This week my roommate inquired about a post on the popular classified ad site, Craigslist, in regards to a house for rent in Boise, Idaho. Thinking this was a run-of-the-mill post, she contacted said owner of the house and a response immediately ensued, in which they were in contact for three days. The said owners’ story was that they had to fill the house immediately because they decided on a whim to embark on a Christian mission. They even provided a link to the mission website in order to legitimize their story. He claimed to be “Reverend Mcneill Lorraine.” They also sent a generic rental questionnaire which she filled out promptly and the next day the Reverend told her that his family had chosen her to become their new tenant for the next year. Essentially, he was playing the 'Good Samaritan' role hoping to ease suspicions.

Next, the Reverend called my roommate to inquire about a payment wondering how much she would be able to pay upfront. Over the phone, she noticed his accent and when she asked about his nationality, he told her his parents were from Mexico and spoke to him in Spanish growing up. She did not align his accent with that of other Spanish speaking individuals, so previous suspicions were enhanced. After this email, my roommate asked Reverend for a picture. This was in case anything happened with the house, since this was being done strictly virtually and they reciprocated with a photo. My roommate decided to Google the downloaded image. It popped up on another Christian Mission website that matched their story of having three children and their mission work, yet the last name did not match up with the Reverend's. We went to the house, she wanted to talk to the neighbors about the family that lived there to ease all doubts with the story. She brought the picture on her phone and was going to see if their story matched with what their neighbors knew of the family. Once the story was legitimized she would be willing to send the money.

We decided to call the realtor that was on the for sale sign in the front of the house. The said owner had previously stated in an email that they had dropped their realtor due to money issues. I called and asked about the house and had mentioned that we spoke to the owner to make sure this was a legitimate offer. He proceeded to explain how he was the actual owner and had not put his house up for rent on craigslist. Suspicions became unfortunate truths and we were able to experience the dangers of the virtual world first hand.

Here's my favorite part of this story: my roommate reported the incident, the officer told her he could not file an official report. Since her money had never been lost, no crime had fully been committed because she was not yet a victim. What he told her after was what really sparked our interest. The officer said that he receives up to fifty calls a day relating to internet scams and fraud. He claimed that Craigslist is one of the worst sites for harbouring criminal activity that oftentimes slides under the radar. He explained how ninety percent of his time is spent in his patrol car making or taking phone calls based on scamming and fraudulent activity since the rise of the internet. Think about it - when posting on Craigslist, they do not require you to create an account, you do not have to be legitimized as a real person, they do not ask you security questions, you do not know if the users are reliable sources or if the item/commodity is even attainable. Whereas sites like Ebay rates their users and it is mandatory to create an account. Although Craigslist provides links on the homepage like “avoid scams and fraud” and “personal safety tips” how many people actually look into these before buying their new, unbelievably cheap couch?

A major issue is that users can flag ads without any reason. Scammers have started flagging their competitors, therefore reducing any legitimate competition. The police officer told her that from personal experience, he believed most merchandise sold on the website are stolen items and it’s a place of almost strictly criminal activity. The problem has become severe and so widespread that they had to provide warnings and the sidebar hyperlinks, yet they do not do anything else to legitimize their users and business. Ultimately, Craigslist does not always create a safe environment for their users.

One of the final things the officer said was that everyone is waiting to become a victim. All of your information is already online due to social media and online transactions. He declared there is no solution to reform the way Craigslist is setup, no solution to prioritize the safety of the users over economic gain. Overall, people need to be aware of the reality of scams and fraud and how close to home these can be, as this is a type of criminal activity that does not discriminate. Next time you’re using Craigslist to purchase an item, especially if it involves a lot of money, investigate ways in which you can ensure protection in order to make safe and reliable purchases. Some tips: pay in cash, never wire money, meet the them in person (always bring a friend with you), buy locally, and if it is too good to be true - it probably is. Last, don’t forget that police officers are a good resource to utilize if you ever need background checks, welfare calls, or even to get advice. Remember, like the officer said, everyone is a potential victim, it is simply a waiting game.