Victim Location 53221
Total money lost $14.99
Type of a scam Credit Cards
Takes 14.99 without service. No human contact on phone. It’s a scam
Victim Location 54729
Total money lost $14.99
Type of a scam Rental
I found a craigslist ad for a room for rent for $300.00. I texted to the number listed in the ad. I was sent a link to apply for a time to view and a profile/security check. The link took me to "roomster." I filled out a profile and verified my phone number/email/and paid 14.99 for a security check by either a passport or drivers license check.
After creating my profile, I was unable to find the room for rent link. I texted the number back with now no response. I emailed the roomster 24/7 help line, too, but heard nothing. Now I am asking them for a refund of my 14.99. This is a huge scam.
Victim Location 55369
Total money lost $500
Type of a scam Rental
I had a profile up on Roomster because I was looking to rent a room. This man, who identified himself as "Wilson", contacted me via text and offered me a room, asking for my email address to send pictures of the room to. He stated he had retired and moved out of state but could not part with the home. He stated that we would have the house to ourselves for a couple of months and then his daughter would be moving in but that we would still be able to keep our room. I filled out the "application", which was several questions in an email, along with a request for pictures. He sent me a picture of his ID, a TX driver’s license and a supposed certificate of ownership, which did not match the property records on file with the county tax assessor’s office. When I advised him that it was not his name on the property records, he stated that it was the name of the real estate agent. He asked me to send him $500 deposit via Zelle or CashApp to a separate email address than the one that he had been emailing me through. He said if I couldn’t send money that way to purchase Ebay cards, scratch them off and send a pic of them along with a copy of the receipt to him via text/email. After I sent the $500 via Zelle, he was supposed to overnight the keys to the rental property. He waited two days, then said that his attorney had advised him to collect one month’s rent prior to s "releasing" the keys, which were supposedly at my local post office, but that they wouldn’t deliver them until his attorney stopped the "hold" he had put on the tracking. The shipment was done through iShipt, which is an electronic postage company that will give you a tracking number after you pay postage, it doesn’t mean that the product has actually shipped. That tracking number still says, "in transit", even though the keys were supposedly shipped on September 12th. When I told him I wasn’t paying any more money until I received the keys, he said that he would refund my money the following Monday (this was Saturday the 14th of Sept 2019). Tuesday evening he said that he was waiting on his check. I advised him at that time that I would be filing a police report, which I have done. I have yet to hear back from him and it’s now October 9th. My money was not returned and I never received any keys. I contacted Roomster (who was really quick to take a month’s subscription fee 4 days after the "one week" offer I paid for. I submitted a question asking if there was any protection or way to get money back from scammers and I have not received a response. In addition, I have been contacted by numerous people through that website, most of them with similar stories, asking for money to be sent through Zelle or CashApp. Every single person that contacted me, their name did NOT match the property records for the county tax assessor and when I asked about it, none of them responded or contacted me further.
Victim Location 93065
Total money lost $30
Type of a scam Moving
Scam…I went to the address. The house owner said I was the third person . scam. Please investigat eroomster
Victim Location 95758
Total money lost $24
Type of a scam Moving
ROOMSTER IS A SCAM ALL THE RUMORS ARE TRUE, I’M A YOUNG BROKE MAN TRYING TO MAKE IT, FIND A PLACE TO LIVE, AND THIS SCAM OF A WEBSITE HAS FAKE POSTINGS ALL DAY AND WON’T LET YOU CANCEL THE $7.99 MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION, EVEN THOUGH THEY TELL YOU YOU CAN CANCEL AT ANY TIME!!!! EVERY LINK FOR "HELP" SENDS YOU TO THE SAME PAGE THAT LEADS NOWHERE. THERE IS NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT, I DOUBT TO BELIEVE THERE IS ANY LEGIT BUSINESS GOING ON WITH "ROOMSTER" IT HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A WASTE OF MONEY, TIME, AND ENERGY. NOT TO MENTION THE FALSE HOPE OF FINDING A HOME!!! I WISH EVERYONE TO SEE THIS, IT IS A SCAM SCAM SCAM!!! DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME PLEASE BELIEVE ME!!
Victim Location 92507
Type of a scam Rental
Makes you pay for rooms that do not exist
Victim Location 85209
Type of a scam Rental
They have texted my phone on 4 different numbers within 2 days. All prompt that it’s a safe means for finding housing and room mates. They don’t allow you to sign up through email, only Facebook social media platforms. They then require you to put a credit card on file to proceed. They deplete funds and do not follow through with service and they also harass through your means of contact through craigslist etc.
Victim Location 94552
Type of a scam Phishing
Roomster is listing rooms for rent on craigslist that are not actually on the market or for rent. When one responds to the listing Roomster poses as the potential roommate/landlord and then asks the applicant to sign up for Roomster. Signing up for Roomster requires one to give out personal information. Though the company is headquartered in New York, this phishing scam is being used in different housing markets and is will coordinated. I am reporting on a scam from San Francisco in which I received a text from a local phone number 415 349 7253 requesting that I sign up for Roomster to move forward in the application process.
Victim Location 78621
Type of a scam Rental
They are flooding craigslist with phony ads for housing which redirects to their business. It’s false advertising as they post the ads without alluding to their business and are abusing the craigslist community of users for profit.