Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: Michael Michael < [email protected] >
Subject: Re: $950 Lovely Studio in Carnegie Hill



Hello,

The apartment at 170 E 87th St, New York, NY 10128 is still available.
Everything is just like in the pictures fully equipped with all the
appliances you need, very clean and well kept. The apartment can be
rented furnished or if you want you can use your furniture and deposit
mine in the storage unit. I work as civil engineer and the company I
work for has developed projects all around the world. They moved me to
the United Kingdom department because they have a new project there.
The apartment is vacant so you can move-in anytime you want.

The rent of 950$/month is for the whole apartment and includes all the
utilities: heat, water, electricity, parking, laundry in-suite, washer
and dryer also included, cable and internet. You will have full access
to all building amenities. Just in case repairs are needed there I
will cover the costs no worries. The price I'm asking is below the
market because I want to find a responsible tenant to take good care
of the place.

I would like to know how many people will live in the apartment and
also which rental contract do you prefer to start with - 6 months or 1
year with option of renewal. The monthly payments can be wired to my
Bank Account or we can setup a payment method that is suitable for
both of us.

I'm the owner of the apartment, it's already paid in full and no
mortgage on it. Schools and groceries near-by. You have everything you
need near-by because it's one of the best neighborhood. Pets are
allowed. You'll love it for sure!

I need to know if you are really interested in the place so we can
discuss further.

Thank you and look forward hearing from you!
Michael

PS: I attached you all the pictures that I have with the apartment (as
you can see everything is in absolutely perfect condition).

This Scammer will arrange to send you an Invoice -- Make no mistake, the Invoice will be fake !
If you are reading this because you have received such an invoice, kindly forward it to the address in my signature line and I will report the details to the appropriate authorities.

I received several emails from "Michael" including the one posted here. ITS A SCAM!!! STAY AWAY!
The building broker doesn't know this person, the studio isn't available.

Here are the other emails, the scammer used a different one every day:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

He sent a passport photo (fake or stolen probably) with the name
Michael John Leib
DOB: Sep 18, 1976

Hi again,
First of all, I want to start this email saying that this is not an face to face transaction, this being the whole purpose for using TripAdvisor Property Management, to protect the both of us 100%. Now for security and for your peace of mind I had attached an copy of my PASSPORT to build up some confidence.

Regarding the process, you will only have to deposit to TripAdvisor the first month rent + damage deposit, an total of 1300$ (950+350) so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the rental package (keys and documents). I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the keys and the contract signed by me right away.

Below I will explain you step by step how the transaction with TripAdvisor Property Management works, to avoid any misunderstanding please READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1 - To start the process all I need are your contact details: full name, mailing address (street, number, city and postal code), cell phone number, move-in date and lease agreement preferred (e.g. 6 months or 1 year rental contract with option of renewal). The lease agreement will be a standard one from the government.
2 - I will go to the TripAdvisor Property Management office to start the transaction and I will give them the apartment keys and necessary documents.
3 - TripAdvisor Property Management will check the ownership documents and lease agreement. They will also confirm with the building management that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - TripAdvisor will send you a notification(via email) with the transaction details to inform you that they have the keys and the documents in their custody.
5 - At this point you need to send the amount of 1300$(1st month rent from the rental contract + damage deposit-refundable in the last month of rent from contract) to the the TripAdvisor Property Management payment representative (lawyer escrow account) provided to you in the notification. THE PAYMENT NEEDS TO BE SENT WITHIN 24 BUSINESS HOURS AFTER YOU WILL RECEIVE THE TRANSACTION DETAILS OR ELSE THEY WILL CHARGE ME AN ADDITIONAL FEE.
6 - As soon as the payment is completed you need to send the payment details to TripAdvisor.
7 - TripAdvisor will verify the payment and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS Next Day Shipping Service.
8 - You will receive the package (keys and lease agreement) and you will have 5 business days (inspection time) to check the place.
9 - If you decide to keep the apartment you just need to sign the lease agreement and TripAdvisor Property Management will release the funds to me. If you don`t want to keep the apartment you will receive a full payment refund including any payment fee.

PLEASE NOTE that TripAdvisor Property Management can NOT release the funds without your approval. You will have 5 days to inspect the apartment and decide if you want to rent it or not, in this time you will have full control of the payment. They can release the payment to me as a landlord just after they will receive the lease agreement with your signature.
ALSO THEY WILL SEND YOU OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS (LEASE AGREEMENT AND INVOICE) BEFORE MAKING THE DEPOSIT TO THEM.

I ALSO NEED TO BE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAR FOR YOU SO PLEASE READ CAREFULLY ALL THE STEPS OF THE TRANSACTION BECAUSE I CAN NOT CHANGE THEIR TERMS AND CONDITIONS. ALSO I WILL PAY FOR THE TRANSACTION AND DELIVERY FEES AND JUST IN CASE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND I WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFUND FROM THEM!

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300$) so we can move forward and e-mail me your full information I requested. Any further questions regarding the transaction you can call or e-mail me.

Thanks
Michael