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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), Online Classifieds ( 12 ), online marketplace ( 11 ), Safety ( 45 )   

  How to stay safe when using online classifieds 

  

  By Greg Collier

  It’s been a long time when we discussed safety procedures when using online classifieds like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and even Geebo.com. This subject really hasn’t garnered any headlines in a while, but that doesn’t mean everything is safe now. Like regular people, the media can and often does focus their attention on many things. The media probably lost their attention when it comes to classifieds safety during the pandemic, as it was suggested that everyone maintained social distancing.

  Recently, a news story broke that reminded us to remind our readers about using these platforms safely. A man was shot in Jacksonville, Florida, after going to meet someone he was going to sell an iPad through Marketplace. The victim met the assailant in a gas station parking lot during the daytime. When the victim met with the buyer, the buyer tried to grab the iPad and flee with it. The victim was able to grasp the buyer, a struggle ensued, and the victim was shot.

  The victim followed the unwritten rules of meeting someone through Marketplace. He met them in a well-traveled area during daylight hours. Unfortunately, those rules don’t apply anymore, and haven’t for a while. As buyers and sellers started using these rules, the criminals adapted and became more brazen in their attempted schemes. Tragically, this has resulted in robberies, shootings, and murders.

  For years, we’ve subscribed to the notion that online classified transactions should be done at a local police department. While it’s not 100% effective, proposing to meet at a police department will go a long way in deterring countless scammers and thieves. Many police departments even have a designated area for such exchanges.

  And while we don’t often pat ourselves on the back, Geebo.com goes the extra mile of reviewing our ads to minimize the possibility of scams and other crimes. Also, each one of our ads provides a link to SafeTrade Stations, which provides a list of accommodating police departments. Geebo.com was created with the safety of our users in mind.

   

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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 22, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 42 ), craigslist, paypal ( 11 ), real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Elaborate rental scam leaves more families homeless 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Rental scams seem to be grabbing plenty of headlines lately. There hasn’t been an increase in rental scams. Rental scams are one of the more common scams going today and has been for a while. We think the headlines are escalating because increasingly more families are becoming homeless because of the scam.

  For example, two families moved from out of state to Aurora, Colorado. The first family is from Las Vegas and saw an and for a four bedroom home for rent on Craigslist. This family tried to do all of their due diligence. They asked the landlord for proof of ownership, which they provided. The father of the family even drove from Las Vegas to Aurora to meet with a realtor who showed him the home. The man agreed to rent the home and arranged to make the deposit.

  The realtor asked for payment through Cash App, which the man almost recognized as a red flag. However, the Las Vegas man insisted on paying through PayPal instead. Once the realtor received the payment, he gave the family the code to enter the home. So, they packed up all their belongings and moved from Las Vegas into the Aurora home.

  They were living in the home for three days when another family showed up looking to move in. This family had moved from Arkansas to Colorado. When the two families compared their stories, they both realized they had been scammed. Everyone from the landlord to the realtor were scammers.

  It wasn’t too long before the property management company showed up. As property management companies are wont to do, they gave the first family 10 days to vacate the premises or be evicted. The second family didn’t even have that luxury. Now, both families are facing homelessness.

  So, how did the scammers gain access to the home in the first place? Once again, the property management company was probably using a lockbox which contained the keys. Too many realtors never change the code on the lockboxes, leaving them vulnerable to scammers. All a scammer has to do is contact the legitimate realtor and ask for a tour. Since many realtors allow guideless tours, they’ll give the lockbox code to any potential customer, including scammers. Once the scammer has the lockbox code, they’ll use it repeatedly to show the home to their victims.

  As always, the best way to protect yourself against rental scammers is to do as much research about the property as possible. Don’t ask the landlord for proof of ownership, instead contact the county’s tax assessor’s office to find out who the real owner is. Do a Google search on the property’s address to see if there are multiple listings with different rental rates. If there are, the lower priced one is almost guaranteed to be a scam listing. Lastly, never use payment apps like PayPal or Cash App for your deposit. These apps are vulnerable to a number of scams themselves.

