House scam in Washington

Scammer targeting local renters on Craigslist:

How would you like it if you put your house up for sale only to get calls from people who wanted to rent it. That’s what happened to a woman in Burien, Washington. People were responding to a craigslist ad for a house for rent only that the woman never placed an ad with craigslist.

The craigslist ad was directly copied from the legitimate real estate listing for the house only with some language changed. Of course people should have been tipped off that this was a scam…

McCann started get suspicious when the fake landlord wanted $2,000 upfront and claimed he couldn’t show the house because he was on a three-year mission trip to England.

The article also gives out some good advice when trying to rent or buy a property…

Anyone can find out who owns certain pieces of property on the Web site of the county property assessor.

And renters should always check out a rental property in person. Even without an appointment, renters can always knock on the door and find out whether the property is really for rent.

Not only that but even when dealing with real estate only deal with people in the local area.

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