is this a scam ???
 

We are looking for a new place to live and was looking on craigslist
we found a nice sounding advert but no location on it , just kelowna
so we emailed them asking for the location and if theres any pictures

this is the reply:

Re: rental enquiry‏
From: Smith Chris (xxxxxxxxx) Sent: 04 February 2009 19:28:02 To: kirsty (xxxxxxxx)
Thanks for your email and it is my gladness hearing from you.I am Reverend Smith Chris,the owner of the Apartment you are making inquiry of. Actually I resided in the Apartment with my family,such as my wife and my only daughter before and presently we had packed due to my transfer from my working place and now situated in West Africa, and presently my Apartment is still available for rent for $825 Per Month(inclusive),including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is well furnished.More so Now, i am on a missionary work of God in the West Africa and i will like you to get in touch with my wife for more discussion as She is with the keys and the document to the Apartment. Pls i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this Apartment and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,it is not the money the main problem but want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up,i do that once in a while.I also want you to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.Where are you located and where do you see our advert also let us know if you need pictures...

Email my wife Loral Chris, on (xxxxx) and she will attends to you better..

Thanks and you are welcome..
Reverend Smith Chris.



So i think thats a funny letter and a little strange .. so i email the wife asking again for the location and pictures

and i get this:

Re: apartment for rent‏
From: hallper williams (xxxxxx) Sent: 05 February 2009 03:00:27 To: kirsty (xxxxxxx)
Hello,

I am so much excited. My name is Rev williams the owner of the apartment and also want you to know that it was due to my transfer that makes me and my wife and little daughter to leave the apartment and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person that can take very good care of it while we are not at the state as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own. So for now, we are here in West Africa, our new house and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the apartment for, since i am not residing there for now. I left behind some Facilities and electronics which include the rent, DVD player, air conditioning, alarm system. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils,refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and oven, microwave, dishwasher and washing machine, my computer connected with Internet access also the keys and document of the apartment are right here with us in West Africa, and the lease document. Which i can send to you after all necessary agreement has been accepted. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really the issue, hope you are okay with the price of $750 per Month including utilities like water, gas, heat laundry facilities, air condition and so on, but your absolute maintenance of my apartment is most important thing, if you are really interested in renting this apartment get back to me so that i can forward you an application form for you to fill so that i can start all necessary arrangement asap. Here is the apartment address (i have removed address) Downtown, Kelowna, BC.....
Pls note that you will be viewing the apartment from outside and won't be able to inspect because the keys and document to the apartment are with me here in Africa and. It is located on a cool, quiet and safe neighborhood.

*********RENT APPLICATION FORM**********
*********PRIVATE &CONFIDENTIAL**********
1) Your Full Name.
2) Your Full Address
3)Phone Number
4) Citizen or Country ?
5) How old are you ?
6) Are you married ?
7) Sex ?
8) How many people will be living in the apartment?
9) Do you have a pet ?
10) Do you have a car ?
11) What is your Occupation ?
12) Short or Long Term Lease ?
13) When do you intend moving in : Date ?
14) When do you intend to moving out : Date ?
15) Deposit : One or Two month Deposit are required
16) Occupant Picture
17) Reference Details

Landing 33'1" x 6'10" ( 7.83m x 2.88m )
Reception room 27'1" x 26'1" ( 6.28m x 5.98m )
Kitchen 23'1" x 21'1" ( 4.96m x 4.45m )
Bathroom 7'20" x 6'20" ( 3.18m x 2.88m )
Guest WC 6'1" x 3'20" ( 2.62m x 1.96m )
I personally will actually come and visit you sometimes during the year as our new tenant. Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you. I can be reach anytime at XXXXXX. Awaiting your reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys of the apartment to you.
Thanks and God bless
Regards
Rev Williams.





Ok so the phone numbers address and emails been removed by me
but the phone number is Nigerian the address is actual about 10 houses down the road and is real , also think i have seen the same address on another advert for a roomshare. Also do you think he sounds very canadian .. Also the wifes name changes he said its one thing and its something else in the second email...

wasnt sure who to ask about this and show ... so hope you lot can help

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Scam scam scam. Barge pole do not touch with!

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Smells fishy to me :thumbdown:

Re: is this a scam ???
 

scam ham scam

Re: is this a scam ???
 

yup absolutely a scam, i had this exact email just an hour ago, funny thing was it was my address they were trying to rent to me.
I have also emailed some craigslist ads. Looks like there are some false ads catching email addresses then sending mails back with this template

Re: is this a scam ???
 

So are you renting it then :rofl:

sorry even i can see this is a scam letter leave well alone

Re: is this a scam ???
 

What would someone hope to achieve from this scam?? Why bother to advertise the apartment on Craigslist??

Kirstya - I've seen some 'houses to rent' signs around, people not wanting to rent through a realty company. Where do you want to live? If I see anything, I'll let you know.

Re: is this a scam ???
 

These have been mentioned on here before - Without a shadow of a doubt this is a SCAM.

You will have to pay them a months rent up front, give them all your personal details then when you go and visit you will find that the landlord knew nothing of the advert (IMO)

Keep well away :eek:

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Scam scam scamaty scam.

Report to Craigslist aswell. Some poor sod will give over the info.

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Its a scam, these people who do these scams just dont know when or where to stop, it sounds soo fishy, best to stay away from it and dont reply back to them, good luck with your search for a rental property.

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Yep this is a HUGE scam so stay well away.

Recently in London there was a show on TV (think it was watchdog actually) telling the story of gulible people who've fallen for this trick. You don't actually pay any money up front, the scam is that they ask you to prove you have funds to pay so ask that you (i can't remember exactly) send some money to yourself via a western union bank and provide them with a copy of the statement. They then take your details and make fake IDs etc to withdraw a chunk of money from your account. Something like that anyway.

So when the new "tenants" arrived the current owner / occupier had no idea what was happening and the gullible soul had money taken from their accounts AND had personal details taken.

STAY AWAY!!!!!!!

Re: is this a scam ???
 

If you send me $1000 right now I'll give you my most honourable guide to detecting scams on the internet. :thumbsup:

Re: is this a scam ???
 

This reminds me somewhat of a recent experience one of Souvette's colleagues had. She got into an internet romance (never got to meet the bloke, though). He was a "Brit" and, to provide confirmation of that, he sent the woman some proof (picture of his ID). She gave it to Souvette, who forwarded it to me. My reply was fairly simple.

1) His name is ridiculous.
2) ID photos are taken full-face, not profile.
3) The UK doesn't put the Union Flag on its documents.
4) There is no such thing as a UK ID card.

Not long after, the woman got an email from the guy's "sister". He'd travelled to Nigeria and was in hospital, in a coma. They didn't have enough money to pay for his medical care, etc, etc.

A while after that, the same bloody fake ID showed up in an email circulated by another of Souvette's mates.

There is a lot of this crap going on.

I wonder if the Canadian lottery scam is still going on in the UK? I got lots of letters about that when I worked at the High Commission.

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Did he have all of his teeth and were they in the right order...if they were he couldn't be a 'brit'.:eek:

Re: is this a scam ???
 

Yes I got a couple of emails last week for that one. You just know if it has a contact Nigeria its got to be cr*p.