  If you want to help the two families taken in by this scam, you can donate to their GoFundMe accounts here and here.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 25, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, Facebook Marketplace ( 62 ), real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Reporter’s home used in rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you’re a rental scammer, the last house you want to use in your scam is probably one which belongs to a police officer. The second to last house a scammer would want to use would most likely belong to a reporter. But that’s precisely what happened to a TV reporter from the Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

  The reporter listed her home for rent on Zillow and only Zillow. After posting her home on Zillow, she received a text from a good Samaritan. The man who texted her said he found her home listed for rent on Craigslist. Not only did the Craigslist ad list the home for a cheaper rent, but the scammer was asking for an $80 application fee. The scammer had reportedly been talking to the man for two days before the man drove over to the property and called the number that was on the ‘for rent’ sign.

  Then the reporter did what reporters do, she began to investigate the phony listing. During her investigation, she also found her home listed for rent on Facebook Marketplace. As you might expect, she called the phone number listed in the phony ads. The scammer said he would meet with her to show her the home and would need $1000 for the security deposit. However, when it came time to meet, the scammer instead sent the reporter a link to the application and asked for the $80 application fee. The reporter even commented on how official looking the application was.

  The reporter called the scammer and asked him how long he owned the home, with the scammer replying two years. She then told the scammer she was both the owner of the home and a reporter. The scammer hung up the call, and when the reporter tried to call back, she only got the voicemail message.

  If you’re looking to rent or sell your home online, there’s not much you can do to prevent it being used in a scam. We have seen online listings where the seller states that the home is not listed on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. That may aid in discouraging renters from falling victim to a rental scam.

  We understand that there may be urgent situations requiring individuals to find a new home swiftly. However, regardless of the circumstances, it is crucial for potential renters to dedicate time to researching a property before making any financial commitments. One essential step is to determine the current rental rates for homes in the desired area. If a particular home seems remarkably affordable, exercising caution is advisable. Engage in a thorough web search using the property’s address to identify any other listings associated with different realtors and rental prices, as scammers often replicate legitimate real estate offers. Additionally, it is prudent to verify the true ownership of the property by consulting the county’s tax assessor office or website. By taking these precautionary measures, individuals can protect themselves from potential rental scams and ensure a safe and informed decision-making process.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on July 17, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: bank robbery ( 3 ), bitcoin atm ( 24 ), craigslist, cryptocurrency ( 50 ), identity theft ( 105 ), job scam ( 79 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Job scam uses victims to rob banks 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Recently, the city of Omaha, Nebraska, experienced a bank robbery and an attempted bank robbery with similar M.O.s. In both instances, a woman handed a phone to the bank teller. The person on the phone threatened the bank tellers into giving money to the person who handed them the phone. Except, the people standing at the teller’s counter had no idea they were being used in a bank robbery. So, how did this happen? We could just say ‘Craigslist’ and leave it at that, but we’ll give our readers a more in-depth explanation.

  According to a local news report, the women who entered the banks had replied to a Craigslist ad looking for someone to help with a sick and elderly relative. Once the women responded to the ad, they were told they would be helping with, “light housework, grocery store runs, and helping with finances.” Don’t you think classifying ‘helping with finances’ as bank robbery is a bit much? Anyway, the women were told they needed to go to the bank to withdraw money for the relative’s medical bills. The women handed the phones to the tellers, thinking their employer was discussing a withdrawal.

  Only one of the women was ‘successful’ and thought nothing of it when the teller handed her the money. That woman was instructed to deposit the money at a Bitcoin ATM.

  To make matters worse, the supposed employer obtained the women’s bank information, promising he would pay them through direct deposit. The scammer did try to steal from one of the victim’s accounts, but was unsuccessful.

  At the time of this writing, no arrest has been made.

