Rental Scams - Gold Coast, Australia

This is similar to the other rental scams in Europe.

Upon looking for a new place to live, I have been contacted by three separate email addresses offering me three different apartments to live at - they're fantastic apartments for great prices. The scary thing is that these people scour sites like ShareAccommodation.net and EasyRoommate.com to find young, naive renters who need a place to stay.

These people will tell you about their fantastic apartment and always give you a reason why you cannot see them in person. So, they tell you about a DHL, FedEx or other big name courier service to whom they've left the keys and a rental contract with, and that they will forward the contract to you after you courier a certain amount of money to a specified agent - keep in mind this is BEFORE you even get to see the apartment.

I didn't pay up the money (thank GOD!) but only because I did a Google search about the alleged DHL service and stumbled across this site and read about similar scams in Europe. I also called DHL and spoke with a customer service agent who said that DHL does not offer a service like the one I'd described to him (leaving them with keys and contract and forwarding them on to you once you pay up). He also said that they would never ask a customer to send money to a specific agent.

I've just posted this in the hopes of preventing anyone else falling for this scam. NEVER send money to anyone if you haven't seen the apartment in person using MoneyGram or Western Union. Also, these are the little red flags that popped up while I was dealing with these people:

1. Strange grammar/bad english - I'm not racist/discriminatory, but this person claimed to be a working professional who had just been transferred to another job in Adelaide, South Australia. Would a legitimate company serious about their investment in human capital seriously transfer someone who couldn't compose an email in decent english?
2. My scammer told me they were now in Adelaide, and yet an 'automatically generated email' from DHL told me that their forwarding address was in Manchester, UK.
3. The 'agent' I was supposed to wire the money to was also conveniently located in the UK.
4. Not being forthcoming about the address of where the apartment is. My scammer was really reluctant to tell me the full address and told me this was because I knew the apartment was empty right now, and I could break in and steal things. I admit this is a legitimate fear, but their email responses were rather vague when I asked them questions in general.
5. Being a little too accommodating and stressing how 'good' and 'responsible' they are.

I will post the emails I've received in the post after this.

from Barbara Ketson <[email protected]>
to Removed - Ralph @gmail.com
date Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 6:19 AM
subject Apartment for rent in Scarborough St, Southport QLD 4215 800$PM Negotiable
mailed-by live.com

Hello,
My name is Barbara I saw your add on share-accommodation.net and i've seen that you are looking to rent an apartment .
I am the owner of the apartment located in the Scarborough St, Southport QLD 4215.
The apartment is available for rent, because now i just moved in Adelaide with my work, and i need to rent the place because I will stay there a long period of time.This is the main reason I want to rent this place to a good person,that will take care with the apartment.You can rent the apartment for 2 months minimun to 5 years maximum. The price will be the same.
The rent for the apartment -800$ 1 month including all costs (water, electricity, internet), air conditioning, waste disposal, microwave, refrigerator). You can move in the apartment very fast.
The first payment will be for 2 months(1600$).
If you are interested to rent my apartment i will arranged everything so i can come.
The apartment is fully furnished apartment will appeal to those seeking quality & convenience.
If you clik on the link you can see some photos and some details from apartment.

http://picasaweb.google.com/10910253928 ... irectlink#

If you have any question please reply me
Greetings
Barbara

Hi again,
700$?
The apartment is ready,i can't come personaly becouse my work don't leave me time to do this,so you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check the apartment, and see if you like it. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal, that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. In order of that I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days, if you move fast as well. The solution is provided by a company called DHL which is similar to FedEx, TNT or UPS, which will handle both payment and delivery of the Keys. I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apartment after you will receive the keys of it and through this way you will see it and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment.
I will need to inform you the steps about how this service works and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to DHL the rent for 2 months (1600$), so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away.
I will explain to you step by step how this will work:
1 - To start this transaction I will need to know your full shipping name and address to proceed with this deal.
2 - I go to the DHL and leave the Keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - DHL will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the Keys.
4 - DHL will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody.
5 - At this point you will have to go and make a money transfer deposit on the DHL agent name assigned with this transaction.
6 - DHL will verify the payment information and if everything is ok they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
7 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apartment and in 2 days you must contact them and tell if you keep the apartment or not, if everything is in order you will instruct DHL to release the funds to me. If you don't like the apartment, they will send your money back and you will send them the keys and the contract to return the package back to me on my expense.
Now I must know for sure if you agree because here are a lot of peoples interested to have this apartment rented and I want to know for sure what I must tell them. If you agree what i suggested i will tell them that my apartment is already rented and i will keep it for you. If you agree then I must have all the shipping details so I will be able to make all the arrangements for the DHL delivery.
Thanks and wait news from you!
Thank you,
Barbara

Ok i understand you, 700$ per month will be.
Waiting for your email with your shipping address.

