So, this is a scam right? (Housing rental) [LOCK]

Iceman.USAF

Hey guys. So I'm looking for a new place to live in the DC/MD/VA area. I found a posting on craigslist, so I emailed the guy. Here's what I said.

Hello, I saw your ad on craigslist for a townhouse available in alexandria. I was wondering if it's still available, and if I could come by and take a look at it? My schedule is fairly flexible.

-IcemanUSAF

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/apa/1545822585.html

And here is the response I got...

Hi,
I did get your response concerning the AD I posted on craigslist.The house is still available but presently I'm not around.. I did bid for a portion of petroleum land sometimes ago in West Africa and fortunately I won the bidding so I have to move quickly down to Africa to have my company set up because I will still have to rebid for it in the next 10 years. I came over here with my wife, we both bought the house when we got married. As soon as we settle down here I had a thought of selling the house so I have to look for an agent, after getti ng one, we got a deal but later my wife advised against that. She said we may not be able to win the bidding next time, in other to keep our head when we return that we have to keep the house.. I reasoned with her and accepted her advise. So I contacted the agent back and requested for my keys and documents. Later we decided to have the house rent out, we would have give the same agent this job also but the truth of the matter is that the agent would want to handle it professionally and the occupant may not be able to reason along with him later. If you notice, you will discovered that the price we are offering is far below standard price, this is enough for you to know that we are not after the rental fee but the absolute care for the property. I know there is no way I can be sure that you are the right person to live in the house because we won't be able to see physical before sending you the keys and the documents to occupy the space.. But I just had a feeling that anyone who knows what it takes to put the kind of structure down should know that maintaining a building is mandatory, so if you belief you can take good care of the house and handle it like yours then I will be more than happy to
let you rent the house.
Please if you are ready now to occupy the house kindly provide the information below for record purpose
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Full Name__________________________________________________ Home Phone ( & nbsp; ) ________________________
Date of Birth_________________________________
Other Phone ( ) ___________________
Current Address_______________________________Apt#________ City__________________ State______ Zip________
Reasons for Leaving____________________________Rent $__________Phone ( ) ____________________________
Are you married____________________________
How many people will be living in the house____________________________
How many people will be living in the house____________________________
Do you have a pet____________________________
Do you have a car____________________________
Occupation____________________________
How soon can you have the deposit payment sent to me_________________________
How soon do you want to receive the keys________________________________________
Move In Date____________________________
House Address

3392 BEECHCLIFF DR ALEXANDRIA VA

Description
EVERYTHING SHINES LIKE NEW IN THIS 4YR OLD 3BDR,2 FULL BA 2 HB, 3 LEVEL TOWNHOME. BRICK FRONT, 2-CAR GAR, WLK-OUT LL FAMILY ROOM W/ELECFPL. UPGRADED KITCHEN, PRISTINE HARDWOOD FLOORS THRUOUT MAIN LEVEL. 5 CEILING FANS. FENCED YARD MINUTES BY CAR TO HUNTINGTON METRO, OLD TOWN,HUNTLEY MEADOW PARK

.** .PET OK
Pets Allowed: Cats, Small Dogs, Large Dogs

RENTAL FEATURES
Property Amenities
* Garage Door Opener
* Garden Area
* Landscaped
* Lawn
* Patio
* Spanish / Clay Tile
Unit Amenities
* Alarm System
* Ceiling Fan
* Cooli ng
* Heating
* Vaulted Ceiling
* Window Coverings


No Smoking inside

Rent:$1200 Deposit:$800

Best Regards

PARDO THUY RICHARD

YOU CAN REACH ME ON THE NUMBERS BELOW
+234-812-146-4505 OR 011-234-812-146-4505

I mean, this is a scam right? It certainly seems it to me, but I'm not sure. I've never seen this before.

Doc

Yep, they get you to wire them the deposit.

Arikado

I entered the phone numbers into google and both bring up a Craiglist entry that is deleted but have the cached entry of it being a scam.

KalTorak

Most definitely a scam.

Once you've been looking around craigslist housing for a while it'll be easy to recognize the scams. Most of the time they're too-good-to-be-true rentals with canned or no written entry and a bunch of pictures that make the place look amazing.

Daenris

Yes. If you send them information, they'll likely "approve" you and then ask for a deposit check. "How soon can you have the deposit payment sent to me" is especially troubling. Even if you don't then end up sending a check they've now got a bunch of info about you.

MichaelLC

Scam.

Why the hell would he tell you all that, and why would he need that info for a house tour? If it's not a scam (which it is), you should reply and let him know there's a thing called "open houses" where any schmuck off the street can look at a house.

edit: Looks like a nice neighborhood too.

Smurph

So you're going to send him money and he's going to mail you the keys to a house you've never been inside from Africa? Yeah it's a scam. He makes no mention of where the keys are or how they will get to you and totally skirts the issue of letting you look at the place. Any sane person would have at least left them with a friend in the area if not an agent. Not to mention the more obvious red flags like Africa, really good deal, and the weird made up name.

Gilbert0

Looking for housing, I got the same thing. 1 in 10 might be that. Maybe more if in bigger citites.

retrovm

adding to the "this is a scam" pile. good luck finding a place, though!

Iceman.USAF

Yeah I guess I just needed some confirmation. It threw me a bit because it sounds a bit less....generic I guess. Oh well...thanks guys! Solved/Lock whatevs

RUNN1NGMAN

Yeah, also that rent is about $1200-$1600 below market for that type of place in that area. For a 3-bed townhouse with garage and 4 bathrooms, if it's not $2500 or higher there is something seriously wrong with it or the landlord.

a5ehren

The funniest part to me is that the +234 country code is, in fact, Nigeria. They're not even trying to hide it!

Xaquin

where are you looking around in MD/VA/DC?

If you're looking for a dirt cheap house about 25mi south of DC, my neighborhood isn't bad.