Beware of Scams found on the Internet regarding Rental Housing

craigslist

The Cedar Rapids Area Association of Realtors have issued the following statement to its membership on a scam on Craigslist. There have been recent incidents in the Cedar Rapids area according to fellow Realtors.

There are a number of homes currently listed for sale that are also
being listed for rent on Craigslist by a scammer.

This scammer lists the house for rent, usually for a very low rate. The only information in the ad that is correct is the owner’s name. Everything else is fake including the email address and phone number which is actually for the scammer.

Usually this scammer states that he is a missionary that is out of the Country and is looking for someone to rent and take care of his home.

He has also stated that he is out of the Country on extended business. He says that he has the keys with him and is unable to show the inside of the property.

Each time, he is asking the potential tenant to wire or send a deposit and rent via Western Union.

Please be aware that this is a scam. You can go onto Craigslist
and flag this type of posting to be deleted. - CRRealtors.org

It is similar to the Nigeria Letter Scam that has been out in the market for over 20 years. As a member of the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, we are well aware of that common letter, now e-mail.

Craigslist Rental Scam Being Run From Nigeria? : The Real Estate ... - Real Esate Bloggers
Aug 6, 2009 ... The FBI has released a statement that a new Craigslist Rental Scam is being run out of Nigeria. Famous for the Advance Fee Scam, ...

Rental Scam Used Craigslist Ad‎ - KFOX El Paso
Recently, several families have been scammed with one family being conned out of $1000. Police said someone is creating fake posts on Craigslist.org with ...

We suggest that you should always work with a local resource for your rental and real estate needs. The City of Cedar Rapids discourages absent Landlords and encourages a local contact for the public, when dealing with housing, especially Rental Housing.

If you have questions regarding properties for rent in Cedar Rapids-Marion, please let us know, if we can be of service to you. We currently are marketing 2 bedroom and 4 bedroom houses for rent.

ttrco