Police: more people falling for Craigslist rental scam

Police: more people falling for Craigslist rental scam
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MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -

The number of people falling victim to fake rental scams on Craigslist and other online classifieds continues to grow across Michiana. Michigan City Police say they’ve responded to several calls in the last few weeks about home rental scams.

Police say people have been losing hundreds of dollars to local scam artists!! So investigators came up with some tips to help identify potential scammers.

First, the email addresses that some scammers will use are usually from Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail, but they’ll also post ads under anonymous craigslist addresses and will change their aliases from time to time.

Second – if the deal sounds too good to be true—it probably is. Scammers will list the rent very low to lure you in.

Plus - check the photos—are they taken from another property advertisement or even catalogues or hotel websites?? Keep that in mind.

Also the names—do a quick google search of their name to make sure it’s not a fake name from another profile or site. They’re even know to use the identity of a previous victim!!

Plus- be extra careful if you’ve gotten a request to transfer funds via Western Union, Moneygram or Green Dot card. You can check bbb.com to see if the alleged company has complaints.

Finally, police say most importantly-- go see the home or apartment first!! Verify that the person is truly an owner or representative.

Police say keep in mind—even when a property is actually up for rent—scammers will still say they are the landlord or caretaker—to try to find a way to get your money.

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