Thanks

----

Hi

I received your email with the shipping address.
In max 2 hours i will go in town to make the shipment,after that DHL will contact you.
Also the apartment is only for you,if you have a friend you can stay with him no problem.

Thank you

Barbara

----

Hello Charlotte ,
I am sorry but i can't give you the complete address because like i said before the flat is full furnished , everything is new inside , so please understand me , i dont know you.... you know that the apartament is not inhabited .. so you can go easy and steal something.. please understand me.

Thank you

Barbara

After asking her straight up if this was a scam, I never got a reply. Good riddance.

Another piece of advice I can offer - google the address if it is provided. I just received another email from someone offering me their place, but when I googled the address, I found that the place was listed for sale. *sigh.

from Helen Joanna <[email protected]>
to [email protected]
date Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 12:00 PM
subject MY APARTMENT DETAILS IN GOLD COAST
signed-by ymail.com

hide details 12:00 PM (8 hours ago)

I saw your AD on Share accommodation that you needed a room In Gold Coast.I have written all the Utilities there-in in my apartment with this email.My apartment is a beautifully furnished unit Featuring 2 good size bedrooms, all with built in wardrobes and main with en suite and access to a massive balcony, perfect for entertaining! Spacious open plan living area with newly polished floorboards throughout and gorgeous wall. With modern kitchen including dishwasher and plenty of cupboard space, large main bathroom and lots of extra storage space.
This property will feel more like a large Home and comfort to you.It also include security car space and in a location close to all the inner city has to offer with easy access to market and Bus terminals.

My apartment's full address is: 1142/2623 Gold Coast Highway Broadbeach QLD 4218, Australia.

Rent: AUD$150Per Week (AUD$600.00 Per Month) Bond: AUD$400.00 (The Bond is refundable on your move out}
Utilities include: Electricity, gas, cable, phone.
Available: NOW
Maximum stay: 2 years
Minimum stay: 1 months

Flat mate Description:
Personal info:Helen Joanna,30, Female, Straight, Professional.
Household info: I am a Non Smoker and i do not have Pet but pets are allowed if you have.
Room and apartment description:
Features: kitchen, 2 Bedrooms in which you are to chooses one,Private Bathrooms to your room,TV and internet.
Home amenities: Alarm system,Washer/Dryer, Dishwasher, Microwave.
Kitchen access, Storage, Gym. -Business Facilities


-Satellite TV
-Superb Kitchen with washer / dryer
-Parking FREE
-DVD/CD Players
House amenities:
Furnished, Air conditioning, Private entrance, Private
Bath, TV, Closet. Internet access

Please go through the details of my Flat and the preferred flat mate i will like to live with.
More so,I will like to know how long you will be staying and when you will love to move in.
I would be expecting to read from you about your own interest.
Best Regards,
Helen

----

The pictures she provided me with were different to the pictures that were on the real estate website.

Have had the exact same scam tried on me.
Same details, and same email address, just this was for a property in Wellington, New Zealand.
Arsehole Scumbag!!

Thanks for posting the details, lotpak.
Definitely saved me a lot of time and hassle

The same scam was tried on me and my girlfriend too, but with a different name.

Below is the first and the last e-mail we received from him/her:

Thank you for your interest.As you can see I have available the apartment located in Maridalsveien 11, 0178 OSLO, with 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen and 1 bathroom because I moved with my job in United Kingdom, Sheffield and I need money to pay the rent here.I purchased this nice apartment during a business trip to Norway with the intention of renovating it to a luxury state, then reselling it, but due to the market blockage and the international crisis, it is impossible for me to sell it right now, so I've decided to rent it.I would be happy to rent it to somebody who likes keeping it clean and tidy.I can rent you the flat for 5 years, and, if after the five years you would like to stay more, then we can renew the contract.I can also rent it for short periods (2 months minimum).The rent for 1 month is 4900NOK including all utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spot ,air conditioning, dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine).You can use my furniture, or you can use your own.I have the option of sending all my furniture into storage if you want to bring your own (no extra costs).
You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I `m the only person who have the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.
Thank you for your interest and I will look forward to hearing from you soon.
Good luck,


Hi,

I want to inform you that TNT will hold the money until you will confirm to them that you like the apt and keep the keys. If you don't like it, you only have to return the keys to them after they will refund the money to you and they will deliver the keys back to me on my expense.
I will need to inform you the steps about how this service works and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to TNT Service the first month of rent - 4900NOK - so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract.
Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work:
1 - To start this transaction i will need to know your full shipping information, full name, full shipping address to proceed with this deal .
2 - I go to the TNT Office and leave the Keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - TNT will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the Keys.
4 - TNT will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told that they have the Keys and that they checked it.
5 - At this point you will have to go to a WesternUnion Agent Location and make a money transfer deposit on the TNT agent name assigned with this transaction for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the infos about the money deposit to TNT (Reference Number, sender's name and address)
7 - TNT will verify the payment informations and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you .
8 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if everything is in order you will instruct TNT to release the funds to me.
If you don't like the apt they will send your money back and you will send them the keys and the contract to them to return the package back to me on my expense.

