James_4real20005@yahoo.com (James Joseph)? Rent a Home Scam! Sending money to Africa in exchange for keys & lease! Chicago Illinois Internet

Me, my husband, and 1 1/2 yr old daughter were looking for a bigger place on craigslist.com. I found a posting for a 4 bdrm home for rent for $800/mo, and I contacted the guy via email. I have many emails back and forth with this guy who stated he was a building contractor working on a project in Africa, and he needed reliable responsible people to rent this home while he was away. unfortunately I gave him SOME personal info of mine but no SS# thank god. He was asking though for a background check. I got the bright idea to google the email, and I came up with another listing for a different house. Still not enough to prove scam so I googled the exact address of the particular house I was interested (4147 N Monitor, Chicago, IL, 60634). I found a listing for the home for sale, and contacted the Century 21 agent. He told me he knows the owners personally and they were definitely not renting the home they still occupy! He notified me other people have called him for the same ad, and I emailed him the posting I had emailed myself before it was removed from craigslist.org. I also contacted yahoo customer service & notified them he was using his email account to pull off scams. He was trying to have me send the money to an African address! These are difficult times for everyone, and this guy would have stole from a baby! Get em! if authorities need any info from me feel free to contact me. I only have a real name and address in Africa, but maybe I have some info that can help catch this guy! If I find more I will post again. I'm sure he will get a new email, but I can too. And I know how he writes, also he can't spell very well, may be foreign himself. He emailed me a rental form/Lease agreement and attempted to sound professional. I'm sure he took someone for their money.

Liz
chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.