So I am apartment hunting, which is unfortunate, but came across this one and it seems to be somewhat genuine to a point where I at first just thought it was a somewhat naive person instead of a scam. Upon requesting further information, this email was sent. Yes, that is the city and state I’m looking at. Hopefully you guys don’t have too much fun.
On Thu, May 3, 2018 at 1:20 PM, Davidson Lucas <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Dear,
Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my apartment. Yes the apartment is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the apartment now that i am not around. i just traveled to Carson City, Nevada for a program called SERVING IN MISSION (SIM),you can view the link for more info: (http://www.sim.org/index.php/ content/our-purpose ). i will be away for 3 to 4 years or more that is why I have made up my mind to put up my apartment for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it. However, my initial plan was to sell my apartment but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell before leaving , It has already been taken off the market as for sale so there is no need to contact any Realtor. My wife advice's we take the rent low due to the fact we seek responsible occupant and we are not after the money but a proper maintenance of my property . I want you to understand that I spent a lot on my property that you have requested to rent, so I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and would want you to treat it as your own because cleanliness they say is next to Godliness. It is not all about the money to be paid on rent or spent; it is all about a good maintenance culture which I want you to adopt on the property. I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I would be full of smiles whenever I come and above all, a good, strong and tight relationship between us when I come for a check up. Please one more thing, I wouldn't like to have any benefit of trust in you because I want to stand in your words that the property would be well taken care of all the time. I believe you have seen how lovely it is if from only the pictures you saw in my posting compare to the 100% comfort to be derived from it as you are an occupant.
FEATURES : Laundry, Electric Range, Electric Heat,Car park.
AMENITIES: Air Conditioning, Deck, Cable TV, Ceiling Fans, 24 hours Internet service,Dishwasher, Garbage Disposal, Microwave, security alarm, Pets Friendly, Refrigerator,Washer / Dryer.
Rental Price: $700 per month and security Deposit is $300 (Security Deposit is Refundable) Utilities included in monthly rent.
Here is the address to the Home: 60 Rockingham St, Rochester, NY
Bedroom:1
Bathroom:1
I may not be returning to the apartment because we plan buying another House upon arrival. For more inquiries.
SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW:
RENT APPLICATION FORM.
Name (First name/ Middle name/Surname ) : __________?
Phone numbers (home,cell and office line ) # :__________?
E-mail :__________?
Best time to call :__________?
Marital Status:__________?
How many proposed occupants :__________?
List all in addition to yourself including approx age :__________?
Present Address :__________?
City/State :__________?
Will you have pets :__________?
Please describe Breed, size :__________?
Personality of pet :__________?
Preferred move in date :__________?
Intended length of lease:__________?
Do you agree to pay the payment before you move in:__________?
Earliest possible date of deposit payment:__________?
Length of previous tenancy :__________?
Present occupation :__________?
Do you work late night :__________?
Do you smoke :__________?
Do you drink :__________?
Looking forward to hearing back from you with all this details so that i can have them in my file in case of issuing your rent payment receipt to you and for contacting you. Your quick response will be highly appreciated so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys of my property to you via Express Delivery Services and You may drive by to view the building and its living environment. May GOD bless you and your family.Thanks
At that point, I’m pretty sure it’s a scam, but I was interested to see how it went, filled it out and sent it back, to receive yet another reply.
I can see your willingness in this home and I am happy to inform you that your application has been considered and accepted . I want you to know that I'm satisfied with your profile and also believe l can trust in you , l showed your profile to my wife and daughter , they are OK with it.l want you to know that we can let you stay in my home till the period of time you wish to and i won't be selling my property.I want you to know that the rent fee is among the home utilities all included, so you can use them anytime but make sure you take proper care of my properties.We will come and pay you a visit after you have moved into my home to see how you are maintaining it,I will be receiving the security deposit and first month rent .l wish you best of luck in your work, from your profile l can see that you are responsible and a hard working person may the Almighty God lead you in what ever you wish to do.Please once again, i want to trust you and i hope you do not disappoint us and i promise you that, you will love the home and not only, a good relationship between us. The following documents are here with us as i could not find anyone whom i could trust to drop them with for this purpose. But never-mind, next day delivery service will handle that perfectly for us.In doing this, you will need to make the payment , which the deposit is refundable to enable the shipment of the Keys and document to your current address that i have here in the rental form, after which you could move in at your convenience.The rent starts counting when you move in and after moving in, you will be required to make the first month rental fees at your convenience Here are the contents of the document that needs to be sent.
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2) Paper/Permanent home form
3) The home documentary file.
4) Full Description of the home and Address
5) Payment Receipt
6) Signed Lease Agreement Form you are supposed to also sign and get it sent back to me
as soon as the payment has been confirmed , l will go ahead and commence on how the home Keys / Documents will be delivered to you and i will ensure that i book for the 24 hours next day delivery service as to enable you receive it on time and as scheduled. Let me hear back from you as soon as possible so that i can arrange for the delivery.
Get back to me via email or Call/text me on (424) 226-8160 so as to instruct you on how to make the payment.
I await your reply .Regard and God bless you!!!
-So at this point I called his number, which is google voice, of course. We talked for a bit and he tried to get me to give him some financial information, and I informed him that due to his unwillingness to adhere to renting norms for New York, I had lost my interest in renting. He then attempted to explain that any payments were 100% refundable and could be put into escrow without any particular details until it became clear to him that I was not a potential income source, at which point he said he'll just rent to someone else and hung up. Not 100% sure what to make of this one, but I did go by the apartment in question and it's currently being lived in by a completely unaware third party. So, I offer it to you guys.