I will pay TNT Service for the shipping and you will pay WesternUnion for the Money Transfer fees.

Now i must know for sure if you agree because here are a lot of peoples interested to have this apartment rented and i want to know for sure what i must tell them. If you agree what i suggested i will tell them that my apartment is already rented and i will keep it for you. If you agree then i must have all the shipping details so i will be able to make all the arrangements for the TNT delivery.

Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.

Oh, and he called himself Jim Aschman ([email protected]).

I got a mail from our friend Jim, [email protected] related to a flat in BELGIUM.
His IP 65.54.51.88, it is from USA.

Same here, thank god they made a mistake in the dhl e-mail and I got suspiscious enough to google dhl scams.
Thank you guys for posting this and saving me 700€. I will post the emails so that if anyone puts in part of the email in google they can find this straight away and be warned, hopefully in time.

Hi again,
The transaction was started ,tell me if you was received the DHL email invoice detalis.
The transfer we must be made it on the DHL agent name Mr Daniel Tamas.
I wait the detalis from western union.
Thank you.

From: ********@hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Fotocasa.es Ref. *******
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:22:25 +0000



From: ******@hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Fotocasa.es Ref. ***********
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:50:33 +0000

hi,

Yes I agree with your conditions, please send the keys as soon as possible so I can have a look around and make a definite decision. Although I'm pretty sure I will want it.

My details are:
****

please let me know if you need anymore information.

Thank you.



From: [email protected]
To: ******@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Fotocasa.es Ref. ******
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:15:09 +0100



Hello,

I want to inform you that DHL will hold the money until you will confirm to them that you like the apt and keep the keys. If you don't like it, you only have to return the keys to them after they will refund the money to you and they will deliver the keys back to me on my expense.
I will need to inform you the steps about how this service works and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to DHL Service for 2 months of rent - 700 euro - so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract.
Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work:
1 - To start this transaction i will need to know your full shipping information, full name, full shipping address to proceed with this deal .
2 - I go to te DHL Office and leave the Keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - DHL will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the Keys.
4 - DHL will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told that they have the Keys and that they checked it.
5 - At this point you will have to go to a Western Union Agent Location and make a money transfer deposit on the DHL agent name assigned with this transaction for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is for 2 months of rent.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the infos about the money deposit to DHL (Reference Number, sender's name and address)
7 - DHL will verify the payment informations and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you .
8 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if everything is in order you will instruct DHL to release the funds to me.
If you don't like the apt they will send your money back and you will send them the keys and the contract to them to return the package back to me on my expense.
I will pay DHL Service for the shipping and you will pay WesternUnion for the Money Transfer fees.
Now i must know for sure if you agree because here are a lot of peoples interested to have this apartment rented and i want to know for sure what i must tell them. If you agree what i suggested i will tell them that my apartment is already rented and i will keep it for you. If you agree then i must have all the shipping details so i will be able to make all the arrangements for the DHL delivery.

Thanks,




From: *********@hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Fotocasa.es Ref. ************
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:54:38 +0000

Hi,

I very interested in the apartment. I need to be in Alicante at the beginning of April so I would like to start renting around the 15th of march.
Am I correct in assuming that when I pay the 700€ the 15th of March the next payment of of 350€ would be the 15th of may?
And could you please send me some pictures and the specifics of the apartment layout (number of rooms, bathroom, balcony, kitchen, etc...)?

Thank you.

From: [email protected]
To:*************@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Fotocasa.es Ref. ********
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:49:43 +0100

Hi again,

Thank you for your reply but the matter is that I'm in Nicosia/Cyprus already.Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for 2 months of rent will be 700eur, with no extra taxes to pay.The money,I want to revive it monthly to my bank account, so I hope it will be no problem for you to wire the money to my bank account.The apartment is ready for you, you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you like it. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal, that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. In order of that 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, if you move fast as well. The solution is provided by a company called DHL which is similar to FedEx,or UPS, which will handle both payment and delivery of the Keys.I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apt only after you will receive the keys of it and through this way you will see it and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment. Please click on the link bellow to the DHL website to see how we can complete the deal safely and fast directly from the website of the company where the procedure is explained: https://dhlshipnow.dhl.com/FCIS/faces/gateway.jspx
Let me know if you are interested please because I really need to take care of this matter.



