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NYPD: Woman Lost $2,199 In Craigslist Apartment Scam

By

Jen Chung

Published Oct 22, 2014

Modified Oct 22, 2014

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By

Jen Chung

Published Oct 22, 2014

Modified Oct 22, 2014

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The police are hoping the public can help them find a man who scammed a woman out of thousands of dollars when she answered a fake apartment ad on Craigslist.

According to police, a 39-year-old female responded to a Craigslist ad for an apartment to rent in Manhattan: "When the victim called the suspect, he stated that he was in Missouri and that he needed to know that she had the money for a deposit because he has been inconvenienced before. The victim then deposited $2,199 in a Western Union account and gave the suspect the name and the confirmation number it was under. On September 2, 2014 the suspect then went to the Action Check Cashing store in Queens, NY and, using a fake ID that he had made with the name she deposited it under, removed the cash."

Investigators say the grand larceny took place in the 68th Precinct, which covers Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton. The NYPD has released a photograph of the suspect at the check cashing place.

One tell-tale sign of a scam is when a "landlord" or "rental agent" demands that money be wired or give as a cash deposit—and they can't give you keys to the apartment. From the FTC:

They tell you to wire money

This is the surest sign of a scam. There’s never a good reason to wire money to pay a security deposit, application fee, first month’s rent, or vacation rental fee. That’s true even if they send you a contract first. Wiring money is the same as sending cash — once you send it, you have no way to get it back.

They want a security deposit or first month’s rent before you’ve met or signed a lease
It’s never a good idea to send money to someone you’ve never met in person for an apartment you haven’t seen. If you can’t visit an apartment or house yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it’s for rent, and that it is what was advertised. In addition to setting up a meeting, do a search on the owner and listing. If you find the same ad listed under a different name, that’s a clue it may be a scam.

They say they’re out of the country
But they have a plan to get the keys into your hands. It might involve a lawyer or an “agent” working on their behalf. Some scammers even create fake keys. Don’t send money to them overseas. If you can’t meet in person, see the apartment, or sign a lease before you pay, keep looking. What if the rental itself is overseas? Paying with a credit card, by PayPal, or through a reputable vacation rental website with its own payment system are your safest bets.

Anyone with information in regards to this grand larceny is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Tagged

craigslist

craigslist apartment scam

crime

manhattan

real estate

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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