  While a scam like this is unlikely to happen to the average jobseeker, it does highlight a couple of red flags when looking for a job online. If your employer only communicates through text messages, instant messaging, or phone call, and won’t meet you personally, there’s an excellent chance they’re a scammer. Also, if the position requires you to make any kind of payment involving cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, there’s an even grater chance the job is a scam.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, Scams ( 1,354 ), stolen cars ( 10 ), used car ( 33 )   

  This car scam could have police at your door 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When someone falls victim to a used car scam, the best-case scenario is they only lose their money. In some other instances, victims have been severely injured or worse. However, in at least one instance, police showed up at a victim’s home looking to arrest them.

  A man from Los Angeles makes his living buying cars, then flipping them for a profit. Recently, he bought a high-end car off Craigslist that he thought he got for a bargain. As a seasoned pro in the used car game, the man thought he had covered all of his bases. The seller’s driver’s license matched the name on the title, and the title appeared to be legitimate.

  The man was getting ready to take the car to an auction when not only did police show up at his home, but they had their guns drawn. As with most used car scams from Craigslist, the man had bought a stolen car and police assumed he stole it.

  It turned out, the person who stole the car did so from a car sharing platform called Turo. It’s like Airbnb, except for cars. People make money by renting out their car when they’re not using it.

  Thankfully, everything was cleared up, but the man who bought the car was out $32,000.

  When buying a used car from any online marketplace, there are some steps you should take to prevent being scammed. As with just about any scam, if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Try to get the seller to meet you either at the DMV, the local police station, or AAA. According to the news report we saw, AAA can verify that the real owner of the car matches the name on the title. Use a vehicle history report service like CARFAX or AutoCheck to check the car’s history. And lastly, ask to see the seller’s identification and the car’s VIN before going to meet the seller. Scammers often don’t give up that information voluntarily.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on May 2, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, identity theft ( 105 ), real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Craigslist rental scam leads to identity theft 

  

  By Greg Collier

  When we discuss rental scams, we mostly discuss how victims lose money. However, there is another pitfall to the rental scam, and that’s having your identity stolen. That could end up costing a rental scam victim even more money and headaches after they lose money to the scammer.

  Typically, rental scams involve individuals who pretend to be landlords or property managers in order to deceive potential renters into paying upfront for a rental property that they have no right to rent out or don’t even own. The scam begins with an advertisement for a rental property that appears to be priced well below the market rate, which attracts the attention of potential renters. The scammer then persuades the victim to pay a security deposit or the first month’s rent before they have had the chance to view the property. Once the payment is made, the scammer may become unreachable or vanish altogether, leaving the victim without a rental property and without any recourse to recover their money.

  But what these stories sometimes fail to mention is the phony application process scammers make victims go through. To make the scam seem more legitimate, rental scammers will have their victims fill out rental applications that ask for the victim’s personal and financial information. Once the scammers have that information, they can obviously use it for more profitable crimes.

  For example, a woman in Connecticut found a rental home on Craigslist that was well within her budget. The rental scammer had her fill out an application that asked for all pertinent information they would need for identity theft. This included the victim’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, and tax history. Just a few days later, the scammer tried to open a credit card account in the victim’s name. The victim had to freeze her credit for a year, which comes with its own set of issues.

  When filling out a rental application, avoid giving out information that is not publicly available, such as your Social Security number, driver’s license number, and banking information.

  However, before you even get to that step, you should research the property first. The listing in the story was copied from a Zillow listing where the home was for sale., Information like this can be discerned just by doing a Google search for the property’s address. And you can always check the property records with the county.

  https://youtu.be/RkiYbFsrIWU

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: check scam ( 79 ), craigslist, fake check ( 47 ), overpayment scam ( 9 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), Zelle ( 66 )   

  Coffee table on Craigslist leads to con artist 

  

  By Greg Collier

  One of the oldest scams when it comes to selling items online is the overpayment scam. Traditionally, a victim would advertise an item for sale on a platform like Craigslist. They would be approached by a prospective buyer who wanted to pay by check. When the seller received the check, it would be more than the amount they asked for. The buyer would say they made a mistake and would ask the seller to deposit the check and return the overage.

