Hi,
I have moved around a lot and have inquired about listings for rental homes that I saw on craigslist. In 3 different states I have received the same email reply for different homes. It starts like this:
"Hello,
God bless you for your interest about my house,yes is still available for rent.... I am renting this house to a responsible and neat person or family who has the fear of God and treat my house as his or her own. Presently my wife and i work for USAID. USAID works in agriculture, democracy & governance, economic growth, the environment,education, health, global partnerships, and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries to provide a better future for all.. (and so on)"
I am wondering is this a scam? Is this an automated message these people are given and thats why its the same? I am not looking to know more about USAID I am just wanted to know if these are legit rentals? THanks in advance!!
probably a scam. craigslist is the worst place to look for anything to be honest. Its not governed at all, so scammers love it. I'd suggest you look elsewhere, a real estate website, or at least a real estate search site. Im on the east coast soi cant really help you with recommendations for sites, but they are out there. stay away from craigslist!
http://parishousingscamwatch.wordpress.com/shameless-scam...
http://www.montereyrentals.com/newalert.html
Obviously this is a scam. They hi-jack legitimate ads and try to collect deposits, first & last months rent, etc. Stay away!
This sure does sound like a scam. When we were listing our house on Craigslist, someone hijacked our ad in much the same way. Fortunately for us, our personal phone number was listed in the body of the ad (which hijackers had obviously copy/pasted), so people were calling us directly asking about our home for rent. We had it listed for $3800, scammers had it listed for $1000. After the 3rd person called asking about our 4500sq ft home for $1000 rent (really? if it's too good to be true, it's probably a scam), I did a search on $1000 homes for rent, and there it was: our own ad! Apparently, according to a number of the potential victims who called us directly, the scammers were saying they were missionaries who were being called back to West Africa and wanted God-fearing folk to rent their home. They required a $600 deposit before they would send the key. I guess the scammers didn't check our ad carefully, though, because our location and phone number was listed so it was easy enough for people to drive by and check out our house (it was obviously not vacant, we were still living there!) or call us directly. One couple who walked up to our front door told us that "as soon as we drove up, we realized there was no way THIS house was going for only $1000". If you're renting a house through Craigslist, absolutely insist on seeing the house personally before signing anything or writing any checks. If the landlord refuses to show you the house, it's a scam.
Obviously a scam to me! Stay away from these.
I have to disagree with one prior comment though about staying away from craigslist. Just be VERY carefull. I have found many things on craigslist including items, husbands job a couple years ago, my current job etc. There are good things there, you just need to be smart and avoid the junk.
Anytime God name is used be careful. Sad but true.
C.
I don't know anything about this company, but it's pretty clearly a scam. The wordage screams scam.
Definately! My husband and I ran into a few of these and similar versions of it when we were looking for our home. Basically, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is! Ask questions like "Can we come see it?" or "how long did you live there?" and if they don't answer and/or tell you they need a deposit or any personal info...they are a scam. Sorry. It is really frustrating! Good luck
Scam! Please don't mail any money to anyone in return for the promise of a key. We are new to the rental market, and found a home and have been living in it for 1 year. Boy was I surprised when the doorbell rang and someone said they just rented this house. It was on Craig's List and the people sent them quite a bit of money and were out that money. I felt very bad for them. If the owner legitimitely lives out of the country, they will always have a professional here that is taking care of the house and can show you it, etc. I will say though, Craig's List can be a good tool, we did find our home now on Craig's List, but a lot of times they will recycle the pictures and put up their own ad. So be careful and always visit the house before renting it!
