Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: Michael R < [email protected] >
To: russ <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: $800 Cozy Studio in Westlake

Hello,

The apartment at 500 S Lake St, Los Angeles, CA 90057 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 800$/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 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.

From: Michael R < [email protected] >
Subject: Re: $800 Cozy Studio in Westlake

Hello,

Like I said in my previous email, the company I work for moved me to United Kingdom, and unfortunately there is a problem showing you the apartment, because I already left. The reason I haven't managed to rent the apartment before I had to leave for United Kingdom is that someone said that will rent the apartment and haven't managed to keep the promise. I waited for him, but unfortunately he didn't managed to get the money on time, so the transaction failed and I had to leave before managing to rent it. Obviously this brought me huge inconvenience. So I can tell that I have a bitter experience making reservation, it's the first time I'm renting an apartment so I prefer using an worldwide property management company.

The company I am talking about is called AirBnb (www.airbnb.com) their website is main focused on short term rentals, but they also have an new service for long term rentals. I used this company last month when I rented my apartment in London, United Kingdom, and I can tell you that it was an great experience and the only way I will proceed renting my apartment is by using them.

We use this company to protect the both of us. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package (keys and paperwork).

Using AirBnb involves three parties: me as owner, you as a potential tenant and AirBnb as a responsible third party authorized to handle this transaction. AirBnb 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 AirBnb. Of course, nobody can take that money until you will sign the lease agreement. With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment.

Like I said before I used them to rent my apartment in London and everything was perfect they are really professional and they have great services.

My phone number is +44 14 733 781 44. You can call me or e-mail anytime you wish and I will respond ASAP.

Let me know if you are interested so I can provide with all the steps of this transaction. You need to know everything about this process before we get this started.

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
Michael

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.