Yea, buddy, I'm going to rent the house after doing just a drive-by and call you in Africa if I have any problems.
Again, the Craigslist posting looked normal and had photos. I think I'm going to stay away from postings without phone numbers from now on!
CL text read: "Two Bedroom back apartment. Rent is $450/mo. utilities are included. A
cash security deposit of $300 is required. Nice backyard with driveway.
appliances are included". The address given was 27 Bloomingdale St, Rochester, NY 14621.
The email contact was mankowski_david@yahoo.com. Here is the email I got from him. I emailed him back asking a few basic questions, and all he did was send me the rental application again.
UPDATE: I got a little curious, so I looked up the property owner in the county's property database. Looks like this David Mankowski did own the home (for about 20 days in 2009), then sold it to someone else. Very weird!
ANOTHER UPDATE: According to a Google search, the home was once rented by a seemingly legit property management company. It's not on their current list of vacant properties. I emailed them to see if they knew what the deal was.
Showing posts with label craigslist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craigslist. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Craigslist scammers get smarter
The joys of apartment hunting! I figured I'd post a PSA on my blog about the latest Craigslist scam I encountered.
I'm looking in Rochester, NY. I don't know if it's happening elsewhere, please respond in the comments if it has. Please also include the email address and name that you got in the email.
UPDATE 9/10: Yowzas, I can't believe this scam is still going on. I've gotten comments from all over the country. If you've found this post you've probably Googled the text or email in a Craigslist post. I've found that the email wording changes slightly and the name it comes from does to. I can't keep up with all of them in the main post but if you comment with the name, email and test of the Craigslist posting and/or the text of the text of the email you received.
It seems in late August/September most people are getting a scam response from MARY VANG, maryvang8483@live.com. IF YOU GET AN EMAIL BACK FROM HER AFTER RESPONDING TO A CRAIGSLIST POST DO NOT RESPOND. IT IS A SCAM!!!!
PREVIOUS UPDATE: A colleague tells me she's also gotten similar emails for properties in the Jersey Shore area.
PREVIOUS UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has commented in the past few days! This scam has been reported in Charlotte, N.C.; Des Moines, Iowa; Utah; Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Ore.; Boston, Mass.; and San Diego, Calif.
ORIGINAL POST: I've gotten this email back from at least 10 properties I've inquired about on Craigslist. It's the same email from a number of different email addresses, so I'm convinced it's a scam. The property owners will not give out the address, and the ones I emailed at least initially did not respond when I asked for a general location. The email directs you to a website that asks for a bunch of personal information.
It's a clever scam. The apartments are cheaper than the neighborhood advertised but not by so much that it's a red flag. They include a detailed description and sometimes photos. There is no phone number.
If you get one of the following emails back do not respond, it is a scam! They've had slightly different wording so I'll paste all in hopes that they'll come up if people Google the text. They have come from the following names and email addresses:
I'm looking in Rochester, NY. I don't know if it's happening elsewhere, please respond in the comments if it has. Please also include the email address and name that you got in the email.
UPDATE 9/10: Yowzas, I can't believe this scam is still going on. I've gotten comments from all over the country. If you've found this post you've probably Googled the text or email in a Craigslist post. I've found that the email wording changes slightly and the name it comes from does to. I can't keep up with all of them in the main post but if you comment with the name, email and test of the Craigslist posting and/or the text of the text of the email you received.
It seems in late August/September most people are getting a scam response from MARY VANG, maryvang8483@live.com. IF YOU GET AN EMAIL BACK FROM HER AFTER RESPONDING TO A CRAIGSLIST POST DO NOT RESPOND. IT IS A SCAM!!!!
PREVIOUS UPDATE: A colleague tells me she's also gotten similar emails for properties in the Jersey Shore area.
PREVIOUS UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has commented in the past few days! This scam has been reported in Charlotte, N.C.; Des Moines, Iowa; Utah; Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Ore.; Boston, Mass.; and San Diego, Calif.
ORIGINAL POST: I've gotten this email back from at least 10 properties I've inquired about on Craigslist. It's the same email from a number of different email addresses, so I'm convinced it's a scam. The property owners will not give out the address, and the ones I emailed at least initially did not respond when I asked for a general location. The email directs you to a website that asks for a bunch of personal information.
It's a clever scam. The apartments are cheaper than the neighborhood advertised but not by so much that it's a red flag. They include a detailed description and sometimes photos. There is no phone number.
If you get one of the following emails back do not respond, it is a scam! They've had slightly different wording so I'll paste all in hopes that they'll come up if people Google the text. They have come from the following names and email addresses:
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