the internet. It is very easy for a lot of criminals or those who want to use public information in a fraudulent way to present false information as truth, under ads that are not real and often are only a way to swindle money from people who are in a desperate rush to find lodging. Some of the unsuspecting people are in a tight financial bind, leaving them vulnerable to the tricks of these liars who take advantage of their eager intentions to secure housing in a quick manner.

This exploration is not a vent against, Craiglist, rather, a cautionary tale of how to ensure you do not allow fraudulent liars to get access to your valuable personal information or pre-pay for lodging that is not valid or even real in some cases.

In Craiglist's defense, they have at the top of web pages, ways for consumers to avoid instances such as these. However, a lot of people do not either notice the legal warning or they choose to explore these apartment listings at their own risk. Later in this article, we'll discuss how Craiglist forewarns consumers to avoid these troubles.

Now, let's explore how the apartment listings are posted and what you should do in order to validate which ones are real. First, you will see a number of listings in either the housing section. Some of these will be directly posted by owners, current landlords, roommates and or brokers. A number of the ads may or may not be complete with information. The ones that fraudulent liars put together look very legitimate. The ads contains catchy and content that appears to be valid, website links, as well as business telephone numbers and hours of service. By all appearances, it looks like a duck and it appears to quack like a duck, but it isn't and it won't!

Some of the games these liars play are listed below:

You contact them (via email) and they ask for you to please send a deposit for the place. In return they promise to send you a 'key' for the apartment or room. They'll receive your money but you'll never hear from them again and because they have used a dummy email account you may or may not be able to find them to get your money back.

You contact the posters (via email) and they call you. When they call you they give you their business address and telephone number. When you arrive at their 'agency' they do a bait and switch. They ask you for a 'room finders or apartment fee". Once you give them the 'fee' they give you an fraudulent address that was either copy or pasted from the internet or is not valid at all. The address most likely is another 'office' connected to their business. When you get to the second location you will be asked for an additional room finders or apartment fee. The bait and switch goes on and on, unless you put a stop to it by calling the police and or dialing 311. Unless you've taken the time to write down who you spoke with, their full name, the agency's address, what happened, and other details, you may or may not be able to get a refund of your money. It is suggested if you feel like you gave money to an invalid agency or individual, call the police immediately and do not leave that site (office, etc.) until they arrive. Fill out your report and then do everything the police says.

You contact the posters and they give incorrect information. Maybe the ad said it was a room and it's another space (a living room with a curtain for example) or another type of space (family den or basement). Depending on the state, certain space can be utilized as a room so you have to check with that state or contact tenant associations to ensure you know your rights and understand what is applicable for your area. If you feel the ad was incorrect, you have the right to not put a deposit down or even waste time in trying to 'secure' such a place.

You email the agent or 'room broker' about an ad and they send you a 'rental application' without even meeting or seeing you. In addition to the application, they want you to provide a social security number and your state ID information, place of work, and provide 'references'. In addition to all of that, they want a deposit wired to their account. This is a red flag! Send that money without meeting them or seeing the apartment or room and you're out of money and will be starting off in scratch. Research further before doing that. Meet them first, in a public setting, and make sure you get all the necessary information before you waste your time or money. In addition, you need to protect your personal safety and information.

To keep your personal information, close to your 'vest' so to speak. Be careful and don't assume anyone you have spoken with is real or even valid unless already verified.

As I indicated early in the article, Craiglist posts information about legal and fraudulent activities on their site. Click "about scams" and it will give you details that are basic life skills we all should have learned by adulthood.

1)Meet in person: why would you not want to meet in person, the landlord, the owner, the roommates? If they cannot meet you in person, most likely they are not valid.

2)Do not wire money or make any financial transactions. Why are you giving them money before you have even reviewed the place? Also giving them access to your bank account or other accounts (paypal.com) is not safe either. They could use your personal information to open up new credit cards, max it out, and destroy your credit. Your credit is your life, so protect it at all costs!

3)Never give out your social security number. You haven't met this person so why are you considering this? This could be a dangerous person or a criminal. But you have no way to verify this via the web, now do you?

Also on Craigslist's site they do have a list of numbers to contact should you become a victim of crimes due to the fraudulent activities.

Remember valid apartment postings by (brokers, owners, land lords, etc.) will meet you in person, show you a physical place that you can see an experience, will not ask for a deposit unless you are interested. You can expect to see the place, discuss ways to secure the apartment, and get a process (credit check, application, etc.) Ads posted by roommates may be very clear as well, so read the ad in its entirety. You may or may not be required to show your id, fill out an application, give a room or apartment deposit (please ask for a receipt). With roommate situations, you may be taking over someone's lease or subleasing. It really depends. So ask, and make sure you understand everything you are involving yourself with.

As in with anything, if you have questions, ASK!

Ultimately, it's up to you to ensure that you will not become a victim because you didn't take the time to verify details. The liars are waiting for you, should you be too lazy to check out details via the web or the phone. Do yourself a favor, before you plunk down a chunk of change, research the ad fully before you give up the rights to your personal safety and security. Guarding your money and your personal identity is your right and not just a privilege when you have crooks and criminals waiting to jump on the opportunity to take your valuables!