onedef92
11-03-2011, 7:08am
EPD: SCAM ALERT - Man finds his home for sale on Craigslist
Posted: Nov 01, 2011 5:45 PM
EDT Updated: Nov 01, 2011 6:44 PM EDT
EVANSVILLE, IN -An Evansville man is caught off guard by a Craigslist ad showing his own house for rent. He says the ad wasn't posted by him or his realtor, but by someone who claimed to be on an overseas trip.
The home in question is at 1630 North Colony Drive near Good Shepherd School.
It is on the market, but owner Brian Garner says the Craigslist ad looking to rent the home came as news to him.
He says,"I went onto Craigslist and found that my house is being rented for $700 plus deposit."
Brian says the pictures in the Craigslist ad are of the house, and he thinks someone got them from a flyer or online. He actually decided to follow up on the post over the weekend, emailing the address listed, and pretending to be interested in the house.
Sure enough, he got a response from someone calling himself Mark Farmer.
"He said he was from Nigeria, him and his wife, and they were on some Christian conference and he owned the house, but he wanted to rent the house, thanks for the interest."
According to Brian, the poster went so far as to email him an application to rent his own home, telling him he'd need $700 and a security deposit that could be mailed to Nigeria.
Evansville Police say they don't know who is behind this post, but suspect it may be someone who actually is overseas.
Police say they haven't had any reports of money being sent to this poster, but say they've seen this sort of scam before. They want to remind people to be thorough, and keep digging if something doesn't seem right.
As for Brian Garner, he'd be thrilled if his house sold or if someone rented it through his realtor. However, when it comes to this ad, Brian says don't send the money to him.
Posted: Nov 01, 2011 5:45 PM
EDT Updated: Nov 01, 2011 6:44 PM EDT
EVANSVILLE, IN -An Evansville man is caught off guard by a Craigslist ad showing his own house for rent. He says the ad wasn't posted by him or his realtor, but by someone who claimed to be on an overseas trip.
The home in question is at 1630 North Colony Drive near Good Shepherd School.
It is on the market, but owner Brian Garner says the Craigslist ad looking to rent the home came as news to him.
He says,"I went onto Craigslist and found that my house is being rented for $700 plus deposit."
Brian says the pictures in the Craigslist ad are of the house, and he thinks someone got them from a flyer or online. He actually decided to follow up on the post over the weekend, emailing the address listed, and pretending to be interested in the house.
Sure enough, he got a response from someone calling himself Mark Farmer.
"He said he was from Nigeria, him and his wife, and they were on some Christian conference and he owned the house, but he wanted to rent the house, thanks for the interest."
According to Brian, the poster went so far as to email him an application to rent his own home, telling him he'd need $700 and a security deposit that could be mailed to Nigeria.
Evansville Police say they don't know who is behind this post, but suspect it may be someone who actually is overseas.
Police say they haven't had any reports of money being sent to this poster, but say they've seen this sort of scam before. They want to remind people to be thorough, and keep digging if something doesn't seem right.
As for Brian Garner, he'd be thrilled if his house sold or if someone rented it through his realtor. However, when it comes to this ad, Brian says don't send the money to him.