Mediaboss Marketing

Published: Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 7:54 a.m. Last Modified: Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 7:54 a.m.

LAKELAND | The Polk County Sheriff's Office is warning about a new scam involving phony real estate listings on Craigslist.

Scammers, usually located overseas in remote areas, copy ads found elswhere on the Internet for properties that are for sale or rent by real estate agents. They repost them on Craigslist for well below market value under fake names.

Buyers or renters who fall for the hoax send a deposit to the scammer's bank account and wait for contracts or deeds to be delivered. The scammers keep the money and the victim is out of luck.

Local man Owen Castleman says his family was scammed.

It all started with his daughter needing a new place to live. He told her about a house he had seen in Lakeland, which she found online.

Same home happened to show up on Craigslist, Castleman said.

The Castlemans used a supplied email address to write to the supposed owners, who claimed to be missionaries in Africa. They wrote back and said they needed the Castlemans to wire money for the down payment of $500.

But after the money was sent, the scammers asked for more money and wouldn't turn over the key.

That's when the Castlemans grew suspicious. They located the real owners of the home and learned they'd been had.

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Sheriff's Office Warns of Real Estate Scam