If you are looking for a roommate and you placed ads on roommate File a scam complaint listings, regardless whether or not those listings are free or paid, chances are you will get a response from person who claims they are interested in being your roommate. This person will have no interest in being your roommate. There only interest is to scam you and rob you for your money.

Fact: roommate scams swarm roommate listings. Familiarizing yourself with these roommate scams is your first guard of protection from theft and fraud. If you don’t know what a roommate scam is or how it sounds or look like, educate yourself fast before you become a victim. If you do become a victim of a roommate scam, you have to immediately contact your local authorities and possibly the FBI.

I saw your ad on (roommate listing).com I am looking to rent a room or seek a roommate who is nice and honest. My name is Denise and I am 29 yr. old Broker currently living in London with my Uncle. I am honest, trustworthy and a caring individual who enjoys making good friends and having a good time.

I plan to come to the United States to work at a new brokerage firm on an 8 month contract. I just want to confirm the rent, utilities and if there is any deposit. What’s the amount to move in altogether? I can pay you 2 months rent and would like to move in right away. I will have my associate in the United States send you a cashier’s check for 2 the months payment.

They usually only give their first name and if you reply with an email asking for their full name, address and email, sometimes they refuse to give it to you. They want to send you their “final paycheck” from their current employer and deposit the check in your bank account as form of payment for the rent deposit.

They ask you to cash the check, money order or cashier’s check (usually more than the amount of the rent’s deposit) into your bank account or open an account at a different bank of their choice. Once the check is deposited into your account, they will ask you to deduct a portion of the money to cover the rent and will ask you to withdraw the exceeded portion to wire transfer back to them.

They will explain that they need the extra money wired back to them to purchase “a plane ticket” and/or “pay for moving expenses”. These checks, money orders and cashier’s checks are counterfeit. The “exceeded potion” you withdraw from the back is how they make their money. In many cases, once the bank realizes that these checks are counterfeit, they will come after YOU for the money.

They offer for “an associate” or “sponsor” they know in the US to send you a check, cashier’s check or money order for you to deposit in your bank for the rent deposit (again the check, money order and cashier’s checks are fake!). They request your personal information like full name, address, phone number, personal email account and bank where you will be depositing the checks. Sometimes they will insist on a particular bank for you to deposit their fake checks.