Room for Rent and other rental scams
by etinuoye Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:09 pm
Hi,
I saw an ad on the website http://www.olx.com. The apartment is located on Bainbridge avenue in Bedford park in the Bronx and the amount is listed as 550.00 per month. I replied to the ad on 12/30/2011 and I received a response on 1/1/2012. Please see the email below (received on 1/1/2011 5:59pm):

Hello,

Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hearing from you. I am Alycia Campbell, the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry .
I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in US, but now she's back home (London/United Kingdom) permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time.
Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long.
The flat is exactly like in the pictures. Also, very important, the utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spots, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $550 per month. The warranty is also $550 and you get it back, when you decide to leave the apartment (you will have to give me at least 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to US, so we won't disturb you.
So i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own, is that taken, I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be happy to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words
Now, a little bit about myself so we can get to know each other better.
My name is Alycia Campbell and I'm a 58 years old graphic designer from London/United Kingdom, planning to retire in the next 2 years.
I have a lovely husband, David and a 25 year old daughter, Linda. I am very proud to say that soon I'm going to be a grandmother.
Another member of our family is a 8 year old Labrador which we all love, so, I have no problem if you will keep pets.
Unfortunately, my health and undergoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
Since I'm here we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are asking for. 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. The solution is provided by a company called Realtor.com , which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys..
But this won't affect you at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from London (on my expense of course).
If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step

All the best from London!

Alycia Campbell

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I responded to the above email on the same day. I was very excited about the opportunity, but I had my suspicions. In my second email, I gave a little back ground about myself and I also asked if I could see the apartment and what the full address was. This is the second email that I received from them (received on Monday 1/2/2012 7:43am):

Hello,

Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hearing from you. I am Alycia Campbell, the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry .
I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in US, but now she's back home (London/United Kingdom) permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time.
Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long.
The flat is exactly like in the pictures. Also, very important, the utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spots, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $550 per month. The warranty is also $550 and you get it back, when you decide to leave the apartment (you will have to give me at least 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to US, so we won't disturb you.
So i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own, is that taken, I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be happy to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words
Now, a little bit about myself so we can get to know each other better.
My name is Alycia Campbell and I'm a 58 years old graphic designer from London/United Kingdom, planning to retire in the next 2 years.
I have a lovely husband, David and a 25 year old daughter, Linda. I am very proud to say that soon I'm going to be a grandmother.
Another member of our family is a 8 year old Labrador which we all love, so, I have no problem if you will keep pets.
Unfortunately, my health and undergoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.
Since I'm here we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are asking for. 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. The solution is provided by a company called Realtor.com , which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys..
But this won't affect you at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from London (on my expense of course).
If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step

All the best from London!

Alycia Campbell
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I emailed a few my colleagues and did some research on the internet. I googled the term "buyer protection plan" and I got hit on this website. Someone posted an exact replica of the emails that I received, but the major difference was the the emails were sent from a different email address ([email protected]). I hope my post avoids everyone from falling from this scam. Please be care and always remain alert. I am thankful that I did not email them my address or send any other personal information.
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