bettyesprangw9al@hotmail.com ynasevopigoz@hotmail.com Advertises "rental home" on Craigslist, then spams responders with email designed to steal identity info Internet

The scam begins with identity thieves placing a free ad like the following on Craigslist, in the "apts/housing for rent" section of a popular city:

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$600 / 3br - 3 Bed, 2 Bath Ranch Style House ([city], [state])

This 3 Bed, 2 Bath ranch home is very clean and has 3 BR, 2 BA, a completely finished basement, eat-in kitchenette commodious rooms, renovated bathrooms, 2 car garage, nice porch with a deck, and more.

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When someone sends email to the address in the post, the ripoff artist spams that person with the following email message, designed to steal the person's identity information:

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Hi,

First and foremost, thank you for your interest in the home. I am available to show the house this week if that fits your schedule.

Just to give you a little more information about the home, the water, trash and garbage are paid by us. The security deposit can be paid in 2 installments if money is tight. (I know how that can be). The house has a fenced in backyard and we do allow pets. The deposit per pet is a one time payment. The house includes a washer and dryer, and we pay for lawn care so the renter does not have to cut the grass. There is NO application fee (our company policy and guarantee).

I will be happy to show the house at an agreed upon time and date but I do require that all applicants and additional renters who will be living in the home complete a free credit report to ensure their eligibility. I have so many people apply for homes that I have to make sure they are qualified renters before I show the property. This ensures neither of us will be wasting our time.

It is okay if you have bad credit (trust me). We just check to make sure that you don't have several evictions on your record. (We won't rent if you have 3 or more evictions on your record)

I also had to recently stop giving out the exact address of rental properties before I am able to show them because last time I did that the house was vandalized (I will be glad to send you the address right after your reply) I assure you though that this is a very safe neighborhood. I actually lived in this home for 2 years (very cozy).

As soon as you can, please click the link below and go to the secure website to complete the free credit report (takes about 30 seconds) Once you complete, I'll call you once I receive the information from the credit company (very quickly usually).

http://ddbonlinereport.org/ (Copy and paste this link to your address bar if it is not clickable)

*** You don't have to send me your credit report. Once you fill out the report the credit company automatically forwards me your name, email address and whether you have had any outstanding evictions in the past 5 years to determine your renter eligibility. This is the only information I am interested in. This is a soft credit report so it won't touch your FICO score (which is why we work with them).

This process turns some people off, so I completely understand if you decide not to complete them. In that case, good luck with your home search. I just want to be honest with you up front about our process, which does a good job of protecting us from ineligible renters and scammers. Also, the site above is one the safest and most secure website for credit reports in the world, which is good for peace of mind. I have worked with them personally for a couple years now.

If you are truly interested in proceeding, take a moment and fill out one of the reports. Let me know when this is done and we can then work out the time and date to go see the home. Email me back once you access your fresh report. I will be forwarded the information. (Make sure to include a valid phone number. I usually call within 6 hours of submitting your report. Then I can forward you the address and we can set up a time to tour the home.) If eligible you will also be sent an email with my office number so we can set up a time to go see the house and discuss any other questions or concerns you may have.

Thanks, [false name]

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The link in this message doesn't go to a legitimate website where you can get a credit report! Instead, it simply passes the information you enter to the identity thief, who can then steal your identity or sell your info to someone else to steal your identity.

How can you stay safe from this scam? Three steps:

1. Never reply to an ad like this!
Why not? Because it gives away your email address, which the recipient can use to spam you and/or sell to someone else who will spam you.

2. If you already responded to the ad, don't respond to the email message!
Why not? If you get a reply that sounds like the one above, don't respond to it, because doing so tells these people that you supplied an active email address. Your response makes your address even more attractive to them for spamming you - or selling to someone else who also might spam you!

3. NEVER enter your personal information into a site that you're not sure is 100% legitimate!
Why not? Just because someone sent you a link in an email message in response to your request for information, that doesn't make the responder safe. You don't know what he or she will do with your information - but it's unlikely to be something nice.