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Five Money Scams to Watch Out for on Craigslist Eau Claire

People in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area have been using Craigslist for decades to post items that they have for sale online. The site is great for reaching thousands of people with the advertisements and buyers and sellers have found it to be an excellent resource for used cars, trucks, farm equipment, furniture, electronics, appliances and much more. Some home owners and real estate managers even post homes for rent and for sale on the site. Recently there has been an increase in the amount of scam ads that have been placed on the site. Here are five money scams to watch out for on Craigslist Eau Clair.

1. Couple warn of rental scam in Eau Claire

A man and his wife were looking at some rental properties in the Eau Claire area. They sent an email to a person who posted a three bedroom home for rent but didn't include an address. They emailed the poster and received a response. They were told that the owner was leaving the country to do missionary work but if they were interested in renting the home, they would send them the keys if the couple would send them the money. They said that in order to start the process they would need a deposit. Nothing about the deal sounded right. They checked out the home on Violet Avenue and saw that there was a sign that offered the home for sale. They talked to the home owner who knew nothing about the ad on Craigslist and narrowly escaped becoming the victims of a fake rental ad.

2. Police warn of yet more Craigslist real estate scams

The Police in Eau Claire, Wisconsin are warning residents of several scams that they've been alerted about. One man responded to an ad that looked like it was perfectly legitimate. Everything seemed authentic until the owner requested that the renter send money online. He said that he was living in Texas and the potential renter immediately felt uncomfortable and backed out of the deal. It was a good thing because the ad was a phony that had been stolen from another site.

3. Multiple money scams on Craigslist Eau Claire

Be careful when dealing with strangers on Craigslist. One person warning about scammers reports that a con artist put his son's truck for sale on Craigslist and the family didn't know anything about it until somebody pointed it out to them. They requested that Craigslist take the ad down. In another instance, a scammer was evicted from a home and then posted pictures of the rental properties owned by the former landlord and posted phony rental ads to try and scam people out of their money.

4. Scammers becoming more savvy

We've all heard about the scammers who post fake rental ads for houses that are listed for sale on other sites. This scammer actually finds properties that are legitimately for rent on other sites, steals the pictures and other information and attempts to con victims into sending him deposit and rent money through wire transfer, promising to mail the keys after the money is received. When innocent victims do a drive by to check out the property there are no for sale signs, but there are rental signs so it makes the scam seem legitimate.

5. Phony check scam on Craigslist Eau Claire

Sellers must now be careful about the people they deal with when they post an item on Craigslist. Scammers are calling sellers and negotiating a deal with them. They agree upon a price for the item and then send them a certified check that looks real. They tell them to deposit the check and send the rest of the money to a "shipper" via wire transfer. The amount of the checks are for hundreds more than the agreed upon price. The checks bounce within a few days of the deposit leaving the seller responsible for the entire amount of the check plus bank fees. You have to be careful about who you deal with and if a buyer is not willing to meet with you in person it's best to decline the offer and deal with somebody who is local.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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