Craigslist scam targets renters

WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – If it's posted on Craigslist, and seems too good to be true, chance are it probably is. On Wednesday, police issued an alert to a new scam targeting West Michigan. The FBI is even involved in this one.

Con artists are copying postings of homes for sale from the internet, pasting that information into a Craigslist ad as a rental. When a potential renter inquires into the listing, the con begins.

Police say it's the latest twist in a long line of scams infiltrating the US from Nigeria, and it blindsided Jennifer Walker.

"I go on Craigslist almost everyday looking for a house to rent, me and my fiancé are looking to move out," said Walker.

Recently, Walker and her fiancé found the listing for what they thought was their dream home.

"Five hundred a month, three bedrooms and it was so nice," said Walker.

However, the lister couldn't show the couple the home.

"He had just got transferred out of town for his job," said Walker.

So, they went to check out the Kalamazoo home on their own.

"We drove by it and really liked it, walked around it," said Walker.

However, they couldn't go inside the home to really check it out.

"He said he had the keys with him, so I wouldn't be able to look into the house because they were with him in London," said Walker.

The couple were still interested in renting the house, and in order to take the next step the lister wanted some money up front.

Detective Victor Ledbetter says all of this fits the mold of a new Nigerian scam.

"That's part of the scam," said Det. Ledbetter, "you send in the first and last months rent, then they would do a credit check and send you the keys to the property."

But, the lister never sends the keys, and the money sent in is gone. Luckily, Walker got suspicious before it came to that.

"We thought it was a little weird and we called the Realtor, and that's when she informed us it was a scam," said Walker.

Walker contacted Newschannel 3 to try and help others avoid being conned themselves.

"You hear about it all the time, but happening to you, you just don't expect it, and I just couldn't believe it," said Walker.

Individuals with complaints similar to this are asked to file an internet crime complaint on www.ic3.gov to ensure that the extent of the scheme can be accurately evaluated and tracked. A report may also be filed with local law enforcement.