Officials Warn Of Rental Scam
A rental scam utilizing craigslist has reared its ugly head once again in central Indiana and the Indiana State Police want to warn the public to be mindful of their dealings.
On Feb. 21, a Plainfield resident answered a craigslist posting for a rental home in Noblesville.
The interested party inquired if the home was still available. She received an email from Irene Parrish that it was and the party was asked to fill out an application form. The woman completed the application and received an email from Parrish that she was now residing in Inglewood, Calif., and needed the victim to wire $1,900 to her via Moneygram.
The $1,900 was to cover the $950 rent for the house and a $950 refundable deposit. The victim wired the money from a CVS store in Noblesville.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the victim received another email from Parrish telling her that she needed another $950 for an extra month’s rent. The victim refused Parrish’s request informing her that she had already sent $1,900 and had not received the keys to the house.
The victim never received keys to the house and found out later that the house was actually sold by a Reality Company that had their sign in the yard one week prior to the craigslist posting.
With the increasing number of people using the Internet every day to buy and sell items, the people at craigslist offer the following safety tips:
The overwhelming majority of craigslist users are trustworthy and well-intentioned.
With billions of human interactions facilitated, the incidence of violent crime is extremely low.
Nevertheless, please take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline.
When meeting someone for the first time, remember to:
- Insist on a public meeting place like a café.
- Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
- Be especially careful when buying/selling high value items.
- Tell a friend or family member where you’re going.
- Take your cell phone along if you have one.
- Consider having a friend accompany you.
- Trust your instincts.
Taking these simple precautions helps make craigslist safer for everyone.