Comments on: I Got Scammed By Craiglist

By: marci

marci — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:29:52 +0000

Good to know there are places to report Fraud and scam listings like these. I see them a lot while my boyfriend is job hunting on Craigslist.

By: James

James — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:30:30 +0000

Hey MG,

It sounds like your privacy is very important to you. That said, it doesn’t really sound like its all that bad. And if you keep your other information close to your vest, you should be okay.

Thanks,

James

By: MoneyMateKate

MoneyMateKate — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:30:50 +0000

It’s not scam – it’s more like spam. The woman’s agency probably has a cheap admin whose job it is to post constantly. In NYC, we pretty much expect a bait-and-switch from agents, e.g. “the apartment you asked about has just been taken, but I have appointments at similar properties in the same neighborhood”.

As for the tip about anonymized email addresses – you do NOT want to put an actual email address on craigslist. Not because of the creeps, but because you’ll get all kinds of dumbass spam that I’m fairly certain = scam because all the emails offering to build me a website or get me out of debt (heck, those folks are even emailing us anonymized posters!) look exactly the same – different email address and name, but identical formatting and near-identical wording.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:30:22 +0000

The title is misleading, because Craigslist didn’t scam you, the scam artist did. Maybe a change from “by” to “on”.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:02:29 +0000

I love craigslist, too (mostly) but we have had some issues, as well. Our posts have been flagged for no good reason other than people wanting to get rid of the competition. I’m not aware of being able to do anything about this. Our house is now rented but I did swear that if it happened again that it might lead to assault on someone. It’s so rude! It is a free service and there’s no insurance that you won’t have people trying to make make trouble for no good reason. I hope you find a good place soon.
Jerry

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:46:07 +0000

Hi Angie,

Actually it was not as simple as saying, “You should have been suspicious for $200 less than market rate.” The spread in DC on a 3bdrm house can be anywhere from $1500 in SE to $5,000 in NW, so it’s not like you can tell what’s prevailing rate without knowing the neighborhood well. We have a very wide geographic spread where we’re willing to go, so it wasn’t too crazy to check stuff out.

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:32:17 +0000

You should have known right away by the price. Anything more than $200 less than what you expect to pay should automatically be considered a scam or someone who knows they will get foreclosed on in the near future. I’m doing the same thing right now in northern virginia looking for a larger apartment. Nowadays I’m pretty wary of any ad that slightly doesn’t look legit. I’m still solely looking on craigslist.

Anything too good to be true probably is. Especially in our rental market! Although, I’m not quite sure what they get out of having your email.

Good luck in your search.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:14:22 +0000

These are all really good tips!

I love Craigslist because I too found my job on it. I have also saved a lot of money on material items and services.

I like to buy gift cards off of craigslist. A lot of people sell them at discounted prices. I have also bought from http://www.giftcardrescue.com They have a great selection. You can buy gift cards from, exchange gift cards, and sell your gift cards!
Such an easy way to make money in these tough times

By: flightgirl78

flightgirl78 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:52:50 +0000

I wish that you lived here in Houston! I would rent you a legitimate one bedroom apt. all bills paid (incl. eletricity, internet and cable) brand new for $975! I posted it on craigslist but haven’t gotten any calls (it has only been two hours since I posted, but still). Are there other websites that you check for apartment listings? As a landlord, I am out of touch about where else to post.

By: mapgirl

mapgirl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:45:21 +0000

Kat – We’re moving together which is what he wanted to do before, but we didn’t think the neighbors would get any worse after the shooting on his street last year. But we were wrong!

By: kat

kat — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:49:56 +0000

Good tips!

Your comment about the scanned postcard reminded me of http://www.lovelylisting.com. Might provide some amusement to take the edge off the real-estate hunt.

(And sorry to hear you have to move again so soon, that sucks. Is BF coming with or staying with the crazies?)