“We are aware of similar scams like this on the mainland, where criminals prey on individuals looking for a reasonably-priced house,” Esteban said. “We don’t want our residents to fall victim to this kind of scam.” Police are warning the
Police are warning the public about a rental scam using a popular online free classified advertising service.
An unidentified person posted an ad on Craigslist offering a three-bedroom house for rent on Haili Street in Hilo with attractive terms. The ad says utilities are included in the $1,000 rent and cats and dogs are welcome. When an interested renter responds, the scammer claims to be out of the country for several years and looking for a responsible renter to take care of the house.
The house listed is currently in escrow and not for rent.
Although Craigslist warns users to be leery of landlords who are out of the country and not available to meet the renter, this type of scam has cheated prospective renters out of rent money and security deposits elsewhere, Lt. Gregory Esteban of the police Criminal Investigations Section said in a written statement.
“We are aware of similar scams like this on the mainland, where criminals prey on individuals looking for a reasonably-priced house,” Esteban said. “We don’t want our residents to fall victim to this kind of scam.”
