FTC Temporarily Slams Brakes On Online Racket That Allegedly Used Phony Landlord Ads On Craigslist, Coupled With Bogus Offer Of 'Free' Credit Reports To Dupe Unwitting Prospective Renters Into Enrolling In Credit Monitoring Service, Getting Clipped For $29.94/Month

From the Federal Trade Commission, Division of Consumer & Business Education (Washington, D.C.):

• Renting an apartment online? First, let me tell you about the FTC’s case against Credit Bureau Center, LLC – a company that posted fake online rentals to lure people to their credit monitoring sites.
  
  How does this scam work? You’re looking at photos of rentals, on a site like Craigslist. You email the owner who says the apartment is still available but you need a credit check before seeing it. They direct you to their own websites, which say you’ll get a free credit report.
  
  But what you don’t know is: The ads are fake and the credit report isn’t free. The properties don’t exist or belong to other people who haven’t authorized them being advertised. When you go to get your “free” credit report, you’re enrolled in a credit monitoring service (based on hidden small print) and charged $29.94 per month, unless you cancel within seven days.
  
  The FTC got a court order against Credit Bureau Center LLC, halting their scam. Why? The company lied by saying properties were available when they were not. Also, Credit Bureau Center didn’t clearly tell people they were being enrolled in a credit monitoring service with a monthly fee.

Source: Credit Bureau Center’s Online Rental Scam.

See also:

• FTC Halts Scheme That Advertised Phony Rental Properties and ‘Free’ Credit Reports to Enroll Consumers in Costly Credit Monitoring Service,
• Memorandum Opinion and Order Granting FTC’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction Against Credit Bureau Center LLC, et al.,
• Go here for links to other court documents filed in this litigation.