FAKE FAKE FAKE FAKE. Never wire money, and "out of the country" is a red flag right there. You can put down a deposit when you've seen the apartment, but not before. Unfortunately, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Oh my gosh. Total scam. You will never find a reputable 2 bedroom apartment downtown for that money. And you should never have to wire money. Good instincts to ask.

so fake

You didn't say where you saw the post. But if you're looking, especially in a large city, it seems that you would have gone to Craigslist. Craigslist posts VERY VERY obvious warnings about just this sort of advertisement. P.S. Really? It's hard to believe a real person asked this question, for all the reasons stated by all the commenters prior.

FAKE! And by the way, don't ever give a deposit until you've seen the place, met the owner/manager, etc. Just like the other responders said, there's no reason to wire a deposit out of the country, either.

Agreed, it's bogus. The "I'm out of town, wire me the money thing" is the biggest tip off. Email references, refunding the deposit, are just to make you feel like maybe it's not a scam. And anyone can find a convincing apartment application and "legal documents" online. Skip it, keep looking.

I think you are right to be wary and concerned. Doesn't matter how legit the document is... if they do not have a local contact who can physically meet you at the location, show the property and sign a contract in person then I would say 'walk away'. Listen to your gut instincts. Incredible deals usually aren't.

Aw, go easy on her. Everyone is right, this is a scam, and you were right to ask.

Do NOT wire money. You put down a deposit with a CHECK AFTER you've seen the place. Yeah, $800 for a STUDIO downtown maybe. Hope you find an even better place!

as soon as I read "wire via Western Union" I stopped reading cause the siren over my head started blaring.

Good instincts, A Student! You ARE an 'A' Student and passed the scam test.

What's a poor college student to do? Well, see if your college has a housing office, and check through them. If not, see if the college has someone who can at least suggest legitimate options. You might need to find a temporary place to stay, GO to Chicago, and look around. Good luck!

There have been reports of scams here in SF, and they sound very similar to your situation. An apartment that is too good to be true, a request for a hold deposit via wire transfer, a request for a deposit before viewing the apartment, etc. Many of the victims find that the apartments do exist, but they are not for lease - the "landlord" copies the pictures and information from real estate listings. Here's a link to one of the reports:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/07/27/consumerwatch-renters-getting-burned-by-new-online-apartment-rental-scam/

You should be allowed to see the place before you want to put any money down. If not, then the place isn't reputable and you shouldn't trust him.

OMFG SCAM.
Every scam on CG follows that script. People fall for it because it does indeed seem plausible. It almost happened to me, but when the "owner" send me more details, it did start to sound like the perfect scam. Save the emails and report this scammer so that no one else falls for it!

Anything involving Western Union is a scam. No one takes deposits via western union. There is no way to return it, unlike a check that can be kept uncashed and returned once the lease is signed, etc. This is a very common scam and most people are snagged by their own greed. I wish you luck in your search, but unless you want to shred $800 bucks, don't do it.

You were absolutely right to be concerned. I'm impressed that someone so early in their "rental career" not only saw the warning signs but thought to ask this renting-savvy community. Western Union is absolutely the big tip-off. I agree with the other poster who recommended contacting your school's housing office. Good luck!

Agreed, fake. However, living close to school shouldn't be a concern in Chicago. You could live in West Town (Bucktown/Wicker Park/Ukranian Village) or north (Lakeview and surrounding neighborhoods) and find a decent apartment for $800 or right around there. Public transportation in Chicago is amazing, so don't limit yourself because an apartment is close.

Pretty much what everyone has already said, I've seen a lot of similar ads for my area. A good rule of thumb (esp when dealing with Craigslist) if it sounds to good to be true, IT IS!

old trick, FAKE!!

Total scam and email references are a complete joke. Anyone can open up fake email addresses or spoof one and write up a "reference." Not to mention legitimate landlords aren't going to ask you to money just to show the place.

