Local alleged lump of human garbage Rachael Marie Smith has been arrested for using Craigslist to scam potential renters out of their deposits. Ms. Smith advertised her apartment on Craigslist, accepted deposits from several renters and then postponed their move in date, claiming that her mother was sick with cancer.
The scam was uncovered when one woman who signed a lease with Ms. Smith but could then not get in touch with her new’ landlord.’ She mentioned her troubles to a coworker, who, lo and behold, was having the same difficulty with the same woman and had heard the same sob story. The two women hired a lawyer, who also had clients complaining of the same scam and the police were called.
Ms. Smith is accused of stealing a total of $20,000 from at least four renters. Police also think that others may have fallen prey to the hoax and encourage anyone who has been defrauded to call Inspector John Monroe at 415.553.1936.
If you believe you have been defrauded by a similar scam elsewhere in the nation you can contact the authorities (from RentalScams.org):
* FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
* FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov)
* Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
If you have any questions about this or other questionable activities, please call our customer service center, or visit The Federal Trade Commission’s website at:
The $20,000 figure may be a bit high for 4 tenant’s worth
of deposits, but that’s really a “whatever.” What counts is
that ANYONE took some action and really set an example for
all the other would be/are crooked landlords to follow –
nyet! – will NOT follow. But the so-called deposit is nothing more than a rip-off, as the vast majority of us know, now — as just about no one gets their deposit
returned at move-out time. NEGOTIATE THAT DEMAND FOR
DEPOSIT — THAT’S WHAT THE SMART SET IS DOING!
Glad to see that someone’s being brought to court for scamming prospective tenants, but this is just another eye opener that you need to be careful when looking for places on craigslist. “Renter beware”
Heard of it and many renters stii doing this ti get deposits. This is hard for serious and sincere expatriates to get homes for rent.
This is a crazy story! Unfortunately, this isn’t only on Craigslist.
This type of scam has been going on for years, long before craigslist was around. I must applaud the group for actually prosecuting against this scammer. I hope that more are able to bring up charges!
Hi man.
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