WWYD: “I May Have Just Fallen For My 1st Scam”

I recently received the following letter from a concerned reader who wishes to remain anonymous:

I consider myself a pretty savvy city person in my late 20s (maybe not so after this experience), and I’ve rented several apartments since college using Craigslist, but may have just fallen for my first legitimate scam. I would appreciate some feedback and hopefully serve as a cautionary tale to trust your gut when it comes to strangers, money, and the internet.

I’m looking to move back to LA this spring, and posted a Craigslist ad in the housing wanted section for a 1 bed/studio or a shared living situation. I received a normal sounding email from a guy named [redacted] claiming to have a 1 bed/1 bath condo in [neighborhood] for $1350 available for rent. I responded and requested more info and pictures, to which he responded with a lengthy email about the location of the condo, including serious details about several area things that were within close walking/driving distance, and several real looking photos.

He explained he would be working abroad on a government contract, leaving the apartment vacant. I asked for more details about the apartment and references, and he provided the name and contact information for a past short-term tenant and a former neighbor who still owned a unit in the building. Both references were based in foreign countries. He also provided a legitimate looking LinkedIn profile that corresponded to his job description, and was willing to speak to me on the phone, but not via Skype.

It seemed a little too good to be true, but after renting from a wonderful landlord/condo owner for 3+ years that I found on Craigslist, and sending the initial email to a few friends for input (no one saw any red flags), I figured it would be fine.
I ended up completing the brief application form he provided: name, address, birthdate, employer, employer reference email (my boss), current landlord reference email/phone. A few days after I sent the application he “approved” me and asked me to wire $2700 — security deposit and first month’s rent — to his California bank account before I could receive the keys in the mail. He also drew up and signed a simple lease agreement for me to sign and return, but it lacked important details: i.e., it had the street address of the condo, but not the specific unit, and it was a larger building. As soon as I saw the ask for a wire transfer I knew something was not quite right. A trusted friend looked it over and agreed with me that it was best to pass on it.

I declined to sign the lease and emailed back that I would be staying in my current city due to work, and not taking the apartment.

So what would you do next? I got very concerned about the security of my personal information, and signed up for an identity/fraud monitoring service (LifeLock) for at least the next few weeks. Even though the information I provided was very basic and easily google-able, it still makes me super uneasy it could be used for fraudulent purposes. Anything else I can do besides wait and see? Any other tips for searching from an apartment from afar?

I’m happy to provide the actual email chain if you’re curious/want to verify anything.

I am thankful not to be down $2700 from this experience, but I very easily could have been had my friend not validated the nagging concerns I had with the situation. I would be very curious to hear from other readers if they have ever been victim of a Craigslist scam and how they dealt with the aftermath.

Here’s the thing about nagging concerns: they are there to be listened to. Have you ever wished you were one of those people with ESP? Guess what, you are! Your sixth sense is your gut, and in this case your gut — and, thank goodness, your friend — spoke in one clear voice: “No.”

A similar thing happened to me in 2009 and I dealt with the resulting anger / anxiety by calling the FBI.

[RINGING]
VOICE: Hello, FBI.
ME: Hi, um, I seem to have gotten involved in an international money laundering scheme …
VOICE: Please hold.

[HOLD MUSIC]

VOICE #2: Hello, FBI.
ME: Hi — I seem to have gotten involved in an international money laundering scheme …
VOICE #2: Please hold.

[HOLD MUSIC]

VOICE #3: Hello, FBI.
ME: Hi — I seem to have gotten involved in an international money laundering scheme …
VOICE #3: Ah yes. Email or Craigslist?
ME: Craigslist. I answered an ad requesting a tutor for a six year old girl and the next thing I knew I was getting a check via Fed Ex for $3,200.00.
VOICE #3: And you’re supposed to wire that money to a third party?
ME: Yes, sir.
VOICE #3: Yup, this is an international money laundering scheme run by Nigerians.
ME: I knew it! Or I hoped it was Somali pirates.
VOICE #3: Yeah, they’re still mostly boat-focused.
ME: That makes sense.

The FBI agents were cheerful and good-natured. They suggested doing what you’ve already done: taking some natural precautions, such as flagging credit bureaus in case anyone tries to swipe your identity. They also recommended the website http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/, which made for some enlightening reading.

Anyway, you did good! You maintained, first and foremost, a touching faith in humanity, but you didn’t give your skepticism the day off; and you didn’t lose any money. I know people who have not been so lucky. (Mike.)

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