Con artists targeting homes on Craigslist - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

Con artists targeting homes on Craigslist

     We are previewing an ABC-6 special investigation, and if you are thinking about renting a home we have a warning for you, A home for sale in East Greenwich became the target of a rental fraud scheme unbeknownst to the owner and her real estate agent until ABC-6 news brought it to their attention. Even though the house was for sale, a con artist was trying to rent it out at a bargain price on the popular website Craigslist.

"And you are absolutely right, when you look at the Craigslist ad it looks authentic and in truth it is not." said realtor Carl Coutu
 
"And when you see a listing or rental that seems too good to be true, it most likely is not a legitimate situation." said realtor Mark Oltedale

     The scam artist was trying to rent the home for 12-hundred dollars a month, even though comparable home's rent for twice that much. Tonight at 11 we'll tell you exactly how the real estate rental scam works, and how you can protect yourself.