House for Rent ( from Scammer)! or How to Spot a Fake Ad on Craigslist

[Victor N.]

Earlier today, I was checking the Craigslist appliances section for my area and found a rental ad which caught my eye.

A 1235 Sqft , 3 BR 1 and 1/2 BA house for rent in New Haven, CT. Nothing wrong there until you see the price: $600.00!!! I thought, that's way too cheap, almost impossible ( at least for New Haven, CT) unless it is a completely run down house. When you see the pictures, the house is actually in fantastic shape! So, I decided to dig in a little more. It took me less than 5 minutes to find out the owner's name and that the house was actually listed for sale on 9/13/14 for $179,900.

The Craigslist ad listed a phone number which I called out of curiosity. It was a google phone number out of Houston, TX. I was able to find the name attached to that phone # which didnt match the name of the property owner. I left a message showing strong interest in the rental. Maybe I will get a call back. Below are the Craigslist link and Trulia listing link. What do you guys think? Scam or not?

http://newlondon.craigslist.org/app/4671706200.htm...

http://www.trulia.com/property/3148590261-45-Brook...

[Dawn Anastasi]

Definitely a scam.  Most likely the Craigslist poster will say to drive past the house and if you like the area, mail a money order and they will mail you keys.