Thank you.




From: *********@hotmail.com
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Fotocasa.es Ref.*************
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:14:51 +0000


Hi!
I was hoping you could send me some pictures and the street the apartment is in.
Also, I tried to follow the link to the add where I found your apartment and it says
on there that it is no longer available.
Hope to hear from you soon.
From: [email protected]
To: ***********@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:15:01 +0100
Subject: Fotocasa.es Ref. ************



Apreciado(a) *********

El titular del aviso *********** ha respondido a su petición de más información.

Hi, First of all I'm sorry for the late reply but I had a lot to work and this is the time I could give you a message.I am looking for someone to live in apartment as soon as possible, because my company has won one big auction for a new project in construction, for a building that will rise up in Nicosia /Cyprus.I am a civil engineer,so my accommodation period in Nicosia/Cyprus will be about 4 years.The renting period is from 2 months minimum up to 4 years.As a result of this I want to rent it for this period, at this good price and also to find the perfect person for my apartment.I`m the owner of the apt and it's like in the pics.The apartment is furnished, but I have the option of sending all my furniture into storage if you want to bring your own(no extra costs).The rent for 1 month is 350 Euro, but you must to pay me first the money for the next 2 month 700euro(for the whole apartment)including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace,dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave,refrigerator. Thank you for your interest and i wait your fast reply, [email protected]

Hello,

I've just received one of those emails, I was looking for a new place on "Locanto" (a website) and came across an apartment that looked great with a rent that was cheap, 130$, however it was precised if it was per week or per day (i thought it must be per day because the place and its location were great: Brisbane CBD), so i sent an email asking if the rent was per week or day. I got and answer similar to the one presented above. When i read that the rent was per week i could hardly believe it, and i was right not to!
I'm going to report them to the website (probably won't change much but still...)

Sometimes, when something looks too good to be true, it is because it is actually too good to be true.

Don't fall for that DHL crap! EVER!

Normally, reporting a scam ad to Locanto's customer support results in Locanto to take down the ad immediately and block the scammer from posting on the site again. Locanto also offers a blog on scam and safer trading on the Internet which is open to everybody to inform themselves about online fraud, scam, and classifieds: http://www.locanto.info/safer_trading/

I contacted an owner after seeing an ad on locanto. Really glad I looked here !
This is the "owners" reply to my email asking about the property.


From [email protected]

Before going further with anything I must tell you how this service works and what we need to do.
1 - To start this transaction I will need your info(name,address,phone number and email address).
2 - I will go to the DHL Office with the keys, all the property documents and complete all the necessary documents for you as a future tenant.
3 - After all the legal documents will be verified and the rent contract will be made, DHL will send you a delivery notification(to let you know that they have the keys and the documents in their custody) and the payment instructions (you'll be instructed to send the money for the first month of rent+the security deposit to a DHL agent from England through a Money Transfer Service-western union because is a quickly method and you will receive the keys in short time )
4 - After you'll make the transfer you'll have to send the info about the money deposit to DHL and after they will receive your payment will start the delivery of the keys and the contract at your address.
5 - After you'll receive the keys and the contract, you'll have 10 days to decide if you keep the property or not(you can live there 10 days for free so you can decide if you'll take it--if so you'll have to sign the contract, if not you'll have to return the contract unsigned to the DHL office. If the contract is returned signed by you DHL will relase the money to me, if the contract is unsigned they will return you the money (BUT I'M SURE THAT YOU WILL LOVE THE PROPERTY) and because of this I will pay DHL fees(about 300 pounds) and you'll pay Western fees-for the Money Transfer(about 100$). So if you have $1440 (the rent for 1 month-$720 and the bond-$720 ) and if you can pay it when the process starts send me your info(full name, your shipping address, your phone #, a fax #,email and a copy of your ID) and the full name of the person(s) that will live with you.
As soon as I receive your info I'll start the official procedure, and DHL will notify you about this matter. You'll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both (please go through them exactly).

PS: I will make the transaction only in this way and if you want to proceed please email with all the requested info.
Waiting to hear from you soon
Thank you

I have just experienced something very similar. An apartment in Lima, Peru that looks like something out of a magazine on a website adondevivir.com and the price is ridiculously low. I enquired about two apartments in the city and received two identical emails with the same story about some guy who had bought the apartment for his son who was studying in Peru, and now that his son is back in the UK, he has decided to rent it. The only difference between the two emails is that there are two different usernames for the website. One is Gardner Spicer and the other is Christ Bearer

Here is the first email...

