Rental Scammer - [email protected]

I am currently in touch with this scammer under the name Christopher Schmidt ([email protected]) relating to a gorgeous condo in the Hotel Shangri La in Vancouver, which was advertised on craigslist. I knew it was a scam in the first place but contacted him out of curiosity. Photos straight out of a magazine at a ludicrously low rent of $920 a month.

The emails I've received are practically verbatim those posted above. Here's the second one I just received from him:

From: Christopher Schmidt <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: $920CAD / 1br - Furnished 1 Bedroom Luxury Suite Downtown
Date: 22 July, 2014 9:04:45 AM GMT+08:00
To: Christopher Schmidt <[email protected]
[MY EMAIL ADDRESS WAS IN THE BCC, SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MANY OTHERS RECEIVED THIS SAME EMAIL, ADDRESSED TO HIMSELF]

Hello ,

Thank you for your reply. As I told you before the rent for 1 month will be 920CAD and damage deposit 920CAD ( last month) with no extra fees and you will have full access to all the amenities of the building. 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. The monthly payments can be wired to my Canadian Bank Account (TD Bank) or we can setup a payment method that is suitable for both of us.

The apartment is in excellent condition, you only need to receive the keys and the contract so you could check it out, and see if you like it. Since at this moment I'm in London, United Kingdom and obviously we need a safe way to complete this deal.The solution is a worldwide third party company called LandlordEnterprise (http://www.LandlordEnterprise.com) ,they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package

We use this company to see that you are an trusting and serious person. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package . With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment. Please be aware that is NOT necessary for you to register with LandlordEnterprise given that I'm a registered user for 4 years and I've made over 30 transactions with them so far. They are really professional and they have great services.

My phone number is +44 20 8144 3882 (if you are calling from Canada you may need to dial 011-44 20 8144 3882). You can call me or e-mail anytime you wish.

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. I think is right for both of us.

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Chris

He obviously thinks people are naive and/or stupid, because the http://www.landlordenterprise.com he refers to as a business is really only a downloadable computer app for managing rental properties (if that, I have no way of knowing if it's authentic or as phony as Christopher Schmidt).

What can be done to stop this creep? I really hope nobody is dumb enough to fall for this and send him money. I asked him how I can arrange to see the flat and of course he hasn't answered that one. I was in the middle of replying to him (again) when I googled the supplied phone number and found this page.

I flagged the ad on craigslist but I would hazard a guess he is making money off this scam or it wouldn't be continuing on craigslist and on other lists in other cities. Is it worth it to report to police or the "fraud squad" listed on craigslist links? I guess I will do that anyway. I can't stand to see creeps like this take advantage of vulnerable people.

I have heard from our dear friend again this morning, and he even included a scan of his alleged passport to prove his sincerity. Awww, isn't he lovely?



For the Search Engines - Scammer using Fake Lost or Stolen Canadian Passport Number QF674456 - Michelle

accompanying email:

Hi again Kate ,

This transaction is not made face to face, this is the whole reason for using LandlordEnterprise, for both of us to be 100% protected. For security and for your peace of mind I had attached an copy of my PASSPORT to see that I am very serious about everything.

Regarding the process, you will only have to deposit to LandlordEnterprise the first month of rent from contract and damage deposit 920 $ + 920 $ = 1840 $ CAD 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. I will explain you step by step how this process will work:

1 - To start the process all I need is your full info(full name, address and a cell phone number).
2 - I will go at LandlordEnterprise to deposit the keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - LandlordEnterprise 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 manager that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - LandlordEnterprise 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 LandlordEnterprise bank account 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 LandlordEnterprise .
7 - LandlordEnterprise will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS or TNT Next Day Shipping Service .

8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 5 days (inspection time) you must contact LandlordEnterprise to inform them if you keep the apt or not and if everything is in order you will instruct LandlordEnterprise 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 they will be sending the money back to you and you will send back the keys and contract. LandlordEnterprise can't release the funds without your approval.

Let me know if you have the funds available (1840 CAD$) 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
Chris

Now uses this email address: [email protected] .An alias of a civil engineer. Property is in Toronto for 680$.

Hello ,

Thank you for your reply. As I told you before the rent for 1 month will be 680CAD and damage deposit 680CAD ( last month) with no extra fees and you will have full access to all the amenities of the building. 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. The monthly payments can be wired to my Canadian Bank Account (TD Bank) or we can setup a payment method that is suitable for both of us.

The apartment is in excellent condition, you only need to receive the keys and the contract so you could check it out, and see if you like it. Since at this moment I'm in London, United Kingdom and obviously we need a safe way to complete this deal.The solution is a worldwide third party company called LandlordEnterprise (http://www.LandlordEnterprise.com) ,they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package

We use this company to see that you are an trusting and serious person. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package . With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment. Please be aware that is NOT necessary for you to register with LandlordEnterprise given that I'm a registered user for 4 years and I've made over 30 transactions with them so far. They are really professional and they have great services.

My phone number is +44 20 8144 3882 (if you are calling from Canada you may need to dial 011-44 20 8144 3882). You can call me or e-mail anytime you wish.

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. I think is right for both of us.

Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!

Chris

Welcome to Scamwarners MandiS,

Thank you for the update.

Rental Scammer - [email protected]

Hi again Joanie ,

This transaction is not made face to face, this is the whole reason for using LandlordEnterprise, for both of us to be 100% protected. For security and for your peace of mind I had attached an copy of my PASSPORT to see that I am very serious about everything.

