The Craigslist site for Corpus Christi is popular among residents who use it to post ads for a variety of things that they have for sale. They post furniture, books, electronics, used cars, trucks, RVs, motorcycles and more. There are also places to post homes that are for sale or for rent. People in search of these items also know that they can find good deals on these items there. It’s a good place for both buyers and sellers, but in the past few years, there has been a rash of scammers posting fake ads to deprive innocent victims of their hard earned money. Here are five money scams to watch out for on Craigslist Corpus Christi.
1. Puppy Scam on Craigslist Corpus Christi
There is a new scam on Craigslist in the Corpus Christi area. A con artist is advertising puppies for sale. After you respond to the ad, the seller only communicates by text. They offer the dogs as free but charge a $400 fee for shipping them out to you. You’re instructed to wire the money for shipping for the Yorkie Terriers and they promise to ship them overnight. The only problem is that the dogs never arrive. The scammer keeps coming up with reasons why the fees will cost more and a 71-year-old man from Corpus Christi became the victim of the scam that takes your money but never sends the dogs as promised.
2. Rental properties scam
A resident of Corpus Christi posted their property for rent on Craigslist recently. She began getting calls from people asking why the property was listed for two different rental prices. Upon investigation, the property owner discovered that someone had hijacked their ad and created their own separate fake ad using the photos and information. The scammers wanted $1,000 per month and a $900 deposit. They were asking interested parties to drive by the address to look at it, insisting they were out of town and couldn’t meet them personally. Then they were instructed to send the deposit via wire transfer.
3. Job scam on Craigslist Corpus Christi
The Better Business Bureau is warning of an old scam that is now making the rounds on Craigslist in the Corpus Christi area. A consumer reported that he received a response to a resume she posted on Craigslist. A man told her he needed an assistant for an office he was setting up in the area. He sent her a check for $2,500 and told her to deposit the check into her bank and keep $500 for the week’s salary. She was told to wire the rest of the funds to a so called office manager who would buy furniture with the rest. After doing so she discovered that the check was fake and she was responsible for the entire amount.
4. Beware of vacation rental scams on Craigslist Corpus Christi
A real estate agent is warning local residents to beware of a series of rental scams for vacation homes that have been circulation around the Corpus Christi area. Scammers steal photos of vacation homes from ads on other sites and make up fake information. They instruct interested renters to wire a deposit to hold the home for their vacation. They promise to have someone meet them at the property when they arrive. By the time the renters discover it’s a scam, it’s too late and the scammers are gone with their money.
5. Another rental scam on Craigslist Corpus Christi
Scammers have added a new twist to a rental scam. Landlords are actually leasing properties that they own to innocent victims who sign a lease for several months when the homes are in foreclosure. Several families have been forcibly evicted from the homes that they signed a lease for because the bank has taken possession of the homes. This is a dishonest act on the parts of the landlords who know that the homes they are leasing are going to soon become the property of the banks. They’re making as much money off of them as they can before they lose the properties and the people who hold the leases are left homeless.
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