# What do those scam responses to housing ads on Craigslist hope to accomplish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816 "2007-05-04T21:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/1 "2007-05-04T21:51:49Z")
I put an ad for another person wanted to live in my house next year on Craigslist. I’ve gotten a few real responses, but many more fake ones. They usually go something like this: > [@](#): > > \*Hello > Am Ola Benson,Female,single > Am a Model by proffession. > I attended Limerick University.Where i studied modelling & marketing and > obtain by degree as a modelling & marketing for a small grown up firm.,here > i work a lot. I’m an avid fan of Football and I also enjoy watching > basketball. I’m sure we’ll have plenty in common, don’t we?.I will take my > time to get you one of my pics in two days time for you to know how I look > like, I am sure you will like me.I am a very dedicated individual who is > totally committed to human development, friendly, very trustworthy and value > relationship above anything. > I love travelling,sporting and enjoy meeting people around the world. I am > an easy going person and like to have an apartment/roommate who is very > responsible and understanding, someone I can really get along with. > However,I will be coming over to the state to Model,advertise and market > some of the Company new products , and the program is starting from your > area. and I will also be staying for some months… Probably i will be > moving in the room/appartment/house the same day or next day after i make > your payment. > The products are comestics, like soap, toothpaste, and some > beverages…e.t.c > The name of the company that is sponsoring and owns this is Doudeas > Cosmesbev Company. Located in Dublin Ireland . > Fortunately, I saw your advert and I am sincerely interested in the > room/appartment/house as advertised and I will like to move in a soon as > possible. Please I will like to know the total cost for my initial move to > the room including the utilities, but I will like to bring this to your > notification that I will be coming along with my items like shoe rank, > shelves for my books and my car. > I need this info as soon as possible so as to arrange for you to get the > money prior for my arrival. As I will like to make an advance payment ahead > my arrival so that you can be rest assured that this is real since I am not > in the state presently. > Thanks and have a good time. > Warmest Regards, > Ola Benson \* I’ve gotten other ones claiming to be from Thailand, Africa, England, and other places. I don’t understand what these people are trying to accomplish here. What money could be gained from this scam? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/2 "2007-05-04T21:56:28Z")
A dozen ways to work a scam based off of that. One not so likely variation: “I’m a hot chick who’ll let you do me. Can I rent?” A month later, “I need $500 to help get through customs and immigration…” More likely variation: You receive a financial instrument [money order, bank cashier’s check, etc] for too much money. The sender says “Ooops, I meant to pay for a year in advance, can you refund me $1500 of that… you can keep $500 extra as compensation for the hassle…” A week later, the bank “unclears” the money order. You don’t have the rent deposit itself OR the $2000 you wired back. Edit: Wow. She comes with her own shoe rank. Always handy, I hate when I have to go out and buy my model girlfriends shoe ranks because they left theirs in Namibia. Jump on that one! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/3 "2007-05-04T21:59:27Z")
A fake roommate seeker describing herself as a single female professional model who wants to send you pictures of herself and is sure you’ll have lots in common, and you’re wondering what she’s hoping to accomplish with this ad? In a nutshell, she’s hoping that you’ll be sufficiently tempted by the prospect of potential in-house model nookie that you’ll provide her with enough information about yourself and/or access to your property to enable her to rip you off. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/4 "2007-05-04T22:03:12Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] A fake roommate seeker describing herself as a single female professional model who wants to send you pictures of herself and is sure you’ll have lots in common, and you’re wondering what she’s hoping to accomplish with this ad? In a nutshell, she’s hoping that you’ll be sufficiently tempted by the prospect of potential in-house model nookie that you’ll provide her with enough information about yourself and/or access to your property to enable her to rip you off. [/QUOTE] Obviously I know she’s trying to _take advantage of me._ I was looking for a more detailed explanation as to what “she” is planning to specifically do once I give her my information. Is whoever is behind these ads aiming to physically enter my property and steal something? Are they planning to sell my contact information to other people or something? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/5 "2007-05-04T23:15:56Z")
Most likely, they’re going to get you to try to agree to let them be a renter, and send you a fraudulent check/money order for too much money, or send you an advance payment then have to back out of it. Then they’ll try to get you to “refund” some of the difference to them via some process that leaves you holding the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/6 "2007-05-05T01:05:06Z")
We can all agree that whatever the game here, the odds are 100 to 1 or more that you’ll never meet this person or even their agent, no matter how poorly you play your hand. Mail order crime is way more profitable and safe for the criminals than the brick and mortar home delivery kind. ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/7 "2007-05-05T01:12:47Z")
It definitely looks like a hook for an overpayment scam to me: [http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/12/checkoverpayment.shtm](http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/12/checkoverpayment.shtm) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/8 "2007-05-05T01:20:01Z")
If you want to know exactly how it works, [here’s](http://www.digsmagazine.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000949;p=0) a lament from someone who got burned by it: > [@](#): > > long story short, i posted an ad on roommates.c0m and ended up holding the bag for $5,600. my bank wants _me_ to pay them back because they cashed the postal money orders that were sent to me (i was supposed to cash them, put aside first and last month’s rent, then wire the rest of the money to my roommate in nigeria so she could buy her plane ticket over here), and those money orders turned out counterfeit. > > i have now had the pleasure of speaking with the secret service (they investigate counterfeit and money laundering, who knew?), my local police detective, the postal inspectors, and even my US representative. the bank sent me a certified letter yesterday that i’m to contact them to arrange for repayment by the 11th (yep, on monday), or they’ll proceed with legal action against me. [Snopes sez](http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/cashier.asp): > [@](#): > > In another form of the scam, those advertising online for roommates are contacted by prospective apartment-sharers who want to send cashier checks to cover the first few months rent plus a few thousand extra and who require the extra be mailed back to them. Though nothing is being offered for sale, it’s the same scheme—the check will turn out to be worthless, but usually only long after the roommate-hunter has mailed his own very good check to the con artist. > > The scam works because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) requires banks to make money from cashier’s, certified, or teller’s checks available in one to five days. Consequently, funds from checks that might not be good are often released into payees’ accounts long before the checks have been honored by their issuing banks. High quality forgeries can be bounced back and forth between banks for weeks before anyone catches on to their being worthless, by which time victims have long since wired the “overpayments” to the con artists who have just taken them for a ride. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-those-scam-responses-to-housing-ads-on-craigslist-hope-to-accomplish/402816/9 "2007-05-05T13:57:56Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Slant] … Edit: Wow. She comes with her own shoe rank. Always handy, I hate when I have to go out and buy my model girlfriends shoe ranks because they left theirs in Namibia. Jump on that one! [/QUOTE] Actually I was thinking it was a good thing she had her own shoe rank since I don’t think I’ve ever seen one here in the states.