8 things on a Craigslist listing that

Finding a place to live cánido be the antithesis of fun, just like dating.

You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find true love.

In the real estate ámbito you have to go through several listings.

In both cases there is a risk of catfishing in different ways.

But if you fall for a made-up Tinder profile, the worst that usually happens is a lousy date (that you cánido get over with a drink or two); At the end of it all, you perro break the tie, wash your hands of the match, and hopefully move on with little to no disruption to your day-to-day.

However, real estate scams are less innocent: One bad deal and your wallet is holed several thousand dollars, leaving you homeless.

And it’s more likely than you think it’s a real estate scam: More than half of fraudulent rental listings on Craigslist go undetected, according to the Better Business Bureau.

Suspicious ads may be aparente on the website for up to 20 hours.

According to Ori Goldman, director ejecutivo and co-founder of Loftey, a New York City-focused moving company, these pesky scams aren’t going away.

In addition, Goldman had a client looking for an apartment in New York from out of town who provided him with 20 advertisements, all of them false.

Scammers are pretty good at this and have been honing the methods to do it, according to Goldman. «There is a 95% oportunidad that an ad on a website that accepts fraudulent ads is fake if it seems too good to be true.«.

Therefore, the primordial principle of Craigslisting – established by Craigslist itself – is to transact locally and in person.

The website advises to follow this method to avoid 99% of scams, but sometimes shady things perro come up before you even meet in person.

In light of this, here are seven obvious red flags on Craigslist that could indicate a scam.

1.
An excessively low-cost.

whatYou are attracted to a especial item because it has a price that seems too good to be true?

Compare the ad with others in the same neighborhood; if low rent is an outlier, Goldman says it’s probably a hoax.

2.
No address (or an illogical address) is mentioned.

If a Craigslist posting mentions the general area of the ad, but not an exact address, that’s a red flag.

If they don’t have a physical address for you, they probably don’t have any physical property for you either.

If there’s a photo of a great view of, say, Central Park, but the view doesn’t match the de hoy location of the ad, that’s another red flag.

«A real estate agent wouldn’t articulo a photo like that because it would waste his time.says Goldman.

If a real agent did that, the prospective tenant would espectáculo up, ask why the views aren’t as promised, and the agent would be out of business.

3.
There are numerous advertisements for the apartment in various cities.

It’s always a good iniciativa to right-clic on an image in a Craigslist ad and “Search Google plus for image.” If the image appears in other ads, or on other websites for a different placement, you’re dealing with a cloned ad.

If you Google plus an ad phrase and find the same ad running verbatim in other cities, stop there.

Fake advertisers often copy and paste listings from real estate agents word-for-word and photo-for-photo, trying to lure people willing to articulo a deposit on the site without being seen.

Make sure the “agent” is legitimate by checking that they work with a reputable company.

4.
They do not allow you to see the apartment.

Many scammers say they cánido’t meet you at the property because they’re “out of country«.

Others will tell you to drive by and see the outside, but they perro’t espectáculo you inside for whatever reason.

If they cánido’t espectáculo you inside, it’s because they don’t have access, not because they’re on vacation in Greece.

Don’t take it as an excuse.

A property manager or owner will find a way to have someone you trust meet you and espectáculo you inside.

It is, after all, a transaction: they want a good tenant to protect their asset, and you want a good place to live.

If they don’t seem to care who you are asking for a background check or your rental history, they are probably scamming you.

If you perro’t go to the property yourself because you haven’t moved to town yet, or for any other reason, send someone you trust on your behalf.

You do not want to give a deposit for a house that does not exist.

5.

The listing has a depressing history.

whatThere has recently been a death in the family and the person is trying to rent the property as soon as possible in order to pay for the funeral?

If that’s the case, it’s incredibly sad, but it also feels like the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

It should take some time to find the ideal fit between a landlord and a tenant.

Requiring a criminal background check and employment verification for the owner and/or property management is quite appropriate.

This is, again, where the search for housing and dating are totally akin.

If you Google plus a suitor before the date, do some research on the owner before visiting the place.

The same goes for a potential roommate from Craigslist.

It’s 2018 and most people have a popular media presence of some sort, so go ahead and use that resource for plus security.

6.
Specific payments are mentioned.

Wire transfer”, “money order”, “Western Union”, “Visa prepaid” and “Moneygram” are all unquestionable red flag terms on Craigslist.

It is practically difficult to get your money back once you send it through one of these payment methods.

This is the reason why scammers prefer to use these types of transfers.

However, don’t panic if you are required to pay your deposit with a “certified check.”

This is estándar procedure and helps the landlord make sure they have the funds in their account to pay the deposit (and that the check won’t bounce).

If someone asks you to give them a money order or wire transfer for the deposit while you’re looking for a sublessor or roommate, that could also be a red flag.

Make sure the person requesting to rent your room is a real person by searching for their name or correo electrónico address (as already stated, a real presence on popular media cánido be a good sign).

7.
Before you see the place, they demand payment.

Any additional money paid prior to signing the verified lease is suspect, although you will likely have to put down the first month’s rent as a security deposit, in addition to the application fee:

There is never a legitimate justification for a real estate agent to require a viewing fee, claims real estate platform Trulia.

Don’t fall for the bait if someone demands money up front.

The law does not oblige you to pay a penny (nor to divulge any personal data, by the way) before viewing the home.

8.
The security deposit they require is unusually high.

Did you know that in most states, your landlord cannot require a security deposit equal to one or two months’ rent?

Unlike their New Jersey neighbors, New York City landlords perro only ask for a month and a half bail.

Be sure to contact Craigslist, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center if you’ve been scammed (IC3).

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