Five Money Scams to Watch Out for on Craigslist Lexington

Craigslist is a popular online site that allows people to easily list items of all kinds that they have for sale. It’s a good place to find deals on furniture, books, household appliances, cars, trucks, RVs and much more. Some homeowners and property managers also list available rental properties and homes for sale on the site. It’s a great place for buyers and sellers from the area to connect and most transactions conducted from the site go off without a hitch. While it’s still a great place to buy or sell, there has been an increase in phony ads that are designed to scam victims out of their hard earned cash appearing. You have to be very careful when dealing with people that you don’t know. Here are five examples of money scams that you need to watch out for on Craigslist Lexington.

1. Craigslist deal turns into robbery

A violent scammer in Lexington, Kentucky made arrangements to meet a man at a local motel after connecting on Craigslist. The victim believed that he was meeting a woman, but it was actually a man who was hiding in a bathroom and waiting to trap and rob the victim. Robert McGee threatened to physically harm and even murder the man if he didn’t turn over his cash and cell phone. Right after the incident, the victim went to a local gas station to call for help. The perpetrator was arrested for the crime.

2. Craigslist rental scam in Lexington

A fake advertisement was posted on the Lexington Craigslist advertising a rental apartment for $300 per month with a $300 security deposit that is listed as refundable. The ad goes on to say that pets are welcome and it gives the location of the rental. The scammers ask victims to complete a rent questionnaire so they can get personal information to use for identity theft. The next phase of the scam is to steal the rent and deposit money. The con artists also remark that they forgot to put up the realtor sign in the yard. This is an obvious scam because the rent is too low and there is no yard to speak of at the address. These scammers don’t even live in the area, they just stole the information from another site that had listed the place for sale.

3. Craigslist real estate scam in Lexington

A realtor for Keller Williams real estate had posted a listing for sale and soon began receiving calls about the property. The only problem is that the calls were not for the original ad that she had posted. They were from the victims of a fake ad placed that offered the property she was selling for rent. A scammer had used the photos and information on the place from her original ad and doctored them. The con artist advised potential renters to drive by the property and check it out, then wire the rent money to them if they were interested. When people did the drive by, they saw the legitimate realtor’s number and called her. It is then that they found out that they had nearly become the victims of a real estate scam.

4. Easy Yard Sale Scam

This scam targets people who are looking for a large ticket item on Craigslist such as a car, boat, electronics or appliances. The scammers list big ticket items for sale. When someone responds to their ad, which offers items at low prices, they are instructed to complete the purchase through a fake company that goes by the name Easy Yard Sale. After they make the purchase through this scam site, the seller stops responding and they cannot get any information from the legitimate looking pay website which is nothing but a scam site.

5. Mason contractor scam on Craigslist Lexington

If you’re looking for a contractor that does Masonry work, beware of this scammer. A disabled veteran recently lost over $1,000 in a scam on Craigslist. Eddie Negron found a contractor on Craigslist who was listed as Bigfoot Brick and Block Masonry on Craigslist. The owner goes by the name of Phillip Brennan. He even went to Negron’s house to give him an estimate on the work to be done. After Negron signed the contract for services and gave the man over $1,000, he disappeared with the money. The police are now involved and are attempting to get the veteran’s money back for him. Criminal complaints agains Brennan are being pursued.