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Scam alert: Scammers use real estate listings for ID theftPress Release
POSTED: 2:35 pm CDT March 14, 2011
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CommentsPrint FriendlyScammers are using Craigslist to target would-be renters in an elegant ID theft con, according to Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel White.
“What they’re doing is really sneaky. They identify a property that is for sale, harvest images from the Internet showing the property, and then list it on Craigslist as a rental. The rent is very attractive. In one instance, $700 a month that included cable and Internet access for a beautiful four-bedroom home.
“Once the target is interested in the property, the scammer invites them to fill out an application. The application, of course, is what they’re after,” White said in a press release.
White said one homeowner reported having visitors drop by to ask about the property and being told it was for sale, not for rent.
“They said, ‘Well it sounded too good to be true,’” he said. “With these kinds of scams, that’s whatthey’re counting on; people looking a good deal that lowers their defenses.”
According to White, the Craigslist ad is vague. Once a person responds, they are given a story about how the homeowner is moving to Texas to care for an ailing relative; that the move to Texas is going to be for a substantial period of time, and that they are looking for an honest, sincere family to move into their residence during this absence.
“It’s made to appear like the homeowner is naively looking for someone to take care of the place in their absence, and that’s why the rent is so cheap. The scammers pulled images from an online listing and touted these as their photos of the property,” White said. ““Then once the hook is set, the target is given a rental application which seeks personal and financial information. That is the scammer’s real target — the would-be renter’s identity.”
White suggests:
• Work with reputable firms.
“A Craigslist ad may be a good lead, but do your homework. If the rent is low or they want a bunch of personal information, walk away.”
•If you do respond to an online query, ask the “homeowner’s” opinion on a news item that a local would know or have an opinion about.
“If they don’t respond to your observation about Zack Grienke getting traded, maybe they aren’t from Kansas City,” White said.
• If the “owner” doesn’t let you in the place to view it, there’s probably a reason. Like, they don’t own it.
In the e-mail the scammer sent targets, the conmen said the keys were in Texas and would be delivered after the application process was completed but to view the property externally.
Actually what they said was, “Do get back to me if you are truly interested and sure of taking proper care of my house, there is a rent application form which I will like you to fill and send back to me. If you can do all this for me, then I will be willing to rent my house to you. … Your full information will be used to process all documents that will be coming together with the keys leading to the house.”
“Thatcomment about full information — your personal identifiers, banking and other
information — is what tips you off to the scam,” White said.
White said that scammers are adept at adapting new technologies to exploit people.
“We have a very hard time prosecuting these cases. I’m confident that this situation originates off shore and that the only thing the scammer knows about Texas is how to spell it. Prevention is really our only tool,” White said.
Smithville Herald News » More Smithville Herald »
Scam alert: Scammers use real estate listings for ID theftPress Release
POSTED: 2:35 pm CDT March 14, 2011
Share XE-mail to a friendShare
CommentsPrint FriendlyScammers are using Craigslist to target would-be renters in an elegant ID theft con, according to Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel White.
“What they’re doing is really sneaky. They identify a property that is for sale, harvest images from the Internet showing the property, and then list it on Craigslist as a rental. The rent is very attractive. In one instance, $700 a month that included cable and Internet access for a beautiful four-bedroom home.
“Once the target is interested in the property, the scammer invites them to fill out an application. The application, of course, is what they’re after,” White said in a press release.
White said one homeowner reported having visitors drop by to ask about the property and being told it was for sale, not for rent.
“They said, ‘Well it sounded too good to be true,’” he said. “With these kinds of scams, that’s whatthey’re counting on; people looking a good deal that lowers their defenses.”
According to White, the Craigslist ad is vague. Once a person responds, they are given a story about how the homeowner is moving to Texas to care for an ailing relative; that the move to Texas is going to be for a substantial period of time, and that they are looking for an honest, sincere family to move into their residence during this absence.
“It’s made to appear like the homeowner is naively looking for someone to take care of the place in their absence, and that’s why the rent is so cheap. The scammers pulled images from an online listing and touted these as their photos of the property,” White said. ““Then once the hook is set, the target is given a rental application which seeks personal and financial information. That is the scammer’s real target — the would-be renter’s identity.”
White suggests:
• Work with reputable firms.
“A Craigslist ad may be a good lead, but do your homework. If the rent is low or they want a bunch of personal information, walk away.”
•If you do respond to an online query, ask the “homeowner’s” opinion on a news item that a local would know or have an opinion about.
“If they don’t respond to your observation about Zack Grienke getting traded, maybe they aren’t from Kansas City,” White said.
• If the “owner” doesn’t let you in the place to view it, there’s probably a reason. Like, they don’t own it.
In the e-mail the scammer sent targets, the conmen said the keys were in Texas and would be delivered after the application process was completed but to view the property externally.
Actually what they said was, “Do get back to me if you are truly interested and sure of taking proper care of my house, there is a rent application form which I will like you to fill and send back to me. If you can do all this for me, then I will be willing to rent my house to you. … Your full information will be used to process all documents that will be coming together with the keys leading to the house.”
“Thatcomment about full information — your personal identifiers, banking and other
information — is what tips you off to the scam,” White said.
White said that scammers are adept at adapting new technologies to exploit people.
“We have a very hard time prosecuting these cases. I’m confident that this situation originates off shore and that the only thing the scammer knows about Texas is how to spell it. Prevention is really our only tool,” White said.
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