Fake Realtor scams Children and their Parents

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Ever peruse Craigslist for a new home? Nothing against Craigslist for doing that, but that’s where Coty Houston and David Yost happened to find a very alluring four-bed home for sale; looked perfect for their five young kids.

12DThen they all got squashed by a bomb: The man who sold it to them was not a licensed Realtor. Matthew Boros, however, used to be a real estate agent, but he never renewed his license. But this time, he had climbed through the house’s window (after placing an ad for it on Craigslist) and pretended to be the owner, with the plan of bilking the couple out of $5,000.

The couple was fooled by Boros’s charm. They had no idea that this kindly man, who had met their children several times, had been busted in the past for renting the same house out. They gave him a down payment and an additional $4,000, that day—in the name of expediting the sales transaction.

Yost remodeled houses for a living, so he had no problem starting the remodeling on this particular house, which definitely needed some repair and cleanup. He even replaced its electrical wiring.

Not long after, while he was working on the house, a man arrived asking why he was there. The vacant house had a real Realtor, who told Yost he was going to contact the police to report him for breaking and entering.

Next day, Yost found the house’s locks to be changed, his equipment still inside.

Houston visited the Second District Headquarters, armed with the payment and contract records from Boros. She and Yost then demanded their money back from Boros. Boros, though, told them he could prove with additional paperwork that the transaction was legal.

They met, and Boros refused to give a refund, but the police were waiting nearby and arrested the slug.

The couple is out $5,000, but may get their money back pending the judge’s decision. Boros pleaded not guilty. His lawyer claims to not have had sufficient time to study the case.

The ending is not all that bitter for the parents of five, however. They bought the house for real this time, with a reduced down payment.

Robert Siciliano CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video.

Craigslist Rental Scams in Your Town

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Craigslist is one of my favorite sites on the Internet, though I admittedly have a love/hate relationship with it. One reason I love it is because of the deals and variety of items and services available, but I hate it because some of the people who use it are scammers and the site has some major security issues.

9DOnce, I listed a property on on Craigslist for rent. Scammers relisted the property for a third of the asking price. People came to my home and would knock on my door to see the property, even after the listing had expired.

Here’s how scammers work on Craigslist:

The scammer will copy and paste the ad and then pose as the homeowner who is overseas on business. To generate traffic, the scammer will list the ad for less than it is being asked. When a person responds to the ad, the scammer then tells them they can rent the property out, they simply need to forward the first month’s rent overseas. More people fall for this than you would believe.

How did I thwart this crime? I continuously scanned Craigslist for my ad to see if it was being posted. When I found any similar ads, I would email the information to abuse@craigslist.com, and the company would take the post down. However, the scammer also was on top of it, and kept posting the ad again.

So how can you protect yourself from these scams?

  • Use common sense, pay attention and be smart.
  • Be careful about who you are contacting and who contacts you.
  • Try to deal locally when possible and always meet in person in a safe location.
  • Do not engage in any online monetary transaction that requires you to send money to a stranger after they send money to you. This is a scam.
  • Do not disclose financial information, Social Security numbers or any account information.

Personal Security Tips:

Always Use Craigslist With Caution – People have been robbed, scammed, burglarized and even killed by using Craigslist. You must be careful about who you contact as you don’t know what everyone’s true motivation is.

Work With a Friend – If possible, meet the person with a friend or family member. There is strength in numbers.

Get ID Info Before Meeting – You also want to make sure that you get the person’s name and phone number before meeting them. Call them to verify the number, and tell them that your brother, who is a cop, will have his cruiser there when you meet, so they should not be alarmed.

Stay As Aware As Possible – There is always risk when meeting a stranger, but staying aware can help to keep you from getting into a bad situation.

Trust Your Instincts – Do not discount any negative feelings you may have about the meeting, and cancel it if necessary.

Wear the Right Things – Do not wear anything provocative or expensive, nor should you wear loose fitting clothing or scarves, as attackers can grab onto them easily. Wear good shoes that you can run in.

