1. Hiring movers
You call around different moving companies and find one is more outrageously priced than the next. Not to mention those fuel charges! So where do you look for the best bargain? Nowadays the most optimal place is Craigslist.Many of the ads you'll find are deceiving. They're posted by people who seem willing to devote their day to help you move for a fair price. But, in fact, scammers are using these ads to find just the right family to rip off all of their stuff.
That's what happened to one family in Douglas County, Georgia, but it's a warning for everyone. It started when they hired movers they saw on Craigslist.
The team consisted of two men and a U-Haul. The family had planned to follow the movers to their new home, but once they got to the freeway, the truck took off with all of their belongings inside.
Hours later, after arriving at their new house, there was still no sign of the movers. The family called the police. Here's the real kicker. Once police started investigating, they found the U-Haul abandoned and empty. These thieves managed to steal an entire family's belongings in a stolen truck.
Two days after the theft, a box was found on the side of the road that belonged to the family. It had very important documents inside, but the iPads and phones packed in that same box were gone. Nevertheless, the family was relieved to have that particular box back in their possession.
The estimated amount in losses is about $75,000. Police are still looking into the theft.
The lesson to be learned here? Sometimes it's worth the extra money to hire professionals or rent a U-Haul, gather some friends and move everything yourselves. You can make it worth their while and reward them with pizza and drinks afterwards.
Rental or home listings
In the market to buy or rent a place and feel Craigslist may produce the cheapest results? Careful. Sometimes if something sounds too good to be true, chances are it probably is. This can go both ways, someone searching for a place to live can be scammed, or someone who's a homeowner could be scammed and find out the hard way.This happened to homeowner John Darr in New Albany, Indiana when shortly after listing his home for sale, he began noticing some suspicious activity. People were coming to his house and looking around the property. Some were even coming right up to his front porch, and peeking in through the windows.
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He
later realized what had happened. Scammers posted the details of his
home as a rental opportunity on Craigslist. It was listed as a cozy
three-bedroom, two-bathroom house for only $600 per month. And all the
applicants had to do was send in their personal information, along with a
security deposit.However, Darr's home was not for rent. And, the listing to sell his home had been active for less than a week. He wasn't fully aware of what had happened until he received a strange message on Facebook.
"The message asked ... was I selling the house or was I renting the house? Because she had some concerns that somebody was running a scam with my name," Darr explained.
It was then that he became aware of the fraudulent post on Craigslist, which made several false claims. One of which was that the owners of the property were going to be leaving the country for three or four years on a mission trip. The scammer had even offered false contact information, and would correspond with interested applicants. Through this correspondence, the scammer was able to obtain personal information from the victims, and even make arrangements for money transfers.
This is scary not only for home owners, but also for people looking for a place to rent. If you're going to look for a place on Craigslist there are obvious signs to watch out for. If you find a property you're interested in, place the address into a Google search and see what results are generated. If the property pulls up on other sites listed for sale, then make note of that inconsistency. It's a red flag.
Another major clue is a rental property where you're unable to meet with the owner, or some type of property manager. If no one can meet you at the home for a tour, then there's probably something fishy
Remembber if it is too good to be true look about ten times and ask for backgound. Do your homework. Please understand that Craigs list has great value and I use it just do not think everythng is true.
Ok more to come.
Joe
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