Scam uses Craigslist to post fake home rentals
A scammer, apparently based in Africa, is posting bogus Spokane house rentals on Craigslist.
Realtor Jessica Howerton said she was inundated with calls from potential renters of a home at 217 W. 21st Ave.
But the home is only for sale, not for rent, she said.
The scammer apparently identified the home on a website, found the owner’s name by searching Spokane County records, then posed as the legitimate owner on Craigslist.
The Craigslist posting even included pictures taken from the sales listing, Howerton said.
Anyone who responds to the rental posting is asked for information, including Social Security numbers, that would expose them to identity theft. A $500 deposit is requested.
Howerton said she responded via Craigslist three times, telling the scammer to stop, but each time got another message thanking her for her interest in renting the property.
“It’s quite an interesting and sad situation,” she said, adding that the home’s owner is concerned someone will be taken in by the scheme.
Howerton said she changed her telephone message to advise incoming callers of the problem. The owner has posted a sign on the front door with the same message, she said.
Darin Burt, a would-be renter who contacted Howerton, said he has since found two other suspicious listings, one with the same international phone number used for the home on 21st. The prefix indicates the scammer is in Nigeria.
“They all seemed a little too good to be true,” Burt said of the rental rates.
Rob Higgins, president of the Spokane Association of Realtors, said similar scams have been reported in the past, but not for several years.
“It’s been an issue at national meetings,” he said.
Craigslist is cooperative when a problem is brought to its attention, Higgins added.
Burt, the real estate editor for Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Living magazine, said he wants the problem publicized before someone loses their money, or identity.
“It’s not fair to the renters, it’s not fair to the owners,” he said.