If it truly is downtown, the "owner" should be able to give you the information for the condo association or building management. Call them and make sure it's not a scam. I know all the other stuff seems sketchy, but it can't hurt to check. As for where else to live, I'd echo an earlier commentor and ad: check out the South Side. Please. Bridgeport is the best place I've ever lived (ever) and I have a 2 bedroom, in unit W/D, free parking, HW floors, 1100 sq ft apartment with a wall of east facing windows where I watch the sun rise every morning that's a 5 minute walk from all of the buses that go downtown and the Red line (train) for $1000. Super safe neighborhood: just because it's a numbered street doesn't mean you'll get shot, people. There are more muggings and sexual assaults in Wrigleyville alone (ignore the rest of Lakeview) in one year than there are in my neighborhood in 3.

Be a Good Samaritan: flag the original post in Craigslist as "prohibited" so others don't fall for it.

And report the full details of the Western Union wire fraud (including URL of original listing for the apartment) to Craigslist: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/emailForm.cgi

I'm reasonably sure 90% of all money sent via Western Union is by people being scammed.

You were right to ask, and it doesn't sound good. I had a friend actually meet a guy, and hand him a check in person about a place that turned out to be a scam -- so even if it seems legit, you can never be too careful.

I'd second the comment about the south side of Chicago. There are some GREAT neighborhoods that you'll be safe/convenient/affordable in. Best of luck!

I agree that it's totally a scam, BUT, if you really wanted to check into it, then a) ask to speak to the previous tenant and b) do some Google searching to make sure that the person you're communicating with actually owns the property that they are trying to rent out. You should be able to get some information from real estate websites with just the name and address.

This is like #1 on Craigslists' warnings about scams. Obviously fakeeeee!!!!

Is this a real question? Of course that's a scam.

This is soooooooooooooo fake! And I know, because I got strung along by the same scam too - mostly because I was desperate, and it was a REALLY cool apartment, in a GREAT location, for a great price. The pics looked awesome, and the 'couple' said that they worked in finance in London and that they were trying to lease the apartment without their sale broker knowing because they were unsure if they should keep it on the market. I talked to the guy on the phone, they offered to send me the keys, and even provided me with a UPS tracking number for the package. This whole process took about three weeks. I have lived in New York City since 1990 and definitely should have known better, but I was sucked in my what an amazing deal (4 blocks from my office) it seemed to be. Needless to say, after all the wasted time, giving up on other properties, etc, I realized when they asked me to send them $$$ in 'exchange' for the keys that it was totally a scam. I then googled the building, and found out from the broker that they had stolen the pics from the listing - the people I was corresponding with of course had nothing to do with her sellers.

In short, I can sympathize, and empathize, and unfortunately in urban real estate (rental or otherwise) if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. :(.

As all other said....SCAM. Anytime you have to send money in advance.....SCAM! Don't do it. You will find what you need. Keep going =)

Um, she did say she saw it on Craigslist for the person who said she didn't say (abt post #3).
Yeah, total scam. I live in Eugene, OR, also a college town, and it's common scam around here. There is a news report on it at least once a year. Keep looking.

You have to be so careful, never hand over money until a lease has been signed.

Another common scam are people renting out their apartments or houses that are about to be foreclosed on. They will ask for several months rent upfront, then they'll disappear and the bank will come and kick you out. Sad, but this happened to my friend in Miami.

The lesson is, never, ever pay more than the deposit and first month's rent when moving in.

Well done by following your instincts. Western Union is the reddest of all red flags. The sick truth is that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Good luck on your relocation and finding a place to live!

I would like to add on to the comments from "darin fan," who is correct about foreclosed-on slumlords. I would just add that you should do research to find out what is the standard operating procedure in your specific city. I live in NYC where everybody pays first month, last month, and a full deposit up front. That said, when I went to school in Massachusetts it was customary to require only the deposit and first month's rent.

Also, just as a renter's tip in general, I've found that word-of-mouth is usually the most successful way to find a good apartment without paying a realty company.

