Rental Scam - [email protected]

Damien Ferras < [email protected] > wrote:

Hello,

I received an e-mail regarding your interest in my apartment in 2445 W 3RD AVENUE, Vancouver, BC, V6K 4K6, Canada. The apartment will be available for renting for the next 6 years because the company I work for has won an auction project in London, United Kingdom. I work as an engineer in telecom industry. I bought the apartment 6 months ago while I was in Canada working for a project that what supposed to be for the next 10 years but unfortunately it was canceled. I am the single owner, the apartment is fully paid and no mortgage loan. The apartment is vacant since I no longer live there. The apartment is exactly like in the pictures, fully furnished, fully equipped, so you won't need anything to move in. Of course if you want you can use your furniture and I will ask the movers to remove mine and deposit it in the storage unit located near the building. Pets are allowed.
The monthly rent for the whole unit is 1180CAD with everything included (utilities, cable and internet-full package, 2 parking spots underground, storage unit, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer). You can rent the apartment for an indefinite period. The price will not increase for the whole period that you will stay there. I would also like to know how many people will live in the apartment and also which rental contract do you prefer- 6 months or 1 year rental contract with option of renewal. I will be away for a period of 6 years and as you can see I'm not asking so much for it because I want to find a responsible tenant to take good care of the place. I'm not looking to make a business or a profit with the apartment. The monthly payments can be wired to my Canadian Bank Account or we can use any other payment method that is suitable for you.
I'm 40 years old, I'm married and we have a 5 years old daughter, and as I mentioned above I work as an engineer in telecom industry. I want to rent the place on my own so I need to know if you are really interested in the apartment.

Sincerely,
Damien Ferras

Damien Ferras [email protected]

Hi there,

Thank you for getting back to me. If you are still interested me and my wife agreed to rent the apartment to you. I promise you that you will love the place. You seem to be a nice person and I can assure you we will not have any kind of problems in the place. Everything in the place is new and renovated but just in case repairs are needed I will cover the costs no worries.
At this moment I'm located in London, United Kingdom and I will stay here for the next 6 years. Obviously you will have to see the apartment before discussing further details because you cannot rent an apartment that you haven't seen. I am willing to send you the keys so you can visit it and see if it suits your needs.
The delivery for the keys (keys for the apartment and storage unit, key-card access for parking and apartment door.) and lease agreement (signed by me), will be made through a worldwide third party company called Zoopla (www.zoopla.co.uk) to make sure that we can trust each other.

You will only have to deposit to Zoopla the first month of rent from contract and damage deposit a total of 1300CAD. You don't need to open an account with Zoopla because this transaction is a rental and the Landlord must open the transaction.

Here is the procedure explained :

1 - To start the process all I need is your full info(full name, shipping address and a cell phone number where you can be reached)
2 - I will go at Zoopla to deposit the keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - Zoopla will check the package to see if everything is in order and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys and proof of ownership with their Real Estate Professional Department in London. They will also confirm with the building management that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - Zoopla will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody. They will also send you all the payment instructions to complete the rental transaction.
5 - At this point you will have to make a money deposit on the Zoopla payments representative for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit for the first month of rent and damage deposit. The payment needs to be sent within 24 hours after you receive the transaction details or else they will charge me an additional fee.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the payment details to Zoopla.
7 - Zoopla will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the delivery through licensed shipping company such as DHL or UPS. The delivery will take 2-3 business days.
8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 5 business days (inspection time) you must contact Zoopla to inform them if you keep the apt or not and if everything is in order you will instruct Zoopla to send me the information about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds. If you don`t like the apartment the pamyent will be full refunded to you. Zoopla can NOT release the funds without your approval. Also the inspection time of 5 days will start from the moment you will be at the building.

Using Zoopla involves three parties: me as owner, you as a potential tenant and Zoopla as a responsible third party authorized to handle this transaction. Zoopla works the same way as the escrow account on which you place the deposit when you rent an apartment, except that instead of a bank, we use Zoopla. Of course, nobody can take that money until you will sign the lease agreement.

You need to know everything about the process before we get this started. I think is right for both of us. If you have any other questions you can reach me any time at: 44 020 3287 6852 (if you are calling from Canada or United States you need to dial 011-44-20-3287-6852) or you can email me and I will respond ASAP.

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300CAD$) so we can move forward and e-mail me your full information I requested.

Thanks

I got the same emails!!! Unfortunately I fell for it at the beginning and this person now knows my name, address, and phone number. He used the name David Orase <[email protected]>
The first few emails were identical to yours, I then replied back being worried about sending money over the internet without ever seeing the place and he says,

You don`t have to be worried about your money because they are 100% protected . I`ve used Zoopla several times in the past as a landlord and as a tenant and all was in order, they have great services and they are really professional. I can access the funds just after Zoopla have your final answer about the transaction. If u refuse to keep the apt you will receive a full refund from them...
Also I can NOT change their terms and conditions regarding the rental transaction so I need your confirmation that I can proceed with the transaction according with the steps I've explained you in my last email.