Carson City Sheriff’s Office
Friday, June 4, 2021
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office has received multiple reports involving Craigslist rental scams. Please consider these six steps to prevent being a victim of Craigslist fraud:
Always verify the owner: Be very cautious about renting properties where the manager or owner is not willing to meet you in person.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: When scanning through Craigslist listings, be cautious of apartments that seem too good to be true, as they probably are.
Never give personal information upfront: Another way scammers use Craigslist to try to entice potential victims is by convincing you it's a really hot property, typically via e-mail, and insisting you "act fast" to reserve it.
Never trust an e-mail: Unfortunately, scammers are hacking into the e-mail addresses of landlords and property owners on Craigslist and defrauding prospective tenants by posing as the real owners. The scam typically starts by answering your e-mail inquiry with a hard sell on why they need your personal information (or a deposit) before showing you the place.
Never wire money: Sending money by wire transfer is essentially the same thing as sending cash and once it has been sent, it's nearly impossible to get it back.
Beware of the middleman scam: The “middleman scam” is when a scammer pretends a property is available for rent on Craigslist and claims to be handling, or managing, the place for the "real" owners. They'll often claim the owner is out of the country and has trusted the place to them.
Additional information can be located on www.ic3.gov to report and avoiding being a victim of online fraud.
