A San Francisco man says he lost $18,600 in a sophisticated rental scam that allegedly used a fake Craigslist listing to impersonate the owner of a real apartment. A San Francisco man says he lost $18,600 in a sophisticated rental scam that allegedly used a fake Craigslist listing to impersonate the owner of a real apartment. A San Francisco man says he lost $18,600 in a sophisticated rental scam that allegedly used a fake Craigslist listing to impersonate the owner of a real apartment. Neither man realized at the time that the fraudulent Craigslist listing was directing additional renters to the property. He was approved first through the Craigslist listing and signed what appeared to be a standard California lease agreement.