Five Money Scams to Watch out for on Craigslist Santa Fe

The people who live in Santa Fe, New Mexico have a wonderful resource for advertising items they no longer need for sale. Craigslist is an online classified advertiser and many of the locals use it to list furniture, cars, RVs, boats, books, appliances and much more for sale. Some homeowners and property managers also use it to list available rentals and homes for sale. While most of the transactions that take place from the site go off without a hitch, there has recently been an increase in the scam activity. Con artists have also discovered that it’s a good place to find victims for tricking them out of their hard earned cash. Here are five money scams to watch out for on Craigslist Santa Fe.

1. Friend sees pal’s place listed in Craigslist scam

There are so many new scams appearing on Craigslist Santa Fe that it’s hard to keep track of them all. One woman saw a phony ad that was posted on Craigslist by a scammer. It advertised a beautiful property as a rental and included a picture of their very uniquely shaped slate bordered swimming pool. One of the friends of the family who are victims of this scam was fast to issue a warning to all potential renters. She’s letting everybody know that this home actually belongs to friends of hers and they have not posted it for rent on Craigslist or anywhere else.

2. New Apartment Rental Scams on Craigslist Santa Fe

The attorney general is warning all New Mexicans to be on the alert for a new rash of rental scams which are appearing on the site. They’re warning about scammers who steal photos and information about properties which are for sale on other sites, and they doctor them to create their own phony advertisement. They always have an excuse why they can’t meet you in person. They tell you to drive by the property and check it out. If you like it, you have to submit an application with your private information which may be stolen for identity theft. Next, they tell you to wire the money for the deposit and the rent to them and they promise to mail you a set of keys. After victims send the money, the scammers stop responding and seem to just disappear.

3. Front Desk receptionist scam

If you’re looking for a job, Craigslist certainly has plenty of advertisements for workers needed in their classified ads section. The problem is that many of them are turning out to be scams. Scammers are now posting and replying to job boards. The rule of thumb to observe to protect yourself from these cons is to always meet your employers face to face. If they have a reason why they can’t do this then it gives you a reason not to accept the job. Also, never pay for a job that’s posted on Craigslist because it’s probably a scam.

4. The Craigslist Reality scam is back

People who were looking for a place to rent through online venues have become the victims of rental scams. The warning is out. A news reporter who was looking for a rental with a larger yard responded to an advertisement on Craigslist for what looked like the perfect deal for her and her puppy. The owner made excuses for not being able to meet her in person to secure the deal, but did insist on a completed application. Thankfully, the reporter named Joy, smelled a rat and didn’t comply in sending her sensitive personal and financial information to the scammers.

5. Craigslist Gift Card/Car scam

A 40 year old local man saw a car that he was interested in purchasing in an ad on Craigslist. He was instructed to purchase the full amount in gift cards and then read the PIN numbers to the seller of the vehicle. After he did as he was instructed, the scammer disappeared and cut off all contact. This is one of the oldest scams out there, but a lot of people still fall for it, so be warned.