  This is also a version of the fake check scam. The check is always fake, and after the seller deposits it and sends money back to the buyer, the bank finds out the check is fraudulent. This leaves the seller on the hook to their bank for the full amount of the phony check.

  Since those times, many online sellers caught on to the fake check scam. That didn’t mean that the overpayment scam went away. It’s still around, but now has a more digital aspect to it.

  For example, a woman in Pennsylvania listed a coffee table for sale on Craigslist. The table was listed for $300. A man who claimed he wanted to buy the table sent a cashier’s check for $1550. She was told to deposit the check and keep $300 for herself and give the remaining $1250 to the movers when they come to pick it up.

  Just as an aside, there’s a similar scam where the ‘movers’ are in on the scam and just take the money. However, today’s scam does something different.

  After a few days, the buyer said that the movers couldn’t make it, and he changed his mind about buying the table. The buyer then asked for $1450 back from the seller, and wanted it sent to him through Zelle, which the seller did. The same day the seller sent the buyer the money, the seller’s bank discovered the check was a fake.

  For once, police were able to track down and arrest the scammer, although that’s the exception and not the rule. There was no report whether the seller got her money back or not. Since she used Zelle, there’s a good chance she didn’t, even with the scammer being arrested.

  If you sell items online, some of the old rules are still true. The first one is not to accept checks. Or, at least tell the buyer that there will be a delay in shipping until the check is verified as genuine. If you receive payment for more than the amount you’re asking for, it’s a scam. The buyer didn’t make a mistake, and there are no movers.

  While it may be convenient to accept payments through platforms like Zelle, Venmo and Cash App, they can also be manipulated.

  Your best bet is to only sell locally and only take cash.

  Lastly, we always recommend meeting the other person at a local police department. Many police departments now have areas designed for such exchanges. While it won’t guarantee you won’t be scammed, it goes a long way as a deterrent to scammers.

   
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  Geebo 9:00 am on November 7, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,354 ), squatters ( 2 )   

  Family locked out of own home in rental scam 

  

  By Greg Collier

  A family from Fresno, California, moved to Tennessee earlier this year. While they were living in Tennessee, they were trying to sell their house in California. Even in our always connected world, that must be difficult to do from two time zones away. That’s also what made it easy for scammers to take advantage of an empty home whose owners were thousands of miles away.

  People moved into the California house just a few months after the family moved to Tennessee. The family still has relatives in the Fresno-area who sent pictures of a U-Haul in the driveway, and the for sale sign had been removed. The relatives were provided the access code to one of the electronic locks, but when they got to the house, the keypad had been removed. To make matters worse, all the locks had been changed as well.

  Police were called to the house, but the people who moved in showed police a rental lease agreement. They also claimed that they found the property listed on craigslist, and paid $3000 in cash to move in. The police were unable to do anything at the time.

  The family contacted a local news station in Fresno who looked into the lease agreement and the signature on the lease didn’t match the signature on the home’s deed. This allowed the news station to contact police, who were then able to have the people vacate the house in 48 hours. But the problems didn’t end there.

  The first thing the family had to deal with was the belongings the people left behind. Under California law, the family had to keep the items for two weeks, then they had to pay to have the items taken away. The house had also been vandalized when the people living there allegedly broke the appliances and plumbing. Unfortunately, their homeowner’s insurance wouldn’t cover the damages because the hose had been left vacant for than 60 days.

  If you’re moving to a new area while still trying to sell your home, don’t rely on the realtor to keep the home safe. We’ve seen too many instances where scammers have fooled realtors into giving them access to the home. Instead, consider investing in a security solution where you can monitor the home remotely. While it might be an additional cost, it can prevent you from having to pay even more in the long run.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on September 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: craigslist, google voice ( 13 ), Online Classifieds ( 12 ), online marketplace ( 11 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  Online sellers have to deal with this phone scam, again. 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Scams that involve online selling are a top priority for us, since Geebo.com is an online marketplace. Previously, we’ve taken the role of an anti-Craigslist, since we actually take steps to try to protect our userbase. One of those steps is educating our users in the ways scammers might try to take advantage of them. One of those scams has resurfaced in multiple news outlets lately, so we thought it’s a good time to remind our readers of this scam.

