Woman claims she was scammed out of $1,500 in Craigslist posting

Buying your first home can be a big step for a family.

But when that home ends up being too good to be true, that big step can turn to devastation.

Joan Contreras is a slot technician at Cocopah Casino who thought she could sniff out a scam from a mile away.

Contreras traveled from Florida to Yuma to help her daughter and granddaughter find a home they could all live in.

Since last year, Contreras had been looking and saving.

“According to my granddaughter I’m her hero, well her hero failed her a little bit this time,” said Contreras.

She was insistent to friends and family, she’d find a place that would work within her budget and she finally found a home.

She thought she had exhausted all her options until she finally found a home, a home on Craigslist.

“I found something on Craigslist and I was looking on Zillow, looking at all the housing places that you could think of,” said Contreras.

Contreras called the listed owner and they exchanged emails.

“It was just so convincing and here I am thinking finally I’m going to get my family together all in one household,” said Contreras.

The listed owner had told Contreras to disregard the “For Sale” sign out in front of the house.

She claimed she had been burned before by realtors and was going to sell the home on her own.

Contreras claimed the “owner” asked how much she could spend on the home, to which she agreed to pay the first month’s rent and a security deposit.

“She said, ‘Congratulations the house is yours’, I was so excited I said, ‘I can’t believe this, you know? I told everybody this was going to happen,'” said Contreras.

Contreras thought her search for a roof over her family’s head was over.

To add to the red flags, the “owner” asked for the payment to be made over bitcoin.

“She kept telling me to send it by bitcoin and I said ‘Bitcoin? I don’t think we have one in here in Yuma’,” said Contreras.

Eventually, Contreras agreed to send cash through the Walmart money exchange service.

She was told the owner’s “personal assistant” would pick up the money.

“So I went to Walmart with the money and sent it off in good faith thinking I got a house my family is going to be together now,” said Contreras.

The next day, the owner told Contreras her property taxes were due and someone else was willing to give four months’ full rent but would secure the property if Contreras could come up with a second month’s rent.

“[The owner said] if you can come up with two months’ rent you won’t have to pay any rent until September and I said ‘Woah, okay’,” said Contreras.

After some consideration, Contreras began to feel uneasy.

“Then my daughter said, ‘You know mom, something is not right. I hope you didn’t send the money out’ and I said, ‘I did’,” said Contreras.

She then called the realtor listed on the “For Sale” sign only to find the owner on Craigslist did not match the owner of the property.

“The last text I sent to her I said, ‘I think you made a scam on me’ and she said, ‘Now why did you say that, don’t you trust me?’ And I said, ‘Not really’ and she said, ‘I’ll send you back your money tomorrow’ and after that, nothing,” said Contreras.

After confronting the owner about the fraud occurring, there were no more emails, no more phone calls, and most importantly, $1,500 of Contreras’ money was gone.

The next day, the home was pulled off Craigslist.

Sadly, there were no written agreements exchanged, no in-person meetings, and no face to face connection.

The Better Business Bureau offered tips for consumers to avoid being scammed on Craigslist.

Make sure you meet in a safe, secure spot.

Go with a friend or friends and take a second vehicle if possible.

Never deal with a person who will not talk to you on the phone.

Never give out personal information including credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or give your address to anyone.

Get as much information from the seller as possible, including a name and phone number. While you cannot always trust if those are real, you can always write down the license plate number of their car when meeting for a transaction.

If you feel uneasy at any point of the deal, back out. A good deal is not worth your safety.

13 On Your Side also attempted to email Craigslist’s Customer Support but did not receive a response.

On their site, Craigslist suggests to avoid scams by doing the following:

Do not extend payment to anyone you have not met in person.

Never wire funds – anyone who asks you to is a scammer.

Don’t accept cashier/certified checks or money orders

Do not rent or purchase sight-unseen–that amazing “deal” may not exist.

Refuse background/credit checks until you have met landlord/employer in person.