Stay in Communication – Make sure someone you know, such as a spouse or family member, knows where you are and when you will be back. Try to have them on the phone during the meeting.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Craigslist encounter ends very badly

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At least one woman is happy that her driver drove like a drunk. That’s because his erratic driving caught the attention of troopers who pulled him over. They then heard a woman calling for help—from the backseat. She was bound and gagged with a bag over her head.

emailThe 41-year-old man had posted an ad on Craigslist; he wanted a submissive partner. His phony profile attracted the 22-year-old woman (who I must wonder, why would she be interested in a man who wants a submissive partner? Doesn’t this sound mighty suspicious?).

The victim chatted online and agreed to meet him. She thought nothing of meeting him in a secluded, remote location near his home.

Then she got into his car. Once inside, she noticed that he didn’t even look anything like the photo he had sent her.

Let’s stop here a moment. Just how dark was their initial meeting spot that she didn’t realize then that he looked nothing like the picture?

She told him to pull over. Instead he assaulted her and tied her up, tossing her in the backseat. She kicked at the man and backseat, causing him to swerve like a drunk.

None of this would have happened had she insisted on meeting in a public spot, and severing the connection with him if he kept insisting on the secluded, dark area.

How to Fight off an Attacker

  • Hit the gym and strengthen your body. Not only will a strong-looking body make a man think twice about attacking, but if he does, a strong body has a much better chance of fighting back and/or escaping.
  • We all know to go for the groin. Go after it like a savage. Hit, yank, pull.
  • Jab stiff fingers into his eye. Why this is rarely done I’ll never know, because it’s extremely effective.
  • Basic self-defense techniques, delivered to the neck, can stun a man and give you time to escape.
  • Slam a palm into his nose. Keep going after it. The pain and gush of blood will disorient him. A self-defense course will teach you how to elbow his nose if he’s behind you.
  • Smash a foot into his knee. You have a better chance of bringing him down if you come in from the side—because your foot will be striking against ligaments, rather than bone.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Woman Becomes Victim of Craigslist Scam

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I have a love/hate relationship with Craigslist. I love the occasional deal I get (like the 25 hp outboard motor I just got) and I love how people use it to find stuff I’m selling or renting out (like an apartment). But I hate the way some people completely over price what they are selling, thinking that old boat motor is worth what a new one costs. Or worse, when scammers contact Craigslisters every time they post an ad trying to get them to ship something overseas and scam them out of their money.

Craigslist should be used with caution. People have been robbed, burglarized, scammed and in some cases their homes were invaded and some people have been killed.

I once listed a property for rent that was relisted for a 1/3rd of my asking price by scammers. People would pull into my driveway and knock on my door while the listing was active and after the listing I posted had expired too.

In Connecticut, a mother, father and son traveled a hundred miles to see a home for rent. The only trouble was, the homeowner wasn’t renting it out and she was still living in it. She was in fact trying to sell it. And when the real estate agent listed it for sale, she also syndicated the ad to multiple sites including Craigslist.

Just like my situation, she had to explain to the people who showed up they were scammed.

Here’s how the scam often works. The scammer copies and pastes the ad and poses as the homeowner who is conveniently away traveling on business in the UK. The scammer lists the ad for much less than is being asked to generate traffic. When people respond to the ad, the scammer tells them they can rent it out and all they have to do is forward him the first month’s rent via a money wire overseas. Some people will want to drive by to get a look without actually going in and that’s enough for them to send the money.

The way I thwarted this crime under my watch was to continually scan Craigslist for key words related to my ad to see if it was being posted by a scammer. When I discovered a fraudulent post, I emailed abuse@craigslist.com with the link. Craigslist was very responsive and took the posts down. I had to do this almost 20 times (the hate part) during the period I was renting out an apartment.

With Craigslist, be very careful who you contact and who contacts you. You never know who the person is or what their motivation may be.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.