The internet can be a good thing. That typically isn’t the case when we are writing about it in the sheriff’s newsletter. On July 21st, Deputy Conor Wanderscheid took a rental fraud report that was associated with an address in the 13000 block of Bayview Road on Clearwater Lake. The victim responded to a Craigslist ad offering to rent out this lake property. The victim made a reservation for July 21-July 23 and electronically sent the poster $650.00. When they arrive at the rental cabin, the owners were home and said they do not rent out their residence. There was a cabin next door that is often rented out but that was occupied. The posting was placed on Craigslist by an individual who identified himself as “David Moore”. Moore never showed up and Deputy Wanderscheid was unable to locate or contact him.
On August 10th, Deputy Zach Milne took a similar complaint involving the same address. As in the previous case, the victim found an ad on Craigslist offering the same lake cabin to rent. The victim made a reservation for August 10-August 12. The victim showed up at the property and knew that something was off when they arrived. Deputy Milne determined the ad was again posted by “David Moore”. The same rental price of $650.00 was paid and sent to a bank account. Once again, Moore never showed up and the victim and Deputy Milne could not contact him. Obviously “David Moore” is a fictitious person. The suspect in these cases is simply creating short term fake email accounts and associating them with the Craigslist ad. The funds were electronically sent to differing accounts in both cases. Sheriff’s Office Investigators are working the case and will be attempting to follow the money as it was transferred. Unlike in the movies, this isn’t as easy as it always appears. If anyone else has experienced the same scam involving “David Moore,” we ask that you contact the Sheriff’s Office at 320-251-4240. As a reminder, always be wary. Do a little research. Use the internet to look up the address and the poster to see if there are any scam alerts or reviews. If you are able, drive by and take a look at the location you are looking to rent. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to fall prey to these and other scams in the age of the World Wide Web