A local man named Derek Wagner has allegedly been advertising rural property he doesn’t own on Humboldt Craigslist and then collecting cash deposits from credulous would-be buyers. Sources tell the LoCO that at least six locals have fallen for his scam, including a single mother of two who gave him $15,000 cash.

Wagner was arrested on Jan. 25 on charges of grand theft and conspiracy to commit a crime. The case is currently under review by the charging attorney, according to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office.

LoCO commenters and amateur sign-makers have been onto this for awhile now. We spoke with local Realtor Kyla Tripodi, who explained Wagner’s alleged modus operandi. He will have a listing agent take him to a property for sale and then place a minimal deposit — perhaps as low as $1,000 — to put the property in escrow, Tripodi said.

He’ll then post an online ad for the property asking for a cash deposit, and when he gets a potential “buyer” or “lessee” he’ll give a personal tour of the property. If they fall for it, he’ll provide a fake deed that he downloaded from the Internet and falsified with a fictitious name to show ownership, and then execute a fake lease or purchase agreement, Tripodi said. Finally, he’ll collect the cash deposit and disappear. 

The single mother of two, who didn’t want to reveal her name because she was embarrassed about being duped, texted us an image of the ad that hooked her:

“He took everything I had,” the woman said.

We spoke with a second local victim who said he fell for the same gambit, on the very same same property, and gave the man roughly the same amount — $15,000. 

“He seemed to know a fair bit about the property,” the man said. “He had the APN [assessor’s parcel number] and a story about how he acquired it. He said he inherited it from his grandma.”

The woman we spoke with created a Facebook page trying to warn people, but it was taken down after a couple of days. She sent a screenshot from before that happened:

An ad on Mendocino Craigslist looks like it may have been posted by another Wagner victim, and one of our sources said Wagner is now posting ads on the San Francisco North Bay Craigslist.

Tripodi, the realtor, offered some advice to potential buyers:

1. Ask the seller (or lessor) for a copy of his/her driver’s license or other photo ID

2. Ask for the assessor’s parcel number and then call the county Assessor’s Office to verify ownership

3. Never pay in cash

4. Make sure you get a receipt

Be careful out there, land buyers.