is it fake offer?

Hi,
This is the first time I am goint to rent an apartment in Amsterdam and I am not sure if this offer is real. Could you help me figure it out? http://amsterdam.craigslist.org/roo/4659372801.html

This is the first email I got after showing intrest in apartment:

I appreciate the interest you have in my apartment. also i will like to tell you the kind of tenant i need, I need someone that will be able to take good care of my apartment and maintain everything in the apartment because have relocated to Sotland due to my work and the apartment is available for long and short term.

There is a dining area and adjacent to the living room and there is a well furnished and well equipped kitchen with a fridge, microwave and cooker.A washing machine and a separate dryer in the utility cupboard adjacent to the bathroom The bathroom has a bath with shower,A unit with separate W.C. and the bedrooms are well furnished, and have good looking doors. There is a colour tv in all the apartment and a dvd player. also with internet facilities

- The apartment cost Eur 450 per month including all bills such as water, electricity, gas e..t.c plus Eur 600 for security deposit which is refundable while packing without any lost or damage of my properties.

- The apartment is located at Prinsengracht 1015DT Amsterdam and it is very close to metro stations, restaurants and stores.

Anyway my apartment is located in a very safe and quite neighborhood. There is no noise. My apartment is very clean and well equipped with all necessities.

so get back to me so that we can proceed with the necessary arrangement and i will send the picture of the apartment to you if you are ok with the location.....


Regards

Then I wrote:

Location is ok for me. I want to rent a place for a year I think. I must say I have never lived on my own but I think I can take good care of the apartment. Please send me some photos. And if I understand good it is for one person only? No other roommates?

Best regards,
Jan

And the answer I got is:

Here is the picture of the apartment , so if you are ok with the apartment and you will like to proceed then we will have to sign a contract to legalize the rent after which you will proceed with the payment of the deposit and this will serve as an assurance that you really have interest in my apartment and the apartment will be reserve for you, also after the payment have been confirm here then a receipt will be issue back in return to guaranty the payment with the key of the apartment will be send to you and this are the things you will come down with on your movein date to the apartment and you make the payment of the first month rent on your movein date..

Waiting for your answer

Regards
Maye

And after I send her an email where I wrote I want to see apartment for myself and I will be in Amsterdam on 1 of October I received this:

Remember am in scotland at moment and i will like to be sure of my tenant before travel down there because i will not like to waste my time or money coming down there so thats why we will have to sign a contract first and you make the payment of the deposit only and this will serve as an assurance that you really have interest in my apartment and after i confirm the deposit here, then the key of the apartment and a receipt to guaranty the deposit payment will be send to you and this are the things you will come down with on your moving date to the apartment and you make the payment of the first month rent on your moving date aswell...

Waiting for your answer

Regards

What do you think about this? Could this be a real offer with such a "cheap" price for an apartment?

Cheers

Unfortunately I did not have to get past the first sentence to tell you that it is a scam.

The English tells me the author is African; the content tells me that this is a textbook "collect advance money for an apartment he doesn't own" scam.

Not only does the scammer not own the apartment, he has probably never even seen it. Any money you send will disappear with the scammer, and you would arrive to find you have no apartment and no money.