Is this Craigslist rental ad legit or a scam?

[Zackary]

So i responded to an ad on craigslist about renting out a room in an apartment in Nevada while i about 5 hours away in Arizona. I consider myself fairly savvy on detecting craigslist scammers since most of the scams are pretty common sense but I am very uncertain about this one. What makes me believe that he is legit is that we talked on the phone, he has a facebook, and he sent me a picture of his drivers license. I also google mapped the address and it does exist and matches the photos in the ad.
BUT he said there is no landlord in the complex that i could call for reference since he pays rent to a realty company (which i can't find their number on google). But the biggest red flag is that he's requesting the deposit and first months rent via western union which i know is the biggest no no. The reason being is that he can cover himself and reserve my spot since it is currently the last day of the month. I asked if i could use credit card and he said i could not because he is not "licensed" to receive money that way.

So my predicament is that i think he's legit and has valid reasoning for requesting the money wired to him but i know that using western money could be a huge mistake. Meeting him in person is not really an option due to distance. Can anyone shed some light on my situation and let me know if i should do it? Could he be posing as another person's identity? And does a license even exist where he couldn't accept credit cards?

Please share your thoughts....this is a huge decision and i would really appreciate your help! Thanks
His facebook was created in 2007. Also the pictures were from the inside of the apartment as well. Still a scam?
and has anyone heard of B
*B

[immenseriver716]

That's a scam. Everything you mention is a red flag. Do NOT send him the money.

[webjnke1]

That really sounds like a scam. He might only have the facebook page long enough to get the money. then when he gets it, he sets up another and does it again. The pictures might be of an actual place. But doesn't mean it's his.

[C C]

That is some BS that he can't take a card. We all take cards on PayPal all the danged time.

Unless it's between two people who know each other, Western Union is ALWAYS a scam. Maybe he's using a friend's ID. Maybe he is desperate so much that he's thrown all caution to the wind.

Scam.

[sophieb]

It's a scam. In addition it may be dangerous. look thru a realtor if you want a house, or look thru those books advertising rentals in a certain city. Never try to rent something unless you take a look at the place or at the complex and see the rooms, see what the renters look like, look for well lit, secure, near transportation and food. I don't know what you mean by a "room in an apartment" are you looking for a roommate? Forget the roommate thing and rent by yourself, but be sure you get a lease/contract. Some realtors help with roommates, and some house rentals. Try rent.com and I think it's also apartments.com so you'd have numbers you can call and check availability online and ask questions of them online.

[magicbird]

Western Union! Run like the wind! I'm a landlord myself. No legitimate landlord would ask a prospective tenant to pay his deposit/first month's rent through Western Union! If the 'time' (like 'the last day of the month') were really a serious issue, a landlord could ask you to wire the money through your bank to his (which, unlike Western Union, would hold him accountable in some way for taking your money).

...and that Thing he said, that he is not "licensed" to receive money via credit card? He may not be set up to take credit cards--I'm not either--but you don't need any kind of license to accept credit cards. As a landlord, especially a landlord doing business long distance, he should have a bank account set up in his name so your transaction could/should be handled through his and your bank accounts. There's no reason to ask for payment through western union except that it's a scam.

...and how do you know that the license plate he sent you a picture of is really him? He may have faked his Facebook page. He may have faked all the apartment photos, or maybe the apartment belongs to his parents, or a friend of his. Con artists are good at things like 'faking.' And of course he's going to give you a Real Address, even if the place doesn't belong to him, because of course you can look the address up online to check it out. [Try checking out the county records on who owns the property--although he may be using that person's name, or perhaps his father has the same name].

Even if it really is him, you'd still have a hard time getting western union money back. Don't fall for it, the guy's a con artist.

[Ea83301]

i would send the money right away or u miss this wonderful opportunity den you can never find forgives my man. hey now u send me moneys n den i send to him for u kay ya dats no problem mahn i find you n u sleep den i take ur moneys ok tank u nice time…for u to live n den die for small changes

[Dan B]

It's a guaranteed scam. Anyone can create a phony Facebook and Craigslist account and send a picture of a phony driver's license. Everything else you suspect points to a scam. No LL uses Western Union. LLs need a bank account for their business related expenses. IRS tax laws, even though they don't require a bank account, the law make it advantageous to LLs to have one strictly for their rental properties. Challenge him and tell the "landlord" that you want to see the room and would like to meet him in NV at his convenience. If he says no, then you say no. Distance is not a problem because I'll guarantee that he will say no he can't because [fictional reason]. I doubt that he lives in the apartment (I'd be surprised if he really did.) Long distance rental arrangements are bad.

[Landlord]

You now sound like a troll. You posted this same question, but changed the city to LA

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...511AA0A8GM

[Wesley]

its a scam