Rental Scam Sydney [email protected]

Here's another one, advertised online in a major legit Sydney real estate site (domain).
(There seem to be a lot of good jobs in Athens....)

too good to be true wins again....
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Hello xxxxxxx,
Thanks for taking the time to look at my listing.I am really glad that you are interested in my apartment. Please allow me to introduce myself:
My name is Gillian Taylor, I'm 38 years old and I'm the owner of the apartment located at: 41/414-418 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.I lived in this beautiful apartment for over 1 year and loved every day of it.Fortunately last month I was promoted as a manager over EMEA and I found out that I needed to relocate for an extended period to Athens, Greece.
The apartment is in the best conditions, I renovated and refurbished it 16 months ago when I purchased it, so everything is almost new.The apartment has a linen closet, a washer and a drier and complete living room and bedroom furniture.The bed has a memory foam mattress so I can guarantee that you will have the best sleep.Also with the apartment you will get two parking spots for your car(s) and a storage unit that is empty (here you can deposit my furniture if you have your own or if you do not like it).Also I have no problem if you have pets, as long as you clean up after them and are willing to replace any items that they may damage.
The apartment is located near public transport, so don’t worry if you don’t have a car.Also the neighborhood has restaurants, bank, grocery store, and other facilities.
Because my contract here, in Athens, expires in November 2020, I am looking for a 4 years lease or a minimum of 3 months, also that is why I am willing to have a lower rent in order to find a better person. I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, because I have invested so much in it and can’t afford to risk giving my lovely nest to someone that will not take good care of my property.I hope you don’t mind if I want to get to know you a little better and you will write me a little more about you.The rent of the apartment is $300 p/w including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, garbage).
Because my promotion was unexpected and I was needed here in Athens ASAP, I did not have the time to find a trustworthy agent (I had a really bad experience with the renting agents in the area, this was one of the factors that made me buy this apartment).Also I do not have anyone in the region so I was forced to take the keys with me in Greece.Because of this I will not be able to come and show you the apartment, I hope you understand my predicament.If you are really interested in renting the apartment I found a solution that is safe for both of us.It is a shipping company and it is called TCS Express.I will arrange for a 3 day delivery and I will pay all the fees.They allow me to send the keys and the lease agreement to you and will hold your funds towards me until you had time to check the place out.This way you will be able to view the apartment before you decide if you want to rent it.
If you are interested in going forward with this write me more about you, and if we are a good match I will start the procedure with TCS Express and I will write an email to you will all the steps that we need to do in order to finish the transaction.
Looking forward to your reply,
Best wishes,
Gillian

From: "Gillian Taylor" <[email protected]>

> Subject: Re: Regis Tower, Pitt St. Sydney apartment lease
>
> Hi xxxxxxxxxx,
> I understand your suggestion, but please understand that I can’t keep the apartment free until October without any certainty that you will rent it.I have no guarantee that you will not change your mind by then or who knows what might happen?So, unfortunately, I need you to decide if you want this apartment or not and make the proper arrangements.
> The lease agreement won't have a start date, you can fill a suitable start date after the inspection.
> Yes, the apartment has Foxtel.Also, you don't have to worry about the rent for the first month, because it will be already paid.
> TCS Express ( www.tcsexpress-depot.com ) is a third party shipping company that will act as an escrow between us and allow us to complete our deal.Like I said before, you will need to transfer the security deposit to their company account and the package containing the keys to the apartment and the signed lease agreement will be delivered to you in 3 days.
> After you inspect the apartment, if you decide that it suits your needs you will sign the lease and give them the green light to release the funds to me.But if you think that the apartment is not OK for you then you will need to return the unsigned lease and the keys to the TCS Express representative and they will refund you the security deposit.I think that this is the best solution for us, because this way we are both protected.Also it is really easy to make the deposit you can use any of your bank accounts.
> As soon as the transaction is started and the package is left in their custody, you will receive an email with more information and a tracking number.
> I need your full name and exact delivery address, in order to start this transaction.
> Regards,
> Gillian

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, pre-paid credit card or bank transfer with a promise that you can have the keys to a property that does not belong to him.

Sounds safe. It's not!

At other times, he will ask for proof that you are able to pay the deposit and rent due to a string of time wasters.
This proof is in the form of a Western Union or MoneyGram payment to a lawyer,a friend or family member.

In either case, if payment is made and you give this person the details, they will collect the money.
You will not hear from them again.

All the details such as names, addresses, pictures etc. that the scammer uses in order to back up his story, are stolen from elsewhere.

If you are reading this because you are looking for property to rent, and you are in contact with this thief you are probably searching Craigslist, Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment before viewing, then it will also be a scam. Please forward the mail to me at the address in my signature line and I will investigate and list them if necessary.