It’s safe to say we’ve gotten to the point where the internet has become the go-to source for most things in life including information, shopping, paying bills, staying connected with friends, and entertainment.
And, once again, this increasing reliance has spawned even more ways to get ripped off.
eRentalApplications.com is a tough cookie to crumble when first you encounter it. It starts, innocently enough, on Craiglist.com. (*note: Before you chastise me, yes I understand Craigslist perhaps isn’t the best place to cite as the paragon of safety and security, but it’s not quite the red light district either so bear with me.)
The posting looks like any other; it might even have pictures and down-to-the-cent information, but it has no other contact besides the anonymous email. Upon sending an email of interest, you receive an email from a gmail account that directs you to use eRentalApplications.com prior to visiting the property. The email generally looks like this:
Hello _________
Please go to www.eRentalApplications.com to fill out a basic rental
application to check tenant history, references, and verify
employment. Your social security is NOT REQUIRED and YOUR CREDIT WILL
NOT BE PULLED at this time. After the application will be reviewed you
will be contacted to set up time to see the property. The process is
simple. Just use the following steps and within minutes your
application will be forwarded for review.
Go to www.eRentalApplications.com and follow these steps:
1. On the homepage click on the “APPLY TODAY” button
2. Find the property address (for which you will be applying)
3. Fill out the application
4. Pending approval you will be contacted regarding your application
as soon as possible
Thanks.
Upon going to the site, it requires a $14.95 charge via paypal just to submit some of your very personal information, without having even seen the property! Should you take umbrage at this and send another email asking what is so amazing about the property that it costs more than a prime movie ticket and soda just to see the inside, you will likely receive nothing back.
However,after a simple search of these same devious interwebs, I did find multiple ripoffreports, comments on Craigslist reporting it was a scam and even a post on Intelligent Designer, (a local area blog) which outlined the blogger’s experience from a property owner’s perspective. In a nutshell, the Craigslist post of his listing had been stolen, copied, advertised for$200 cheaper than his actual listing, and set to redirect to eRentalApplications.com.
The most frightening part about this scam is that only the very last part of the grift is a lie. It is usually a real posting of a real property with real photos and information. But, upon receiving the email to send in your information, the result could be turning over enough information to have your identity stolen, and your wallet $15 lighter for the privilege.
What do we learn from such despicable behavior?
1. If you’re looking for a place to rent, be wary of Craigslist postings without direct contact information.
2. Do not give away your personal information unless you are absolutely sure of where it is going and to whom it is going.
3. If you are posting a place for rent, regularly check the site you post to and keep an eye out for suspiciously similar listings.
4. If you receive an email asking you to use eRentalApplications.com, blow it a raspberry, wipe off your screen, sanitize your keyboard and delete it from your email.
