We got suspicious when we got the first call wanting to rent one of our Jacksonville area listings for well below market rent.  We simply told the prospect that the house was for sale and for rent, but the rent was actually much higher than what they were asking about.

By the time we got the second and third call we knew something was wrong.  The third caller argued with us that we had listed the house for rent for $800/month on Craig's List.  We went in and found the ad.  It didn't mention our names or number, but they did use the copyrighted pictures we had taken of the home.  We called the owner and asked if they had advertised the house for rent for $800.  The husband said there was no way they would do that, but he would confirm with his wife.

The scary thing is that the person obviously looked at the tax record and set up an e-mail address that was very close to the name of the owner.  So we responded to the ad at the provided e-mail address.  Here is the response  we got:

"Hi,
I did get your response concerning the AD I posted on craigslist. The house is still available but presently I'm not around.. I did bid for a portion of petroleum land sometimes ago in West Africa and fortunately I won the  bidding so I have to move quickly down to Africa to have my company set up because I will still have to rebid for it in the next 10 years. I came over here with my wife, we both bought the house when we got married. As soon as we settle down here I had a thought of selling the house so I have to look for an agent, after getting one, we got a deal but later my wife advised against that. She said we may not be able to win the bidding next  time, in other to keep our head when we return that we have to keep the house. I reasoned with her and accepted her advise. So I contacted the agent back and requested for my keys and documents. Later we decided to  have the house rent out, we would have give the same agent this job also but the truth of the matter is that the agent would want to handle it professionally and the occupant may not be able to reason along with him later. If you notice, you will discovered that the price we are offering is far below standard price, this is enough for you to know that we are not after the rental fee but the  absolute care for the property. I know there is no  way I can be sure that you are the right person to live in the house because we won't be able to see physical before sending you the keys and the documents to occupy the space. But I just had a  feeling that anyone who knows what it takes to put the kind of structure down should know that maintaining a building is mandatory, so if you belief you can take good care of the house and handle it like yours then I will be more than happy to let you rent the house.
Please if you are ready now to occupy the house kindly provide the information below for record purpose
 
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Full Name__________________________________________________ Home Phone (        ) ________________________
Date of Birth_________________________________
Other Phone (       ) ___________________
Current Address_______________________________Apt#________ City__________________ State______ Zip________
Reasons for Leaving____________________________Rent $__________Phone (       ) ____________________________
Are you married____________________________
How many people will be living in the house____________________________
How many people will be living in the house____________________________
Do you have a pet____________________________
Do you have a car____________________________
Occupation____________________________
Move In Date____________________________
How soon can you pay the deposit----------------------------------
 
TAKE NOTE: YOU CAN ONLY DRIVE BY AND SEE MY HOUSE FROM THE OUTSIDE AND IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RENTING GET THE APPLICATION FORM FILLED OUT AND SEND IT BACK TO ME SO THAT I CAN  SHIP MY KEYS TO YOU FOR YOU BE ABLE TO GO AND LOOK AT THE INSIDE OR MOVE IN IMMEDIATELY. I WOULD HAVE REALLY LOVE TO SHIP THE KEYS TO SOMEONE IN STATE BUT I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY THERE RIGHT NOW AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE USE OF ANY THIRD PARTY THAT IS WHY AM HANDLING MY PROPERTY MYSELF..
 
House Address
<property street address>
Saint Augustine, FL 32086
 
Monthly Fee ; $800
Security Deposit: $500
Pets Allowed:
Available :Available Now for move in.
 
So pls get back to me today.
I await your reply ASAP.
Regard and God bless you!!!
<Signed with owners name>
+234-702-907-5558

011-234-702-907-5558"

We went back on and looked this morning to see if the ad has been reposted.  It hasn't, but we found a different one that is posted both in St. Augustine and in the DC Metro area with the same pictures and same e-mail address (although not the address used for our listing). 

We think Craig's List is a wonderful tool for consumers and we do put our listings on there (and will continue to).  But be careful out there with online ads and do your homework!  And remember, if it sounds too good to be true...it PROBABLY is!