Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/670450
Planning to move this spring? If you are hunting for an apartment on Craig- slist, watch out for rental cons. A new report from New York University ex- plores just how common these scams are. Spoiler alert: they are everywhere. Howthescamworks: You are looking at Craigslist apartment list- ings for a new place to live. You know that scams are common on the site, but just how prevalent are they? Very, according to the NYU researchers. Craigslist fails to identify more than half of rental scam listings, and suspi- cious posts linger for as long as 20 hours before being taken down. Researchers reviewed more than 2 million for- rent posts and found 29,000 fake listings in 20 major cities. Of those, there were three key types of scams. In the first, a fake post instructs a would-be tenant to purchase a credit report. The scammer gets a commission from the credit reporting site, even though there is no prop- erty for rent. In another scheme, con artists duplicate rental listings from other sites and post on Craigslist at a lower price. Prospec- tive renters pay a deposit via wire transfer. Another pervasive scam is "realtor service" companies. Tar- gets are asked to pay fees to access listings of pre- foreclosure rentals or rent- to-own properties. In the majority of cases, the com- panies leading the scams have no connection to the properties listed. How to spot a rental scam: Don't wire money or use a prepaid debit card: You should never pay a security deposit or first month's rent by prepaid debit card or wire trans- fer. These payments are the same as sending cash — once you send it, you have no way to get it back. Watch out for deals that sound too good: Scammers lure in targets by promis- ing low rents, great ame- nities and other perks. If the price seems much bet- ter than offered elsewhere, it may be a scam. See the property in person: Don't send money to someone you've never met for an apart- ment you haven't seen. If you can't visit an apart- ment or house yourself, ask someone you trust to go and confirm that it is what was advertised. Don't fall for the over- seas landlord story: Scam- mers often claim to be out of the country and instruct targets to send money overseas. Search for the same ad in other cities: Search for the listing online. If you find the same ad listed in other cities, that's a huge red flag. SCAMALERT Cr ai gs li st a bo un ds with rental rip offs A town hall meet- ing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 25 in the Tuscan Room of the County Administration Building, 727 Oak St. in Red Bluff. The meeting will be hosted by Supervisor Candy Carlson, repre- senting District 2, but all members of the com- munity are invited to at- tend to share their con- cerns and thoughts on is- sues being addressed by the Board of Supervisors. Carlson will provide updates on Reeds Creek Road, the new landfill of- fice, the status of the li- brary and courthouse and a planned Red Bluff men- tal health facility. Town hall meetings are scheduled on the last Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. with no meet- ings scheduled for Novem- ber and December. For further informa- tion, call 727-8803 or write to ccarlson@co.tehama. ca.us. TEHAMA COUNTY Town hall meeting scheduled for Monday The April meeting of the Sun Country Quil- ters Guild is scheduled for Monday and will feature the very talented Linda Ballard, who will be do- ing a trunk show, at 7 p.m. Monday, April 25 at the Red Bluff Community Cen- ter, 1500 S. Jackson St. May 23 is the sew-in and potluck, so get your favorite dish to share and projects to work on. Bring something for show and tell as other members love to see what you are work- ing on. Sew in to begin at 3 p.m., meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Community Center. June 27 is Show Me How featuring Natalie Larson, 7 p.m. at the Community Center. Yearly membership to the guild is $30. Be- coming a member of Sun Country Quilters is a great way to share a love of fine quilts and to learn about this time honored craft. Through the year mem- bers share their quilting projects and experiences, as well as having an oppor- tunity to work on commu- nity service projects with fellow quilters. For additional informa- tion, visit www.suncoun- tryquilters.com. SUN COUNTRY Quilters guild to meet Monday The Tehama County Mental Health Board will meet, at noon, Wednesday, April 27, Tehama County Health Services Agency, Vista Way Wellness and Recovery Center, 1445 Vista Way. For additional information, please call 527-8491 extension 3018. TEHAMA COUNTY Mental Health Boardmeeting LOS MOLINOS PHOTOSBYSTEPHANIECAPILONGO Students at Los Molinos Elementary spend their market bucks at one of the kids farmers markets organized this month. Students at Los Molinos Elementary spend their market bucks at one of the kids farmers markets organized this month. LOS MOLINOS Los Molinos Elementary School students and their families are enjoy- ing a free, student-focused farmers' market on three consecutive Tuesdays dur- ing April. Thanks to the Public Health Division of Tehama County's Health Services Agency, in partnership with the CSU, Chico Center for Healthy Communities and the North State Food Bank in Oroville, children are receiving a hands-on introduction to the farm- ers' market shopping expe- rience along with free pro- duce, fresh-food tastings and recipes, and reusable market bags. All students at Los Mo- linos Elementary can use their school market bucks to purchase everything from apples to onions at the on-site farmers mar- ket 1:30-3:15 p.m. one more time on April 26. The food bank is provid- ing produce for the market. Interns, students and stu- dent employees from the CSU Chico are setting up and operating the produce stands at the kids' farmers markets. Reusable bags are provided to each student by Northern Recycling and Waste Services. The school district and the agency are providing tastings of well-prepared fresh foods at each student- focused farmers market. Kids and their families can sample available produce, pick up recipes and learn tasty, healthy ways to pre- pare fresh foods at home. Each market will stay open until 3:35 p.m. so Los Molinos High School stu- dents can participate. Stu- dents in teacher Katie Ten- neson's class will break down the market and clean up. The markets aim to ed- ucate students and their families about the bene- fits of selecting fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, these events support stu- dents' math and life skills by teaching them the value of exchange, through the process of receiving school market bucks and then spending them to purchase produce. Ki ds f ar me rs m ar ke t continues at elementary Students at Los Molinos Elementary spend their market bucks at one of the kids farmers markets organized this month. COOK Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? use a fOOd thermOmeter tO maKe sure yOu COOK raw meat and pOultry tO a BaCteria-Killing temperature. dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov NEVERGIVEUP UNTIL THEY BUCKLE UP. 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