Craigslist housing scam hits Cape

A man posing sometimes as a pastor and other times as a surgeon has been copying photos of local homes for sale from online listings and advertising them on craigslist as homes he is renting out because his family was forced to travel to another country.

Bill Cole, executive broker of Realty Executives of Cape County, said his business has encountered the problem with their for-sale homes multiple times.

Cole received a call today from someone who drove by a house they were told was available for rent in Cape Girardeau. Cole said Realty Executives was forced to put a sign in the window of the home saying the home was not for rent. This prompted a phone call from the interested renter to Realty Executives, and they were informed of the scam -- that the house was for sale, and not owned by the craigslist advertiser and not available for rent.

The man advertises the home available for rent at what would be "a fantastic deal" for a tenant, Cole said. After an inquiry about the home is made, the man responds with a story about why he must rent out his home.

An email sent to donaldd.jacobus@yahoo.com about a home in Cape Girardeau available for $700 a month in rent received the following response:

"I am Donald D Jacobus ,the chief surgeon for the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and my wife and I we are the owner of the Georgeos Home For Rent..Available to move in today In...(Cape Girardeau, MO)3Br/3Bath Single Family Home you are making inquiry of.

Previously, we reside in this particular house with the rest of our family, which are our two wonderful children (Michael and Loveth) ,we lived there before and presently we packed due to an emergency transfer to Head the Surgery department of a General Hospital,here in west african and this transfer is temporary but will last for at least 51months (4years+),this house is available for an amount of $700 per month (All Utilities also Included)and a security deposit of $700. I want you to know that the House is furnished, so you can move into the house with your own Personal furniture but the Utilities are intact such as Dishwasher,Dryer, Electric Stove, Fridge, Washer,Air Condition,Sewage,Trash,all included in the monthly rent,as i am in a governmental programmer that sponsors my utilities on monthly basis etc.

Please note that, we are a kind and honest family,that spent a lot on property that is available for rent, so in one accord,we are soliciting for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as your own.

We want you to keep it tidy all the time so that we shall be glad to see it whenever we are around on a visit."

A rental application follows, along with his expectation of trust and "sticking to your words."

Cole said after a prospective tenant wires the man the deposit, the craigslist listing is dropped and the man moves on to another house. He said emails to craiglist about the scam have so far gone unanswered, and the man is "almost impossible to stop."