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Craigslist Scam? - Apartment Hunting edition
Drakeon
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all, I'm still new-ish to Craigslist and I had emailed a few folks regarding apartments. Well I actually got a reply and was wondering if this looked sketchy to anyone...
I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business..However, My name is (Redacted) ,I own the house located at (redacted).Due to my job as (redacted) 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 (redacted) that I decided to rent out the house and i will be here for (4 years).. How ever,the initial plan was to sale out the Home.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. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take of it as if it were yours. Air Conditioner Dishwasher Walk-in Closet Refrigerator Vaulted Ceilings Washer/Dryer Cable etc...
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Full Name__________________________
Home Phone ( )________________________
Cell Phone ( ) ___________________
Date of Birth_________________________
Current Address_______________________
City____________State______ Zip______
Reasons for Leaving____________________________Rent $________
Are you married_______________________
How many people will be living in the house___________
Do you smoke____________
Do you have a pet___________________________
Do you have a car___________________________
Occupation____________________ ________
Move In Date__________________________ __
How soon can you make the payment_____________
How soon do you want to receive the keys and the document______
Application Comment
============================== =======Please make sure this questions are fill correctly because the best way you answer with your comment will impress me the more to accept your applications.I know you would want to see the house before making any kind of rental payment , which is understandable.We can make arrangement for the keys and documentation including an Authorization letter to be shipped to you,this will give you the opportunity to view house.
It kind of seems legit to me, but am I being gullible here? Wanted to ask you guys before I replied back with some information like my Birth Date. It seems too good to be true, which is why I'm being careful here (its a very good price for the city, going to check out the neighborhood now, since I'm still newish here and not 100% sure how the neighborhood is yet).
I must confess that I am very very new in this landlord business..However, My name is (Redacted) ,I own the house located at (redacted).Due to my job as (redacted) 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 (redacted) that I decided to rent out the house and i will be here for (4 years).. How ever,the initial plan was to sale out the Home.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. because of this reason and more we need a responsible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money , but want it to be clean and for you to take of it as if it were yours. Air Conditioner Dishwasher Walk-in Closet Refrigerator Vaulted Ceilings Washer/Dryer Cable etc...
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF
Full Name__________________________
Home Phone ( )________________________
Cell Phone ( ) ___________________
Date of Birth_________________________
Current Address_______________________
City____________State______ Zip______
Reasons for Leaving____________________________Rent $________
Are you married_______________________
How many people will be living in the house___________
Do you smoke____________
Do you have a pet___________________________
Do you have a car___________________________
Occupation____________________ ________
Move In Date__________________________ __
How soon can you make the payment_____________
How soon do you want to receive the keys and the document______
Application Comment
============================== =======Please make sure this questions are fill correctly because the best way you answer with your comment will impress me the more to accept your applications.I know you would want to see the house before making any kind of rental payment , which is understandable.We can make arrangement for the keys and documentation including an Authorization letter to be shipped to you,this will give you the opportunity to view house.
It kind of seems legit to me, but am I being gullible here? Wanted to ask you guys before I replied back with some information like my Birth Date. It seems too good to be true, which is why I'm being careful here (its a very good price for the city, going to check out the neighborhood now, since I'm still newish here and not 100% sure how the neighborhood is yet).
PSN: Drakieon XBL: Drakieon Steam: TheDrakeon
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=43567
http://www.reiclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=45197.5;wap2
http://blog.perfectspace.com/2008/09/09/nigerian-scam-rentals-on-craigslist/
This particular one will likely result in your "Landlord" requiring an up front payment before he can send you a key or authorization letter for a home s/he doesn't actually own.
I'd recommend not sending any information until you can meat the landlord and view the location.
See the following: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
In particular:
This bit here looks really sketchy to me. Not saying the dude is definitely running a scam, but this is throwing up red flags, especially where he says you might find the house on another website for sale.
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
You don't give your info to someone who isn't going to meet you in person and show you the house first
A) If you have to ask if it's a scam and it's on Craigslist, it's almost definitely a scam.
C) If you're still not sure, google a distinct (sketchy) portion of the offer. If you find the same text elsewhere, it's definitely a scam.
The fact that you had to check whether it was a scam or not suggests you're not that gullible.
This is a common rental scam where they just find listings online and then list them on craigslist themselves as if they're the actual owners/renters. The hilarious grammar and spelling is also a generally good indicator.
When looking for a place on craigslist you should ALWAYS have a contact number and be able to easily meet with a real landlord in person at the location, with actual keys to access the property etc. Sometimes they will meet you there but have some excuse like they forgot the keys but it's totally the place and you can look around outside and hey please give me a check to put a deposit on it.
Having worked as someone who processed Western Union and seen this happen first hand, I'm very weary of anything like that. (worked in a grocery store up at the customer service counter, i'd send western unions for people all the time, only saw that one that was a clear scam, but didn't realize it until too late).
This and pretty much flat out ignore "I am out of the country" type responses.