[Vision2020] Craigslist question

[Donovan Arnold]

I don't think that is how it has to be done now with the Internet. I am moving to another apartment in four days. I am moving into an apartment I have never seen or visited. Everything can be done online now. The thing that the scam artists cannot do that legitimate businesses can is get an electronic verify signature online. I would not do this though unless it is through a well know and established leasing company. If you rent via Internet from an individual private party, you can easily get scammed. 
 
Doing a walk through can also be a scam too. I have heard of people leasing the same house to several people at the same time, collecting their money and them trying to all move in later with the scamer no where to be found. All they need to do is break into a vacant house on the market that has pictures and a description of the house online, move them to their ad, and presto, they have a house they can rent many times over with a low deposit and can accept anyone regardless of bad credit. 
 
Donovan J. Arnold

From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
To: Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com> 
Cc: vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com> 
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2012 1:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Craigslist question

A couple things . . .

This scam has been around for a while on Craigslist.  Craigslist is the most unaccountable, unsupervised, uncontrolled online advertiser I know of.

I would be extremely concerned if I were in the market to rent and a potential "landlord" suggested that I stop by the property and "peek in the windows".

I have just completed a move from Taylor Avenue to North Adams Street, here in Moscow.  Both properties are owned by Otto Hill Apartments.  When I was looking to move, a rep from Otto Hill Apartments set up an appointment and we did a walk-thru.  THAT'S how it's done.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown



On Jul 21, 2012, at 12:01, Sunil Ramalingam <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Any of you read last weekend's Trib article about the renting scam? A house goes on the market for sale, and someone puts an ad in Craigslist announcing it's for rent; they get a deposit, and the poor renters show up on the homeowners' doorsteps, expecting to move in.
> 
> Yesterday someone I know told me that she had gotten several strange, similar email responses to her queries about rental property in Portland. I told her about the article. This morning my folks, whose home is on the market in the Portland area, told me that a couple showed up at their front door to look at the place. Actually, the 'owners' (they used my dad's name) told them they were doing missionary work in Africa, and to just come by and look in the windows. Thats the same thing my friend was told. The folks who came by my folks' place were looking in the windows when they saw my parents.
> 
> So I told my dad about the scam when we were talking this morning. We'd like to know how does he get these ads off Craigslist? Does he have to go on and find them and flag them? Is there another way?
> 
> I'd appreciate any suggestions.
> 
>  Thanks,
> 
> Sunil
>  
> =======================================================
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> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================

=======================================================
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              http://www.fsr.net/
          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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