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  1. #1
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    Default Rental Scams - SMH

    Hello There,

    Thanks very much for your Kind interest in my apartment, I am happy to let you know that my apartment is presently available even for long and short term periods. I am Janet A. Barajas, the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry .
    I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in US, but now she's back home (London/United Kingdom) permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time.
    Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long.

    The flat is exactly like in the pictures . The district is very well-served with public transportation, shops and the apartment building is surrounded by a host of supermarket where you can easily get things needed. Also, very important, the utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spots, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $800 per month. The warranty is also $800 and you get it back, when you decide to leave the apartment (you will have to give me at least 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to US, so we won't disturb you.

    So i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own, is that taken, I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be happy to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while. I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words

    Now, a little bit about myself so we can get to know each other better.
    My name is Janet A. Barajas and I'm a 48 years old graphic designer from London/United Kingdom, planning to retire in the next 2 years.
    I have a lovely husband, Marc Barajas and a 25 year old daughter, Jana. I am very proud to say that soon I'm going to be a grandmother.
    Another member of our family is a 8 year old Labrador which we all love, so, I have no problem if you will keep pets.
    Unfortunately, my health and undergoing treatment don't allow me to do any traveling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.

    Since I'm here we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are asking for. I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days. The solution is provided by a company called Realtor.com , which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys..
    But this won't affect you at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from London (on my expense of course).

    If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step.

    All the best from London

    Janet and Marc Barajas
    Hello


    PEACE BE WITH YOU.

    Thanks for your interest in my apartment,its very much available for rent. I am sure you would be asking yourself why my rent is low, that's because am not too keen about the rent amount but to whom i am renting the apartment out to. My intention is to rent my apartment to someone that is responsible,neat and ready to take great care of the apartment as if it were his or hers. I am very certain that you would love the comfortably of the apartment, it is available for immediate move-in.

    I would like you to know that i am giving this home out for rent because i am among the missionaries posted to West Africa to work for God and would spend couple of years before i would be through with my assignment here. So my family and i have decided that we would be moving to our other home in Seattle, Washington when we get back to the states,i would like you to complete the tenant application form below and please be honest with these details to enable us choose the right tenant.

    LOCATION : (546 Crown St, Brooklyn, NY, 11213)

    Rent Per Month: $750 (Including Utilities)

    Security Deposit: $500 (Refundable)

    Beds: 1
    Baths: 1
    Sqft: 750
    Parking: --
    Availability: now
    Lease term: One Year
    Cooling: Wall
    Pets: Yes
    Utilities included: Water, Sewage, Garbage
    Furnished: No
    High-speed internet ready: YES
    Onsite laundry: YES
    Disability access:
    Cooling system: Available
    High Ceilings
    Stainless Steel Appliances
    Large Kitchen,
    Brand New Cabinets,
    Electric Cooker,
    dish washer & Refrigerator
    Heat and hot water,
    Washer and Dryer in the apartment also.

    COMPLETE THE TENANT APPLICATION FORM BELOW:

    FIRST NAME:_________

    MIDDLE NAME:_________________

    LAST NAME:__________________

    AGE:_____

    SEX:________________

    PROFESSION:________________

    MARITAL STATUS____________

    TIME ON YOUR JOB:______

    PHONE NUMBERS

    (CELL)PHONE_____

    (WORK)PHONE____

    (HOME)PHONE_____

    KIDS___ (YES/NO), HOW MANY_____

    PRESENT ADDRESS:____

    WHY ARE YOU LEAVING?

    HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING?_______

    WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?________

    HOW SOON CAN YOU MAKE THE DEPOSIT?______

    IF YOU HAVE A PET?_____-

    DO YOU SMOKE?______________

    DO YOU DRINK?_________

    DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHTS____

    After i have received these details above,myself and my wife will let you know our terms and how we would conclude the Lease process so you can move into the apartment asap,feel free to call me anytime on my cell number:+2347036596159

    I hope to hear from you soonest.

    God Bless you richly,


    Jonathan Peters
    i LOLed when I saw these messages after inquiring about an apt. Stuff I look out for

    - The apartment is ridiculously cheap
    - they ask for all of your personal info.
    - they ask for an application fee
    - don't ask for cash (wiring)
    - "awkwardly formal writing"
    - they claim to be in London, Africa, the Philippines, Kazakhstan they need the money quick so they are selling it cheaper.
    - sometimes these predatory scammers use pics from other listings to make their listing seem legit.
    - now they're doing the scamming face-to-face (they realize that we're catching up to their net scams) “you meet someone at a building and they say they’re having trouble getting into the apartment that was in the listing, so they show you something else in the building and they get you all excited about the one you can’t get into, and ask you for cash on the spot without even a credit check or application.”

    *frustrated*

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  3. #2
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    Default

    i dont trust any craigslist ads in large cities. i'm sure there are reputable ones but i've never had time to weed through all those. like when i moved to san fran i contacted 20 people on CL and 18 were scams and considering i only had a week to find a place i gave up. i ended up just walking around the neighborhood i wanted to stay in, took down numbers of for rent signs and called . i ended up finding my place that way

    hope you find something !

    good luck

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  5. #3
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    Default

    CL is a cesspool of scams. However, there are real people there though. CL obliterated the want ads simply because it's free and fast. Just keep the critical eye that you've got right now.

    I got stupid reply emails like the ones you posted too. Usually, it's someone who happens to be living abroad and is unable to meet you in person. They want you to drive by or look at the place from the outside. Then there is some rubbish about how you'll have to be trustworthy and responsible. They want your personal info after just one email. I just delete those, block their emails and keep on looking.

    I've used CL in both NYC and San Francisco. I found stuff and was just really critical. I found a great house on CL. My housemate and I saw it, got approved and now live here. I also went to the city clerk's office to verify that the person asking me for a check was the person authorized to do that. Not all CL are b.s. but people up to no good know that it's an easy place to find suckers. They just need one, so it's worth it to them.

    Keep looking. Stay critical. Good luck.
    "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." - Chinese Proverb

    "Fall seven times a day, stand up eight." - Japanese Proverb

    “All truth is good, but not all truth is good to say.” - African Proverb

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  7. #4
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    I have run into the same type of scam here in Chicago. The house I was interested in was right around the corner from where I currently live and I drove by it every day on my way to the train. I knew the house was legitimately available but the person who answered my inquiry was obviously not legitimate. The story was that he and his family had moved to another state and he could not meet me to show me the house but if I sent a deposit, he'd send the keys so I could take a look at it on my own. Needless to say, I never sent any money but I did contact the website to let them know about the scam.

    I would agree that you have to remain critical and definitely be skeptical of too good to be true scenarios.

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  9. #5
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    thank you ladies for the encouragement

  10. #6
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Vavoon View Post
    thank you ladies for the encouragement
    Hey girl, I got the same message from a scammer on CL (although for a different BK apartment... the one I was looking at was located in South Slope). I feel you on these scams, you almost wish the advertisements are true but you know, "if it looks to good to be true, it's because it isn't!" (Or something like that!!)

    I'm still searching for apartments but more helpful sites to me than CL are LivingNY.com (okay, some of the realtors seem iffy), NakedApartments.com (which I prefer to LivingNY) and using Yelp.com to find real estate brokers in Brooklyn/NYC. I found these brokers, Barbara Puccia (barbarapuccia.com) and TB Shaw (tbshaw.com) that I want to get in contact when I have my new job secured. I know it will suck having to pay a brokers fee on top of rent/deposit, but I'd rather not deal with the headache that is CL!

    Good luck!
    ~jj08

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