With another holiday season upon us, we celebrate joy, giving, and happiness. The holiday’s are also a time where scams and fraud are also common. With anonymous emails and burner numbers, Craigslist is a common marketplace for such actions. We here at Trove, put together a list of the top 5 scams that have happened to Bay Area residents.

5. Romantic Contractor Scams Multiple Residents

Michelle Lai wrote a post on Medium that’s worth reading. She gives an inside look at her experience of the events leading up to her getting conned out of $8500.

The man started out very nice and well put together. He helped Michelle shop for cabinets and hardwood floors before installing them in her mission home. After finding her dream set, he offered to purchase them for her in order to receive a contractors discount.

The two went to dinner to celebrate and the next day he even asked Michelle to take a trip to San Diego with him. When she declined, he never responded and took off with her cash.

4. Woman Takes Selfie With Stolen iPad

Shortly after stealing an iPad, the woman above snapped a quick selfie. The theft happened at the victim’s apartment when the two meet through the “casual encounters” section on Craigslist. A day later the victim was able to get access to the photo by logging on his iCloud remotely.

3. Couple Gets Robbed While Trying to Buy Mercedes

A Married couple from Fremont was robbed at gunpoint while trying to buy a used Mercedes. After meeting the seller at the Lake Merritt BART Station, they hopped in the back seat of the Mercedes and were driven to the ATM.

They withdrew $8,500 to pay for the car and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. The seller picked up a second man who hopped in the car with and pulled out a gun. The couple was forced out of the car and stranded on a freeway in Oakland.

2. Man Gets Kidnapped While Selling Outside Lands Tickets

A 27-year-old man was kidnapped and robbed while attempting to sell wristbands for the Outside Lands music festival. The seller had arranged to meet up with potential buyers at the intersection of 24th Avenue & Fulton Street. Upon arriving, he was greeted by three armed men and told to get into a car.

One of the suspects drove around while another pointed a gun at the victim. The third suspect held a knife up to the victim. The suspects made the victim hand over concert wristbands and his money. After, the suspects dropped him off and fled away.

1. Subletter from Hell Steals $100k

Rachael Marie Smith was sentenced to two years in state prison for collecting $110,000 from 18 potential renters. She advertised her Richmond District apartment and collected deposits from her victims with no intention of letting them move in.

Resources:

Trove Market: Easiest way to buy and sell used furniture. Use the app to list items, message, and pay using cash, debit, or credit card.

Money Crashers: Great resource outlining the most common types of Craigslist scams. Also, gave us the Inspiration behind this post.