You're better looking places that aren't downtown. There are plenty of neighborhoods in the city that aren't bad where you can still find decent rent. I go to an art school downtown, and the best thing I ever did was get OUT of the downtown area.

If your gut is telling you that it's fake, it's fake. TRUST YOUR GUT!

I second KittinAnn. Very few students live in apartments downtown because there are so many wonderful, cheap, interesting, friendly neighborhoods. I didn't know this when I was first moving to Chicago and almost paid through the nose for a tiny downtown apartment.

I am a Leasing Agent in Chicago and this is a total fake (if you haven't figured that out from the previous comments). Would be happy to help with your search, no scams here!

Yeah, this is a common craigslist scam. There is usually some awesome space at a good price but when you contact them, there will be a story about them being out of the country. You can have the space but you need to wire the deposit/1st month. I've even seen several different ads with the same exact pics but a different address! Don't let pics sway you because it is so so easy to "steal" someone's pics and use them without permission. Just because there is pics doesn't guarantee anything.

I don't know about in other cities but in Hawaii you would never pay a deposit before signing a lease and you definitely wouldn't pay in cash (or forms of cash like West Union).

When I answer an ad on craigslist for a private rental, I google the phone number to see that the number is associated with the person who is renting the place. Then I google the person in public records to be sure that they have title to the property. I also do a general background search to verify anything that comes up in convo with the owner-place of work, marital status, etc. And I NEVER rent a place site unseen. If I can't go over and check out the place, I get someone in the area to do so.

I'm sticky with my money, so I try hard not to get scammed. But I'm so familiar with CL that I can generally spot a scam just by looking at the listing title and the pictures.

Yep. scam. No owner is going to fly back just to show you an apartment. They will get a management company to do it for them as 800 dollars probably wouldn't cover the cost of an airline ticket if they are booking less than 3 weeks in advance.

Avoid craigslist all together, unless you want to live in an outdated and rather disgusting overpriced apartment. There are tons of agencies that will help you out. Try apartments.com OR homefinder.com

It's a scam. But, don't rule out craigslist--I found my last two apartments in Chicago that way. Try looking in other neighborhoods away from downtown. Edgewater is up and coming, but you still should be able to find something more affordable there. And you'll be close to the El--a short ride to downtown.

Chicago's craigslist is filled with rental company spam and scans, but there are gems in there. If you are looking in more popular neighborhoods like wicker park, downtown, etc, I found the easiest way to weed through is to search by street name rather than neighborhood. Also if it doesn't list an address but just gives an area its probably a rental company that takes a commission. A good resources is: http://yochicago.com/apartment-lists/
They have a list of apartments for several neighborhoods you can just contact the management companies directly.

in chicago, try apartmentpeople.com. it's a total hit or miss based on who they set you up with, but i've had some luck with them in the past (and i've also not had luck...like i said, hit or miss)

SCAM!
Requests of money via Western Union = SCAM
Plus, anyone to rent an apt would NEVER fly just to show it to a potential tenant: there are friends, family, neighbours agencies able to show an apartment if you provide them with a copy of the keys (and some money, but less of the flight ticket); and what would happen to your deposit if you don't like the apartment? If he needs money to travel just to show you the apartment, he'll have to pay the tickets in any case (if you want it or not)...
Plus, 2 email references are not necessarily 2 real persons, so this is not a guarantee. If it was 2 neighbours living in the same building, and you could go and talk to them, maybe yes.
Do you have the exact address? I bet not.
Still not convinced it's scam?
Ask this person if it's ok for him if you leave the money to your lawyer as deposit, so he can collect it once you've seen the apartment and decided that you like it.

Make sure you flag that posting on CL immediately so no one else is tempted to wire this jerk money!

agree with all the posters so far...anything with "wire me money" is sketchy...and your instincts are usually correct. Let it go, and flag it.