Regarding the process, you will only have to deposit to LandlordEnterprise the first month of rent from contract and damage deposit 650 $ + 650 $ = 1300 $ CAD 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. I will explain you step by step how this process will work:

1 - To start the process all I need is your full info(full name, address and a cell phone number).
2 - I will go at LandlordEnterprise to deposit the keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - LandlordEnterprise 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 manager that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - LandlordEnterprise 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 LandlordEnterprise bank account 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 LandlordEnterprise .
7 - LandlordEnterprise will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS or TNT Next Day Shipping Service .

8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 5 days (inspection time) you must contact LandlordEnterprise to inform them if you keep the apt or not and if everything is in order you will instruct LandlordEnterprise 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 they will be sending the money back to you and you will send back the keys and contract. LandlordEnterprise can't release the funds without your approval.

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300 CAD$) 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
Chris

Hi guys,
be careful on this guy, he is offering a beautiful apartment in the heart of Downtown-870$CAD/1BR Downtown Vancouver 1br Condo with water view on craiglist..but he is crook. He is offering the apartments in another city/ country too, but he always change his name- in my email he was Christopher David Auer. If u copy part of the email to google, you will be surprised, how many apartments he has.
There is a part of the email, which he sent me:
Hey,
Thank you for your interest in my apartment located in 438 Seymour St, V6B 6H4. The apartment is in excellent condition and it's just like in the pictures, very clean and very well taken. Honestly from point of view I'm sure that you will rent it on spot. I'm not looking to make a business or a profit with the apartment, I'm just trying to find a good and trust person to take good care of the place. The apartment has 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom. It is furnished but if you want you can use your furniture and deposit mine in the storage unit that is located near the building not far away. The rent is 870 CAD/month with everything included (heat, hydro, water, electricity, cable and internet-full package, 2 parking spots, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer). You will have full access to all the amenities of the building. Pets are allowed. I stayed in the apartment with my wife for 3 months. I'm a civil engineer and I work for a company that has an auction for a project in construction in United Kingdom, London, so my accommodation period in England will be about 4 years. Everything in the apartment is new so there will be no need for repairs.
Thank you and look forward hearing from you!
Chris
PS : I attached you all the pictures that I have with the apartment ( as you can see everything is in absolutely perfect condition ) .
Dont sent him NOTHING!!!!!!

Had a run in with our friend myself running the name Ryan Carlisle. Here is what I got.

Hello,

The apartment located in 1 Belvedere Crt, Brampton, ON is still available. As you can see from the pictures is in excellent condition, very clean and very well kept. I never rented this apartment and I want to find a responsible tenant to take good care of the place. The apartment is fully furnished and it has all the appliances. Of course you can use everything from the apartment or if you want to use your furniture you can deposit mine in the storage unit that is located near the building not far away. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The rent is 800CAD/month and includes everything: heat, hydro, water, electricity, 2 parking spots underground, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer also included, cable and internet- full package paid for 1 year in advance. You will have full access to all the amenities in the building. From my point of view I'm sure that you will like the apartment and you will rent it on spot.
This apartment is a private property, paid in full and no mortgage on it. Schools and groceries near-by. I'm sure you will have everything that you need there because is one of the most important areas in the city. Pets are allowed.
About me now. I'm 45 years old, I'm married with 2 children. I'm an engineer at Black&Veatch Global Engineering in telecom industry. The company I work for they have projects all around the world so most of my time I'm traveling. I will be away for the next 6 years so it's free for you to stay there as long as you want. I want to rent the place on my own so I need to send you the keys and papers so you can check the apartment.


Best regards,

Ryan









Hi again,

You need to deposit to Deposit Protection Service the amount of 1300CAD ( first month of rent from contract +damage deposit) so they can proceed with the delivery and you can receive the rental package (keys and documents). I will pay for the shipping that will take 2-3 business days. Here are the transaction steps:

1- I need to provide to Deposit Protection Service your contact details so I need your full name, mailing and phone number.
2- I will contact Deposit Protection Service to deposit the keys and rental contract on your name as the tenant who will live there
3- Deposit Protection Service will check the package content to see if there are all the documents and apartment keys. All the papers are double checked by their Real Estate Professional Department here in London and also they will confirm the ownership with the building manager.
4- Deposit Protection Service will send you the DELIVERY notification to inform you that they have the keys and the papers in their custody. The Payment instructions to complete the transaction will be also provided in the notification from them.
5- You need to send the amount of 1300CAD ( for the 1st month of rent from contract and damage deposit) to the the Deposit Protection Service payment representative given to you in the notification. The payment needs to be sent within 24 hours after you receive the transaction details or else they are charging with me an additional fee.
6- After the payment is completed you need to send the complete details to Deposit Protection Service.
7- Deposit Protection Service will verify the money transfer and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS or DHL Service.
8- After you receive the package, you must go to check the apartment and in 5 days (inspection time) you need to contact Deposit Protection Service to inform them if you keep the apt or not.
9- If you decide to keep the apartment you just need to sign the lease agreement and Deposit Protection Service 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 paid for it.
Please note that Deposit Protection Service can NOT release the funds to my name without your approval. You have a full payment control.

Please contact me if you have the funds available (1300CAD) and send me your complete details so we can move forward.
Hopefully everything is clear to you and for any other questions you can call me anytime or send me your number and I will call you.

Regards










Anyone who receives these messages should note that in the emails he never refers to the person by name. Is there some way we can have this guy tracked and reported?