The Latest Craigslist Scam Exploits the Dream of Affordable Rent
Kristel Taukave was hoping to shorten her daily commute from San Leandro to Berkeley. She went on Craigslist, and found a handful of two-bedroom apartments in her price range scattered throughout the East Bay. She contacted each landlord by e-mail. A waterfront apartment in Emeryville, a condo in Berkeley with a washer-dryer and hardwood floors, or a top-floor unit in a Walnut Creek building with ample storage and a pool, each for under $1000, all seemed too good to be true. And they were.
In response to three different requests for more information, Taukave says she received three identical e-mails from a Pastor Blanca Cococa. “I thought maybe she made a mistake sending the e-mail multiple times.”
The e-mail, written in broken English and full of typos, explained that Pastor Cococa had left the country with the only copy of the keys to the unit:
“So me and daughter are here in United Kingdom on a Missionary Work and am with the keys of the house will want to rent out now. … Hope you are okay with the price of ($850 PER MONTH) with hydro, heat laundry facilities, air condition, Internet connection and so on. i look forward to hearing from you ASAP.”
