If such scams are so commonplace in New York city, why have the authorities - city, county, state, federal - not done something about it?

Or is protecting the average citizen just too boring to do?

The address is a school in Chelsea.

oops it's not a school, but it looks like the bldg was being renovated at the time of the google map photo.

In the mean time, I think you have to scramble to find something else. Check out places in queens (Long Island City) or Brooklyn (downtown B'lyn). Those locations are a pretty quick subway ride. Locations like JFK, Meadowlands, Newark Airport and Long Island aren't that convenient.

Plug your dates in Kayak.com and see what you can find. Manhattan may be outside your budget (especially considering this possible loss).

In any case, keep following threw with some of the suggestions here (with Craiglist, Better Business Bureau, etc) but I doubt you'll ever see that rental.

I appreciate all of the advice and criticism. I deserve the criticism, but I did not post on here for just me.

You guys are much better at this than me, obviously.

All I was trying to do is find something in a decent location (still a little leery of taking the subway in NYC) within walking distance of just about everything and still within our budget. Obviously I made a mistake. That sucks for me. I just hope somebody else will be smarter than me in the future.

Still, I appreciate all of the input. I don't want you to necessarily feel pity for me. I didn't heed the advice of others and I paid for it.

I will do my best to research better, read and comprehend better the next time.

As for the MoneyGram, I really don't remember the date, but it was definitely before summer started. I know I have a copy of it somewhere here, but what good would it do?

As for Wyatt92, I appreciate your input,. too. And unlike our current Pres., I have thick skin. I can take a few jabs. I know now I screwed up. If you had read my ealrier posts last year, we don't much like staying in hotels/motels anymore and hostles are definitely out (hence wanting to get an apartment/condo). But it looks like we will have to stay in a hotel/motel this time.

When we were in Manhattan for one night in March of 2008, we stayed at a Hotel on Murray Hill and the walk to Times Square and other locations wasn't bad at all. It's not a bad price, either, for what we want (just want access to some things Hotels/Motels do not offer). I have to look it up again to find the specific name.

Again, thanks for the input.

Subways are fine. I wouldn't recommend riding them alone at 3am, but for the most part, they are perfectly fine.

Was the Park South hotel the place in Murray Hill you're thinking of. It's is good value, good location.

magnus, glad to hear you've a thick skin, b/c after your original skin, you deserve to be flogged. all meant with a smile of course.

I wish you luck in this endeavour. I'm guessing you have flights booked ? Instead of staying in NYC the entire time, could you stay mid-town a few days and then somewhere else inexpensive to average out the costs ?

I, too, much prefer condos/apartments to hotels - b/c we are usually traveling with kids. Unfortunately, NYC (and London I'm finding out) aren't conducive to condos/apartments. We're trying to decide how to manage next spring in London for a few days, too... that same conundrum!

good luck

I'm sorry you had this experience, but I do want to say that I rented an apartment on Craigslist last year on the Upper West Side. It was very nice and reasonable and I have been in communication with the owner this year as well. Because it is so nice, it is often booked far in advance. This apt. is legitimate and, if you want to query the owner, email me at aol.com and I'll send you his email. I have had many good experiences house swapping on Craigslist as well, so I just wanted to put in one positive note for those of us who still believe it works.

The Milburn on 76th and Broadway is a very good place to stay if you need a hotel.

I don't know what the Obama comment had to do with anything, but the subway in New York is nothing to be afraid of (after this ordeal, I'd think it would seem a piece of cake!). I wouldn't make my first trip during rush hour, but otherwise it's a perfectly manageable and safe system.

