Beware Of This Craigslist Scam That AJ Almost Fell For

It's a good thing I know a thing or two about Craigslist scammers, or else I may have gotten ripped off quite a bit of money recently. My girlfriend and I have been looking for a new home in the Portland area. We've been keeping an eye on several different sources online, including Craigslist. Last week, we saw a listing for a home that had everything we were looking for. And best of all, it was well below our budget! I used the link on the page to send a message to the owner, expressing interest and asking if we'd be able to schedule a showing. The next day, I received a rather suspicious reply email:

Hello Dear,

Thanks for your interest and sorry for the late response.it was due to my wife illness but i thank GOD she is getting better.I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord 
business..However, My name is Stacey M Brichetto,I own the house. Due to my job as a missionary I spent less time in the States so I could not get a hold on any Realtor to handle this rent issue, although it was when I knew how long we are going to stay in (Sanford,FL) that I decided to rent out the house and i will be here for (4-5 years)..How ever,the initial plan was to sale out the house which I tried, but some times the agents inflates the prize and it takes longer to sell i am telling you this in case if you find the house on another website,that is the old advert....

The email went on to ask me to respond with some personal information. I remembered hearing about how these scams usually work - the supposed "owner" of the property will tell you that they live far away, and that they need you to send them money first, before they can show you the property. Then, you find out that it's not even their house! Needless to say, I never responded to this email. So if you're ever looking for things to buy on Craigslist, keep in mind that there are A LOT of scammers on the site!