Sellers and renters beware! Imagine reading a rental post online. The price grabs your attention and you like the features of the unit… in fact, there’s something oddly familiar about it. It matches your needs. It matches everything about your existing place- because IT IS your place. But wait for it… you haven’t listed it for rent, you are trying to sell it! And the payment instructions do not have the money leading back to you. Oh no, it disappears into a dark drain leading to some foreign off-shore account.

No, this is not the premise of Hollywood’s latest corporate thriller. This is the scenario that is unfortunately playing out with more frequency to unwitting homeowners and renters throughout the United States. According to the Chicago News, versions of this scam can be flat out blatant.

A man reported to police that he found his home for rent on Craigslist last week, even though he’s not renting it out, according to a Whitehall Township police report.

Michael Griffen, 29, reported the incident after seeing the listing Friday morning. He told police the ad stated that people who wanted to rent his 3110 N. Second St. home should wire $600 to an address in Africa, according to the report.

There’s not much homeowners can do from having their addresses used as chum. Combing through rental offerings and online bulletin boards daily is not something most people will spend time doing for preventative measures. Though there is no legal liability if someone shows up at your doorstep as the pawn of this ploy, keeping a vigilant eye will help prevent this very uncomfortable conversation from happening at your residence.

Another variation of this scam is for con artist to post rental listings for homes at far below market rates. The play is that these homes are in foreclosure and are vacant. Some brazen criminals will even have the locks on the doors changed so they can hand that set of keys over to the new renter, who has just paid his first month’s payment and his deposit. The spider is never to be seen again.

Everyone wants a good deal, especially when it comes to rent payments. So how do you know? A good deal, or a scam? The first thing to do is to see if the person marketing the property owns it. The very next thing to do is to see if that property is in foreclosure. How? You can accomplish both tasks within seconds on Lemon Landlord.com.

Information is valuable both to consumers and crooks. They know it… shouldn’t you?