Five Money Scams to Watch Out for on Craigslist Boulder

The Craigslist online classified ads site is popular with people in Boulder, Colorado for listing items they have for rent or for sale. You can find a variety of homes for rent or sale, furniture, used books, appliances, gym equipment, cars, trucks, motorcycles and much more on the site. While many of these transactions go off smoothly and without a hitch, we’re seeing more issues arise on the site. Scammers have learned that it’s a good resource for them to post phony ads and deprive innocent victims of their money. Here are five money scams that you really need to watch out for on Craigslist Boulder.

1. Craigslist rental scam

Police are warning potential renters of scams that have been duping victims out of their hard earned money by offering a home for rent on Craigslist Boulder. A University of Colorado student was taken in when he responded to an ad posted by a scammer from West Africa. He saw an ad claiming to be by a former Boulder resident who had to abruptly move abroad. He claimed to be a missionary who wanted someone to rent his home. The renter sent his social security number and other personal information but stopped just short of sending an electronic wire transfer of $1,100 to Nigeria. He reported it to police and it did, in fact, turn out to be a scam.

2. Craigslist affordable housing scam targets desperate renters

There is yet another housing rental scam that is being posted on Craigslist. Scammers are posting fake rental ads that include full details on homes including photos of the homes and complete descriptions. An Aurora home is being advertised for rent of just $400 per month, which immediately raises red flags. The scammer poses as a pastor from Pennsylvania to prey on the innocent’s faith. The ads have been stolen from Zillow and Trulia sites and they look legitimate until you notice that the rent amount is far lower than it should be. The scammers never meet you to let you see the home. They tell you to drive by it and then have you wire the rent money and deposit to an account electronically so you can’t trace the funds. They promise to send you the keys but the keys never arrive.

3. Disney ticket Craigslist scam

A man from Boulder, Colorado was arrested for a Disney ticket sales scam that he was operating from Craigslist. He was selling tickets in the amount of $175 each to the popular theme park. A Boulder woman showed interest in buying a ticket and made arrangements to him to complete the transaction. She handed him more than $1,000 for six tickets which she later discovered were expired and had already been used.

4. A woman is out thousands on Craigslist scam

A woman attempted to rent an apartment that she found listed on Craigslist. She was trying to rent an apartment for a short-term stay for her son who needed to be in the Colorado area. She wired the funds from her bank account to cover the $2,200 for the apartment her son had found on the site. When he tried to contact the apartment complex, the staff informed him that they did not make short-term rental agreements and it was at this time that he and his mother discovered that they had been the victims of a rental scam.

5. Craigslist car scam in Boulder

This is yet another one of the many money scams that are ripping people off through the Craigslist Boulder site. A victim posted this ad to warn everyone about a car he had found on Craigslist. He paid $3,400 for a 2005 red Nissan Altima with the promise that the car would be shipped within 5 days of receipt of the payment. The financial transaction was completed through Amazon. When he contacted Amazon he discovered that he had sent the money through a fake website and had become the victim of a car scam.