There have been at least two incidents recently involving Coasties and rental web sites. Both were scams suspected of being from Nigeria (based on addresses and phone numbers on return E-mails).

In the first one, the CG PO actually drove to the address listed on Craigslist and found an open field on one side, and a home construction company on the other, no house matching the pictures in the ad.

In the second one, a CG Officer listed his home on Rent.com and then was deluged last Sunday by folks inquiring about his house rental listing on Craigslist. When he found the listing on Craigslist, someone had cut and pasted his original listing and offered the house for rent...at HALF the price of the original listing. The CG officer actually had two people come to his house and walk around his property to look at the "vacant" house listed.

Beware of these sites when looking for homes to rent or posting your home to rent. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true...

This has happenend here in FL as well. I found a house that was too good to be true so I did not even inquire about it. One of our SN here was boasting about this nice house on the water he was gonna get for a great deal. Long story short since the house was cut and pasted from Realtor.com so when he went to look at the house the tennants just thought the landlord did not let them know and let our SN in to look around. He decided he wanted it but got spooked when the guy said he was a pastor on a mission to Africa or the Gaza strip or something to that nature.
The "owner" stated that he owned the house with another gentelman and as soon as the check cleared he would have the old tennants leave him the keys. This is where I stepped in and saw the same house I had previously been looking at and told him this was def a scam and to back out now. He did and found out through the local PD that someone else had been ripped off on that same house and same scam.

Make sure to meet face to face and always try to use a lisc. Realtor or do your research online if they are a small realtor and just work out of thier house.

We have a local TV station that runs a show called "Three on your side" and they recently ran an episode about this exact thing happening here in Phoenix.

Here are a few we have been told about. I took names and email address out so not to post it on the internet.


Beware of FRAUD when looking for condo's for rent and room mates on Craig's list.
See below for a story from MCPO Niece on rooms to rent.

Also I experienced a scam the week of May 11, 2009 when looking for an apartment in the wash DC area. The person listed the property and provided a contact e-mail as all other listings in the area. When contacted they owner identified himself as a missionary minister who recently transferred to London and wanted to rent his condo. All transactions were to be handled by his wife who also was in London. They would send an application to conduct a back ground check.---FRAUD---

THIS transfer season make sure your incoming staff sponsors warn your incoming members of this ongoing type of activity.





I have not had this happen to me, but I thought it best to pass it on.
I personally know both of these Gold Badges and I believe in what they say.
The younger folks need to be aware.

I got the same kind of email for the work at home job...thought one of you was trying to keep me employed ;-)

My son put an ad in on Craig's list for a roommate, received a check in the mail for $3300 by fedex. He called to tell me his good luck...leave it to mommy to burst his bubble. He scanned me a copy of the cashiers check (looked VERY legitimate), I called bank and found out the same thing - Fraudulent check. He received an email that night from a women overseas that stated she had mailed the check to secure the room, but might have sent to much; please deposit the check and mail the excess amount back to her by cashiers check to an overseas mailbox.

I think this type of scam is so hot right now that we should send out a warning message to the crew.



Shipmates, received from my counterpart at the Groton Subase.

just to pass this along to you so you are aware.

Last week one of my Sailor's reported to his Chief that he received a Cashiers Check in the mail for $950.00. This Sailor had went online to search for part time jobs at home.

He received an email congratulating him on his selection to become a MYSTERY SHOPPER and asked to send in his name, address, phone number and age. He did and received another email asking him to confirm the information he had provided and again he did. You may already know where this is going but keep reading.

Once he confirmed, yet another email comes in from a different address stating his check had been sent via UPS and provided him the tracking number. Along with that information he was to confirm through email his receipt of the check, he did! Another email comes in and tells him to take the check, cash it, keep $150 (remind you he has done nothing yet but send/receive emails) and send $800 to the person in the email. It was at this point, he decided to bring this up to his Chief.

They came to my office the emails and the check. I called the bank listed on the cashier's check, Hancock Bank of Louisiana, faxed them a copy of it and it was confirmed this was a fraudulent check. I used GOOGLE to look up the address he was to send the $850 to and it comes up a International Mailing Service in TX. Once I explained to the Sailor what had happened, I was informed there were others in the command with the same issue.

Another Sailor came in on Thursday and brought me a letter from a company, ESS Research in TX, where this Sailor had been sent a check for $3990.00 and was to wire $3220 to Michael Sterling in NY. This Sailor actually did it!
The Sailor's bank froze the bank accounts and credit cards. I checked the number on the letter and it is to a cell phone in Canada!

Another Sailor stopped by with $5000.00 in bogus CVS Pharmacy Money Orders and checks totaling over $30,000. I took all of this information and delivered it to NCIS. Unfortunately it is out of their jurisdiction. There is however a website, ic3.gov where you report Internet Crimes.


Thanks for taking time to read this! I am sure there are many more Sailors out there that have been or were almost taken by this.