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A con artist has been using Craigslist to scam gullible apartment seekers out of hundreds of dollars, according to the Daily News. Nothing new here, except this time the scheme so sketchy it’s hard to feel too sorry for the victims. Using the alias JoAnn Rinaggio, a compulsive check bouncer named JoAnne Smith has been posting listings for a fully furnished two-bedroom with a balcony in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This amazing place can be yours for only $950 – less than half the market value!
Thing is, “Rinaggio” has just been transferred to North Carolina and needs you to wire the security deposit ASAP; then she’ll totally send you the keys: “I will like to tell you that we are doing this based on trust and I would like you to trust me as I trust you.” And since she’s out of town, it’s not possible to see the apartment yet; another reason why you can’t see it is because it doesn’t exist – 8235 Fourth Avenue is a phony address.
The original ad has been pulled from Craigslist but not before "countless" victims sent money and never heard back, according to Internet fraud and security expert Craig Solomon. His common sense advice: “Whenever anyone from out of state is involved, red flags should immediately go up. Avoiding the scam is simple. Try to always do business face-to-face, and never, ever, wire money anywhere.” What's the worst experience you've had while apartment hunting?
Photo of Bay Ridge houses by Nrvlowdown.
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Craigslist's "avoid scams" warning cautions that anyone who asks you to wire money is a scammer. Apparently, many people don't read the warnings.
Are people really this gullible in this town?
this falls into the too-stupid-to-live catagory
I find this funny not for the person's lack of common sense
But Because I moved to Yonkers a year ago and live in a real 2 BD for $950 (found on Craigslist) - its a nice neighborhood and my commute is shorter to Midtown than if I lived in bay Ridge
Dont be scared Dont be stupid
Whats the point in living in the five boroughs if you have to pay an arm and a leg to live a lower standard of living than you could in Westchester.
Reap what you sow.
this scam artist should be shot by a firing squad.
and you (third poster) would fall into the too-stupid-to-spell category.
$950 for a 2BR in Bay Ridge isn't that insane, it's a little cheap, but not unrealistic. If you go through the 'South Brooklyn Network' (ie no brokers, no CL, people you know) you can get a 2BR for around $1200. I commute everyday from Bay Ridge to midtown - it takes 35-45 minutes. It isn't so bad for being 10 minutes from the beach.
I almost got duped by someone was trying to pull a similar scheme a few month's ago for a 1 bedroom in Greenpoint. As soon as I saw the "escrow" site they forwarded me to, I started laughing my ass off.
Soon after someone posted a scam alert on CL and three or four of us were corresponding.
The moral of this story: Scammer really do bring people together!
I was almost scammed on Craigslist (but not quite-- when it comes to giving money away in a "cashiers check" I became suspicious).
In my situation, they asked me to make the transfer out into a friend's name, hoping that a less sophisticated person would then not realize that a wire transfer is basically CASH.
They went so far as to have a legit broker's name and "email" coming from California. I contacted the broker in California. They contacted an law firm to try and trace the scammer!
Sometimes you just want a rent stabilized place, and you're hoping against hope to catch that once in a lifetime deal...
“I will like to tell you that we are doing this based on trust and I would like you to trust me as I trust you.” - This sounds just like something Barack Obama would say, just like "VOTE FOR CHANGE". When you guys lose the election with Obama as the dem candidate, remember the people who lost $950.00, cause they are the same kind of people!
Interestingly, 8235 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY comes up in Google maps.
Interestingly, 8235 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY comes up in Google maps.
What's so interesting? Google Maps doesn't check to see if there's actually a building with that address. It just puts a dot on the map where the address would be if it existed.
You can pick pretty much any house number that's between two legit house numbers and Google Maps will locate it.