I-Team: Scammer copies couple’s Craiglist ad

PROVIDENCE—A couple trying to rent their condo says someone copied their ad on Craigslist.

Gail Armstrong and her husband have been trying to rent their condo in Providence. So, they decided to place an ad on the online classified Web site Craigslist.

A week later, Armstrong checked to see if her ad was still there. She said she found an identical ad to rent her condo. The ad even used some of the pictures of the place she had in her ad.

Armstrong said she answered the copy cat ad, posing as a possible renter. She was told to fill out an application and send $15 along with it.

“The promise was if I filled out this application, it would be sent to the landlord—me,“ Armstrong said.

She said the application asked for personal identity information.

“It did ask for driver’s license information, employer, information and salary. So, it looked professional, looked like a typical rental application,“ Armstrong said.

There have been numerous complaints from people all over the country about ad copying on Craigslist. In June, NBC 10 investigated a similar scam in Portsmouth.

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Attorney General Patrick Lynch said when responding to ads on Craigslist, or anywhere for that matter, keep your personal information to yourself.

“Don’t send personal information or private information. These companies are not only asking for a $15 check. More importantly, they’re using that scam to acquire personal information that could lead to substantial damages in other areas,“ Lynch said.

For Armstrong, using Craigslist to advertise her rental condo has been anything but a good experience.

“I’m frustrated and annoyed. I’m frustrated as a landlord, as an owner trying to rent out a unit,“ she said.

Armstrong complained to Craigslist and said she never got a response.

The I-Team’s attempts to contact the company’s headquarters in San Francisco weren’t successful.