It's the apartment you've been looking for -- inexpensive, recently renovated, ideal location, off-street parking and on a bus route.

What a great deal.

Maybe not.

Who placed the ad?

Yes, it looks legitimate. But suppose someone lifted the ad from a reputable real estate listing and "cut and pasted" it onto his ad to help himself to your money.

And suppose that person has a "sob" story to accompany his bogus ad so you'll let down your guard and wire him some money to cover the first month's rent and security deposit?

"We've received complaints from all over the Commonwealth about these types of ads," said Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett. "We've heard from consumers as well as real estate professionals who understandably are upset about crooks posing as them."

When reports of a large-scale scam come into the Bureau of Consumer Protection, the bureau relays them to Mr. Corbett, a news release is prepared and the media are asked to help notify the public.

In this case, what started out as a warning about online apartment ads was expanded to include online ads for rental homes, auctions for cars, motorcycles and other items and a variety of "for sale" online ads.

"Internet classified ads and auction websites are popular tools for bargain-hunters searching for low prices and good deals," Mr. Corbett said in the news release. "Unfortunately, scam artists have found it equally easy to use this technology to prey on consumers."

He said scam artists are really only interested in two things -- "getting you to respond quickly and convincing you to send them money. Everything they say or do is going to be focused on getting their hands on your money as quickly as possible."

He said the bogus ads, which may include photos and vehicle identification numbers, often use "extremely low prices and sympathetic stories" to encourage consumers to respond immediately and to reduce suspicion.

"A fraudulent seller might claim they need to rent their home or sell their vehicle quickly because they have lost their job, are relocating, have been activated by the military or are doing missionary work overseas," he said. That cover story serves two purposes -- gaining the trust or sympathy of potential buyers and justifying why the deal must be handled by long distance.

He said scam ads frequently ask consumers to wire-transfer money either as a deposit/rent for a home or apartment or as payment for a vehicle. They say the keys will be sent or the car can be picked up after the money has been sent.

Mr. Corbett warned consumers to be "extremely cautious" about transactions that include:

A seller who claims to be in another city or in another country so that no face-to-face meeting is possible.

An item that cannot be inspected in person.

The need for consumers to wire-transfer money right away.

The price, availability or other details constantly change.

The grammar or wording of e-mail messages from the seller don't match the original ads.

His advice:

Search the Internet for similar seller names or descriptions of the items because scam artists often place identical ads on numerous websites.

If the seller claims to work for a real estate agency or other business, contact that company directly to verify the accuracy of the listing.

Suspected scams can be reported to the national Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by filing a complaint online with the Bureau of Consumer Protection at www.attorneygeneral.gov. Go to the "Complaints" box at the top of the website, click on "Consumer Complaints" and follow the instructions.

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