Thieving & Thriving Ad Scams

This is a little off the beaten path of writing, but speaks well toward your reading and comprehension skills. You remember – one of the frightening categories of the ol' SATs!

So I’m looking for a new place to live. I don’t own, I rent. I don’t need much, it’s just me – though I’d love to enjoy the company of another “killer” guard-cat someday.

This past week I began perusing the Craigslist ads – oh, how I hate doing that – but shelling out for a “service” that may or may not find a great match is not an option. I tried that last time, without success. When on a lean-and-mean financial budget, Craigslist is a necessary evil.

Rummaging through the ads for various reasons is something I do periodically, so I am not new to its advantages and vices. Today I am reminded of its underbelly.

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Below is an ad I reviewed yesterday with interest. I looked for all of the telltale signs of a scam. But it read relatively well, with references to a specific San Diego neighborhood and had all the local businesses noted. The pricing was not totally out of line, considering the location. Looked pretty good!

I am publicizing the full ad, with typos/errors, hotlinks for Craigslist, and the ad contact, because I will be flagging it on Craigslist and reporting to local authorities – this is a reminder warning for you – and me:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/4111415452.html
bestrentliving@gmail.com
$625 / 1br - Charming 1 Bedroom-1 bath apartment (San Diego)
1BR / 1Ba furnished apartment
Charming 1 Bedroom-1 bath apartment blocks from downtown with views of city lights and beautiful sunsets, on the Greater Golden Hill slope in the Historic District of Sherman Heights., in residential neighborhood. Second floor unit. Hardwood floors, ceiling fans, large patio/deck in rear. New refrigerator & stove. Walk to SDSU, Von's, restaurants, banks. 7 blocks from the Mission Café, 10 blocks from the ballpark, 8 blocks from trolley stop, 1 block to bus stop, 5 blocks to new Albertsons Grocery, and 14 blocks to Downtown Gaslamp District, walking distance to turf supper club, Krakatoa coffee and Luigi's pizza, Influx café, Balboa park, and 3 blocks from 94, the 5 and 163 highways.
cats are OK - purr
dogs are OK - woof
Location: San Diego
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Posting ID: 4111415452                      Posted: 2013-10-05, 11:07 AM PDT
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I replied with an inquiry including basic personal information that any of ya-all can find on me with a minimum of effort. (No personal ID information.) Hoping the stability of Social Security (stop laughing) and my Senior status would interest the potential landlord, I responded.

A response arrived this morning and I clicked on it with optimism – can you spot the letdown(s)? – the nuances that raised my hackles?

From: John Jekins <bestrentliving@gmail.com>
To: LinDee Rochelle <xxxx@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 6, 2013 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: APT. - would love to see it!

Hello,

Thanks for your email. I'm John Jekins the owner of the Apartment you are in renting.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family for some months and we moved away due to my transfer from my working place, my apartment is still available for rent for $525 per month including the utilities like washer and security,it is furnished.Right now I'm in West Africa for a crusade and i would like you to get in touch with my wife in the United states for more discussion as she is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please I want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also I spent a lot on my property,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and I want you to treat it as your own.I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I will be glad to see it neat when I come for a check up,I do that once in a while.I want to have trust in you as I always stand by my words.Let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Anita ,on ( anitaaptrent@gmail.com ) and she will attend to you better.

ADDRESS TO THE APARTMENT : 1165 Willow Rd Menlo Park, CA 94025

Thanks for your interest.
John Jekins
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Yep – first, “West Africa” – think Nigerian scammers. I know … it’s unfair to give all of West Africa a bad name … not my problem. Curiosity forcing me to read on, I noted the apartment’s address and laughed aloud. Menlo Park – really, dude?! That California city is 480 miles north of San Diego. Busted!

Another belly laugh came as I was writing this article. I received a second, identical, email message from this idiot, with one correction – a San Diego address replacing Menlo Park. Man, am I glad I’m not as stupid as “Mr. Jekins” is! Hopefully, the folks in Menlo Park are scam-savvy too.

There are also ads posted in the “housing wanted” section from others seeking relocation that warn landlords of renters who are scammers; and some about other jerks who prey on those looking for housing, like this one.

And that my friends, is what the Internet has done for us. It has provided the scum of the earth a

much larger number of innocents to bilk. Thieves are thriving!

Craigslist has been battling the beasts of advertising practically since its inception. So their abuse section now includes what to look for (with samples) to avoid scams, and such links as the Internet Crime Complaint Center, and FTC Online Complaint Form (this site is currently dark, due to Government Shutdown … sigh). I believe I shall contact the IC3 site today though!

Another question for you – do you know what the “header” of an email is, and if not, why you should? It’s a great tool to investigate the origin of any email you receive. Talk about red flags – email headers can raise them high and proud! Learn about headers, where to find them and how to read them.

Fortunately, I have lost only my time and patience to this issue. However, many (Seniors especially) are duped by these types of ads every day. Advertising scammers should be publicly “tarred and feathered.”

About the only thing we can do though, is perhaps unplug for a while, and try to renew our faith in humanity.

Cheers to your day!