(aside to surfmom - have you searched or posted on the Europe board about apartments in London? There are tons of posts over there with suggestions.)

so sorry for the hijack.

jent, thanks for the ideas... we are only in London 3 nights... many apartments prefer longer although I've seen some that accept bookings that short. The real issue is would we rather stay in a Marriott property for free (using points), but would require 2 rooms (which aren't guaranteed to be connecting... The Citadines in Trafalgar Square has 2 bedroom apartments with kitchens and we could stay there for Lb240/night. After our 3rd night, we go to Paris for a week in an apartment...

decisions decisions decisions

magnumholmes,

On your last visit, you stayed at the Murray Hill Inn on East 30th Street. (I remember this because it is on the same block as my office. I had been interested to hear of your experiences there and appreciated when you posted your trip report.)

Just an FYI about money transfers--

Western Union and MoneyGram are two different companies.

MoneyGram offers two options for picking up money: (1) Recipient has to show a photo ID, like a driver's license or passport. Agent usually records the details. (2) Recipient has to answer a sender-supplied security question. This option is used, for example, if the recipient has lost his wallet or had it stolen and needs money but has no ID, and is legitimate in such cases. However, NEVER USE THIS OPTION WHEN SENDING MONEY TO SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY!

I am not sure whether Western Union offers option (2) above.

OP could call MoneyGram and ask if they still have the info on file from the money pick-up (you will need your receipt, and you might end up having to call the exact pick-up location - but you should be able to get that info from MoneyGram's 800 number or even the place from which you sent it originally). Depending on how long they keep records (especially as it has been several months), they might not have that info any longer, though.

Also. if the recipient used a fake ID to pick up the money - while seems likely in this case - then even if MoneyGram still has the info it might prove useless.

In the late 90s I worked at a place that did money transfers - could be very interesting at times!

Thanks cranachin. I will try to do that. Good info.

Thanks again for the on-topic replies.

They always help. And believe it or not I do weigh them before usually making decisions.

Appreciate all of ur help.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Think of it this way: you are a trusting person.

I wonder if it would be over-reacting to contact the police? Couldn't this be considered theft? If it were me, I'd give it a try. It certainly can't hurt...the worst that will happen is they will tell you there's nothing they can do.

I hope you did what was advised on the link yk posted:

Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
FTC online complaint form
Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
Competition Bureau Canada: 800-348-5358
Internet Fraud Complaint Center
Software Piracy (http://www.siia.net/piracy/report.asp)
Non-emergency number for your local police department.
If you suspect that an item posted for sale on craigslist may be part of a scam, please email the details to "[email protected]". Be sure to include the URL (or 10-digit post ID number) in your message.

Authorities can do noting without a complaint. They don;t search Craig's list to see which are scams - it's up to the buyer to sort that out. And no - NYC police will not deal with an issue like this - they have real criminals and potential terrorists to deal with. This is a civil matter.

The OP can certainly contact Craig's list, the NYC Better Business Bureau and the NYS Attorney general and provide the name and phone number of the scammer. The only way to get your money back would be to identify the person (Craig's list may give you info if you tell them you are pursuing a law suit) and file in small claims court.

If you plan on actually coming to NYC do get other accommodation immediately - and be sure you use a legitimate source. But $500 for 5 nights that time of year is not going to happen - it's simply more expensive that that (that should have been your first clue that it wasn;t legitimate).

I have looked at several discount web sites and the only hotels in your price range are situated either at one of the airports (with a trip of an hour or more to get into the city - assuming they have shuttles to the airport - you would have to check) or "hotels" that are typically used to house homeless families in very downscale areas far outside Manhattan.

I'm afraid you're going to have to either significantly increase your budget (about $200 per night seems the least at a real, decent hotel) or come at another time of year (Jan and Feb are much cheaper).

Even though that telephone number you described is an unlisted number, it is a land-line, which might make it easier to locate the culprit. Good luck!

ok, I think I missed this part - what dates are you looking at and how many adults/kids are traveling? $500 for 5 nights is unrealistic, and this is coming from a person who is adamant about hunting down the best value for her money when booking a NYC hotel room! Please provide (or re-provide) the info and let's find you a decent room!

P.S. subway travel is fine, use your head, and pay attention to what direction on are going (uptown/downtown) and you’ll be fine!