Victim Location 12975
Type of a scam Rental
I saw an ad on craigslist posted for renting a 3 bedroom house in Plattsburg NY for $550 per month. I inquired by replying to the ad through craigslist and I received a response through email by the guy to send him a message on his personal email. He stated that he currently lives in California and is looking for someone to rent the house since he is away and to maintain it. I also noticed the same house was posted for sale on zillow. I went to look at the house in person and liked it so I messaged him back saying I was interested. He sent me a list of questions to answer such as my profession and if I agree to maintain the house well, etc. After exchanging a few emails I requested to see the interior of the house before proceeding with payment. He said that I must pay the $550 security deposit before he would ship me the keys. He mentioned using the app "cash app" and gave me a user name that was a different name than what he told me his name was. When I questioned this he said that it was the name of his assistant in his business. He then said he wanted me to purchase an amazon gift card for $550 and send him a picture of it which was a huge red flag. I then called him and spoke to him about my concerns. He then stated if I could come up with half of the security deposit he would send me the keys to look at the inside. I told him I am not interested in this and that I would not be sending any money until I received the opportunity to see the inside of the house and he hung up the phone.