  If you’re not familiar with Google Voice, it’s a service provided free from Google that allows you to have a secondary phone number. For example, you can use Google Voice to have separate business and personal numbers while still only using one phone. Users are only allowed one Google Voice number per hone number. This prevents bad actors from having multiple phone numbers they can operate from. However, this does not stop them from trying, and the bad actors like to target online sellers in this scam.

  The scam starts when someone tries to sell an item online, regardless of the platform. While talking or texting with the seller, the buyer will claim that they need to verify that the seller isn’t a scammer themselves. The buyer will then claim that they’re sending a seller an authorization code to verify the seller’s integrity. The buyer will then ask the seller to repeat the code back to them.

  What’s actually happening is the buyer is setting up a Google Voice number under the seller’s phone number. The authorization code is sent by Google to make sure that a bad actor isn’t trying to use someone else’s number to sign up for Google Voice. If the seller gives out that authorization code, the scammer can hijack that Google Voice number and use it in additional scams. That way, if law enforcement attempts to trace the Google Voice number used in a scam, it will trace back to the seller.

  Thankfully, there is a surefire way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this scam, and that’s to sign up for your own Google Voice number. While we are in no way trying to promote Google Voice, signing up for a Google Voice number can prevent you from having a Google Voice number signed up under your phone number without your permission. If someone has already signed up for a Google Voice number that’s linked to your phone number, you can follow the instructions from Google on how to reclaim it.

   
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  Geebo 8:00 am on August 30, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cash App ( 42 ), craigslist, real estate ( 127 ), rental scam ( 87 ), Scams ( 1,354 )   

  A desperate plea for help leads to family getting scammed 

  

  By Greg Collier

  There should be no shame in reaching out to your neighbors for help. Today, if we do decide to reach out, we often do it online. Not only out of convenience, but because it helps us reach a wider range of people who could potentially help us. Unfortunately, it’s not just our neighbors who might see our pleas, there are also scammers, as one Virginia family found out.

  In this story, the family consists of a disabled mother with an adult daughter who is pregnant. They were looking for a home to rent and due to the mother’s disabilities, they were limited in their choices. They could not rent any property that required the mother to go up or down stairs. The mother posted her plea online that they were looking for a place to rent. This plea was posted to her area’s Craigslist.

  After she made her post, someone reached out almost immediately. They said that they had a property they were looking to rent out to someone and even gave them an address, so they could drive by the home. When the daughter spoke to the supposed landlord, he said that he needed money right away to have the city turn the water and plumbing right away.

  The landlord asked for $700 to be paid through Cash App under somebody else’s name. The daughter even said that didn’t feel right, as the money should go into a bank account. However, they were so desperate to find a roof over their heads, they ignored the red flags and sent the money anyway. Sadly, they sent their money to a scammer. They are now trying even harder to find a home, along with the financial burden of losing that money.

  I know it’s easier said than done, but even if you’re in dire straits, please do your research before sending any money to rent a home. Scammers are constantly looking for people on the down and out to take advantage of because they know the victim’s emotional state may make them vulnerable. The scammers have no qualms taking from people who have very little.

  As long as you have a working smartphone, which is most phones these days, you can research the property. If you do a quick Google search on the property’s address, you can find a lot of information about the property. That can include the actual rent price and the actual rental agency. And as always, we recommend going to the website or office of the county tax assessor, as they will have the records of who actually owns and rents the property.

  Also, never send money through apps like Cash App, Venmo, Zelle and the like. This makes it incredibly easy for scammers to take your money before blocking you and disappearing with your money.

  Lastly, scammers will always try to pressure you into making a decision right away. If you feel pressured, don’t be afraid to take your time researching and deciding. You may just save yourself the heartache of losing money to a scammer.