Common Craigslist scam to watch out for

Updated


If you are looking for a roommate, it's extremely common to use classified advertisement sites to help find the perfect fit -- and as one of the most popular sites, it's not surprising if Craigslist is the first place you begin your search.

Although many people use Craigslist to post their very real advertisements, a new report from researchers at New York University exposes just how often it is also used as a platform to run rental scams on unsuspecting individuals.

According to the study, out of the two million rental posts they reviewed, 29,000 of them were actually fake posts listed in 20 major cities. One of the most common elements of the con artists' fake posts consisted of asking potential roommates to wire funds to an unspecified source.

It may be hard to detect a rental scam at first, but thanks to forums such as Reddit, preventing a con from happening is much easier than it used to be.

For instance, one user by the name of Eshlau almost lost out on a lot of money but was able to recognize the inconsistencies in the con before it was too late.

Here's a breakdown of the Craiglist con Eshlau experienced from Reddit:

So take this Reddit user's cautionary tale with you the next time you're on the hunt!

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