Welcome to Chicago and art school! You're going to love it. Don't let this scammer throw you off the city. I agree that there are many fun/funky places to live in the city. I take blule line train in every day with art students who clearly live further out. Enjoy your time here and your studies. Good luck!

Con men victimize less experienced people like students just as they focus on those who are vulnerable due to poverty or extreme age. Campuses are recruiting grounds for cults. My husband's dishonest car mechanic tried to hold his car ransom while we were in school. When a student apartment's maintenance man burgled my husband's gold ring, apartment management denied it. Exercising reasonable caution can make your student years better.

PS And beware credit card offers!

I just moved to Chicago 3 weeks ago and I'll tell you that many of the apartment listing places show pictures that are not of the actual unit. ALSO, especially downtown, I don't think they lease apartments for that low. you'd be lucky to find a studio apartment in the heart of downtown for a thousand dollars.

I have beens scammed before, so I suggest you rent through a rental agency- then it's legit. I hope you don't wire the guy money- he definitely will take it and run. Some deals literally are too good to be true.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this guy is a scammer.

I couldn't find a good place for my price range in the city. I moved to Edgewater and my apartment is fantastic. I suggest going a bit further north than downtown to find good apartment rentals that won't break the bank.

SCAM.

Why would you put out a cent, and personal info, to a total stranger, when you haven't even visited the place and don't know if the place exists? Pictures can lie. You call yourself poor, but this deal could make you even poorer, which is another problem. Right now your only problem is to find a suitable and affordable place to stay while you study.

Here's my two cents: there are 3 character flaws that always go together: liar, cheater, thief. People rarely show them to you, but when you happen to see one, you can be certain that the other two are also there. This guy sounds like a liar.

I bet if you do some research at the art school you are going to attend, you will find some real people, willing to help you find an affordable place.

Don't do it! Its a total scam!
There was an offer that was too good to be true and this totally happened to me (but in So Cal). I used Craig's list and was victim of a phishing scam and my identity was stolen!

FYI poster, my friend pays $1000 for a STUDIO in downtown, PLUS all utilities. NO. this is fake.

Try looking at the newspapers (online) for other universities in chicago, Northwestern,Loyola, U of C, etc. They may have listing that are what you are looking for and just use public transport as everyone suggested.

If you have to move to start school and still haven't found a place, those Extended Stay type hotels are perfectly suitable options while you continue the apt hunt.

Um, this is a fake blog post. Come on, really?!

scam--i got the exact same pitch in Orlando

If it's too good to be true then it usually is. Anyone asking for a WU money wire is suspicious. I'd go with your gut feeling and keep looking. You'll be glad you did in the end I'm sure.

All the people berating Craig's List rentals as being scams and not worth looking at or renting aren't being fair. I found my last apartment using Craig's List and love it and my landlord is top notch. Just be smart and don't rent anything before looking at it no matter where it's listed. Scammer's place ads everywhere.

Do Americans not use Real Estate Agents when looking for rental properties? Also, here in Australia, any deposit (called a bond and is 6 weeks rent) actually has to be lodged with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority, so the landlord can't just run off with your money when you decide to move.

I'd caution against using apartmentpeople.com. They use a lease that violates Chicago Rental Law. Stick to a landlord that use a Standard Chicago Lease to protect yourself, or at least familiar yourself with this lease. If you're attending the SAIC you don't need to live in the loop. Checkout neighborhoods like Logan Square and Bucktown which are off the Blue Line and have lots of other SAIC students.

If it sounds to good to be true it ALWAYS is! especially when wiring money is involved.

And when looking for a roommate, if someone emails you that they are a Nigerian model and just need you to cash a paycheck for them...it is also a scam.

@Chanteaux: Hahahaha, no. No, we don't. Unless you live in NYC, most people never use a realtor for rentals. Landlords running off with your money when you move is a non-treasured American tradition. Depending on the state where you live, the laws can be firmly in favor or landlords, making it really hard to recover your money (at least in traditionally conservative states).