Arizona man arrested for selling someone else’s house on Craigslist

An Arizona man has been arrested for selling a home on Craigslist.

The problem? It wasn’t his home.

John David Seiberling, of Golden Valley, Ariz.,  is being charged with fraudulent schemes and theft after allegedly putting the house he was renting up for sale online, and then successfully closing the deal.

A 58-year-old woman called police after she and her husband couldn’t enter the home she’d bought from Seiberling with the keys he’d provided, according to 3TV News in Phoenix. The couple told police they’d bought the house from Seiberling with a $3,000 cashier’s check, but when they looked at the lease, the name on it was that of the actual homeowner. The owner then verified that Seiberling did not have permission to sell her house—especially not on Craigslist.

Selling stolen property on Craigslist—like bicycles and iPads—is common, but a whole house? That has to be a first, right?

Actually, no. The scam has been around since at least 2009, when it targeted a North Carolina homeowner. If a house on Craigslist sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

H/T 3TV News | Photo via 3TV News