Craigslist Red Flags

How to Exercise Caution When Using the Internet’s Most Popular Classifieds Site

Craigslist can be a great tool for finding apartments, furniture and other items, but it’s also a great tool for scammers looking to steal your money, identity, or worse.

As a real estate agency, we also fall victim when our listings’ photos and information is “lifted” from the Internet and used as bait by online scammers. We aren’t made aware of the situation until owners or potential tenants report suspicious activity – like being asked to transfer money, or having strangers show up for a surprise showing.

Whether you’re on Craigslist as a Buyer or Seller, it’s absolutely crucial to take steps to protect yourself – the risks to you and your loved ones are too great, and in some cases the damage cannot be undone.

Here are some Craigslist reg flags to watch for.

IT MIGHT BE A SCAM IF:

Their communications are offbeat:

They address you as Sir/Madam — RED FLAG

They reply with a list of questions followed by blanks (______) for you to fill out — RED FLAG

They give TMI (“too much information”) in their replies, like lengthy descriptions of their situation and family members, detailing discussions they’ve had or their whole life story as to why they have to move — RED FLAG

They talk about transferring money:

They discuss transferring or wiring money before you’ve met in person (this includes sharing account numbers, wire transfers, Moneygram, social security numbers, or sending checks) — RED FLAG

They say they need to do wire transfers because they are traveling/working abroad or on a humanitarian mission — RED FLAG

They might try to put you at ease by offering to send you a cashier’s check/money order with their info on it first, and then have you wire them money — RED FLAG

They might make you feel rushed by saying you’re the first to respond and it will go fast, so they need a deposit to “hold” it for you — RED FLAG

They’re MIA:

They claim to be overseas or out of state for any reason — RED FLAG

They’re unable to meet in person — RED FLAG

They have an international phone number — RED FLAG

They do provide a phone number, but never answer and don’t have voicemail set up, forcing you to rely on email — RED FLAG

They can’t show it to you in person, and ask you to do a “drive by” — RED FLAG

They claim to be managing the property on behalf of another or an estate — RED FLAG

They’re offering an amazing deal:

They offer below market price, including utilities — RED FLAG

The photos contain high-quality furnishings that don’t reflect the price point of the apartment — RED FLAG

They claim to accept payment in installments — RED FLAG

They advertise that bad or no credit is okay — RED FLAG

Above all, if your instincts tell you something is amiss, please listen!

PRECAUTIONS:

Check for any of the red flags above
Review Craigslist’s scam info page
If you want to do a quick check for a post you think is legit, copy the first line of the post and paste it in Google and search. If it is a scam, it will usually return results in other cities for other postings but have the same exact first line. If you google the first line and see it appear other places online, it is not a real post…SKIP IT!
Keep a list of the posts you respond to with the title and posting ID for each (see below for where to find it). If a post turns out to be a scam, Craigslist needs the posting ID to track it down, but often, scammers remove the postings periodically to avoid getting caught. Keeping a list of the posting ID’s you’ve replied to will at least give you a place to start if one turns out to be a scam.

SPOT A SCAM? WHAT TO DO:

You can alert Craigslist by completing this online form. You will need the post ID as mentioned above.
If you’ve already shared personal information, you may need to contact your bank and credit agencies to alert them.

As you can see, there is much more you can do BEFORE getting scammed than after. Like with all things on the Internet, you seldom know who you’re really talking to, and it can be extremely difficult to track someone down. Please shop carefully. If you have any questions or comments, email info@roohanrealty.com.