Renters in America are now the new target of the Nigerian con artists, which is famous for the Advance Fee Scam, or 419 frauds.  Just like how most common frauds are done, they try to collect rental deposits on homes they do not own.

Now if you are looking for a rental property and you are using Craigslist in the process, you should not only be making contact through the internet.  It is always safer to transact an important matter with someone face to face.  Otherwise, you and your money could be in danger, especially if a deal seems too good to be true.  Yes, it is most likely not true.  An FBI report on this is stated below:

Homeowners list their homes for sale with real estate agents, who will list the homes for sale in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and also with public search websites, which allow individuals to query homes for sale via the Internet. Nigerian scammers find homes listed for sale on these public search sites, copy the pictures and listings verbatim, and then post the information onto Craigslist under available housing rentals, without the consent or knowledge of Craigslist, who has been notified.

After the posting is listed, unsuspecting individuals contact the poster, who is Nigerian, for more information on the “rental.” The Nigerian scammer will state that they had to leave the country very quickly to do missionary or contract work in Africa and were unable to rent their house before leaving, therefore they have to take care of this remotely. The “homeowner” sends the prospective renter an application and tells them to send them first and last month’s rent to the Nigerian scammer via Western Union. The prospective renter is further told If they “qualify,” they will send them the keys for their house. Once the money is wired to the scammer, they show up at the house, see the home is actually for sale, are unable to access the property, and their money is gone.