"Hello,

The apartment is still available. As you can see from the pictures is in excellent condition, very clean and very well kept. Is the first time I'm renting this apartment and I'm trying to find a responsible tenant to take good care of the place. You can use my furniture if you want and everything from the apartment otherwise you can deposit it in the storage unit that is near the building not far away. Of course I will cover the costs for movers.

Note that the apartment is a private property, already paid in full and NO mortgage on it.
I bought this apartment for my older son during his studies practice in Peru, but now he’s back in England permanently and this is why i decided to rent it.
The surrounding area is great. Schools and groceries near-by. I'm sure you will have everything that you need there because is one of the most important areas in the city. Pets are allowed in the building.

Now about me: I'm a structural engineer from London United Kingdom , I'm 45 years old, married, with 2 children. I worked hard to have a good career and I really respect hard earned money. My name is Gardner Spicer.

Unfortunately, my job doesn’t allow me to do any travel for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
However, I hope this issues won’t affect the rental at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from London (on my expense of course).

I hope the email wasn’t too long, I just like to be as thorough as possible.

Best regards"

After replying with some (obvious) questions etc, I received this...

"Hello again,
Thank you for answer me so fast. First of all let me tell you about the monthly rent price :

The price for one month of rent is 750 $ including all the utilities costs ( water, gas, electricity, Internet, cable TV, parking space,maintenance) .Of course I would need one warranty month as well of 750 $ , which you would get back when you will leave the apartment(you will have to give me at least 30 days notice).

Everything in the apartment is new or renovated so there is no need for repairs but just in case I will cover the costs.

I am not interested to make a lot of money from the rent as I am interested to find a tenant that will take good care of my property.I wish to rent my apartment to some nice and responsible people . You should also know that I appreciate sincerity very much.
Because I didn’t had time to find a trustworthy person, don’t have any friends in the area to send the keys, I found an alternate solution . In order to close the agreement safe for the both of us I found a real estate company who will handle your payment ,the keys, the contract and the apartment documents Is an international company called DHL Property ( I think you heard about them) . This is the agency website : http://www.dhl.co.uk/en/logistics.html

They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the keys plus the official documents. With this procedure you will be able to view my apartment without any obligations to rent it. This process will take maximum 2-3 days. To avoid any misunderstanding i will be gladly to explain you step by step how the viewing procedure work through DHL Property if you are interested.
Looking forward to receive your answer.
Thank you"

I has some very serious doubts after this second email. He was claiming to be English but was clearly not from the errors in grammar etc...

The third email...

"Hello ,

DHL Property UK is an independent agency who works with rental online agreements only. They don't make deliveries to the offices they deliver the keys and the documents personally . DHL Express Delivery which have offices in your country doesn't have this kind of service. Only DHL Property United Kingdom use this kind of transaction.

I will explain to you step by step how this will work:
1 - To start the viewing process all I need is your full info(full name, address) .
2 - I will go to the DHL Property Company office to drop off the keys and documents of the house, along with the rental contract.
3 - DHL Property will check the documents to make sure I am the actual owner of the flat, then, they will send you the invoice agreement where you will find all the details about our mutual agreement (via e-mail).
4 - After the rental company will send you the invoice, you’ll have to transfer the payment for the first month and the security month to DHL Property, according to the instructions from the invoice. This will be a guarantee that our agreement is mutual and legal. The deposit will be just a formality, and it will not commit you to rent my apartment.

The payment will remain in the custody of DHL Property until you will check the apartment and move in .After you will pay the deposit, and send them the details, DHL Property will send an agent to your registered address in the next 24-48 hours and will deliver you the keys personally . Also the DHL Property agent who will make the delivery will help to inspect my apartment and sign the official documents .
You can also decide which date and time will fit your schedule best for the inspection.

5 – If you will be satisfied about my apartment, you will sign the contract and you will be able to move in when you desire . However, if you are not pleased with the apartment for any reason, the DHL Property agent will give you the payment back on the spot, and I will get my keys and documents back.I want to inform you that DHL Property will hold your payment until you will confirm that you like my apartment and you want to rent it.

I will pay for the services of the agency, so there will be no extra costs for you.
If you want to begin, please give me the details which I requested above, so I can make the arrangements.

Thank you"

...which is when I decided to google DHL property and the first few results in google are all about property scams. A good job I didn't hand any money over. I am going to report these users to the website, but what's to stop them creating more user accounts and uploading different photos of lovely apartments.