Arepas and Gravy

So Señor and I never really liked our current apartment here in Atlanta. It’s not the actual apartment that never tickled our fancy, but the fact that this little 2 bedroom hardwood-floored beauty sits in Inman Park instead of our beloved Midtown.  So, over the weekend, I started emailing the landlords of likely looking properties on Craigslist.

…And every single one of them was a scam. Fortunately, there only seem to be two major scams running right now, so this is what you have to look forward to if you’re, like me, in the apartment rental boat:

Scam #1

You see a ridiculously cheap looking apartment (the first red flag, but hey, the economy is so crappy right now that I thought I would give it a shot.) There’s no phone number, so you email.  The “landlord” gets back to you in about 24 hours, says you’re in luck because someone had just made an offer but appeared to be backing out, and tells you that they will show you the place, but only after you have gone over to this shady website – http://secure-credit.net/yourfreereport/ — and pulled your credit report.  Try it now if you have good virus protection. The website redirects three or four times as it loads. Um… no.

Scam #1 Example:

From Donna Johnston Johnston.properties@hotmail.com

Sender Sent at 1:06 AM (GMT -0:600).

Date Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 1:06 AM (WTF One in the morning? And from the CST Time zone?)

Subject Re: $850 / 3br – Totally remodeled 3BR home just off I-20 (Little 5 Pts)

Hello,

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you sooner! Things have been so hectic for me these last couple of days!

The good news is that the rental is still available! (you also get 2 designated parking spaces…I forgot to list that in the ad) We had an offer from the first person we showed it to, but now it appears that they are changing their mind, so we need to start showing it again as soon as possible. You were the second one to email me about it.

It is the whole place that is for rent, and it’s in pristine condition. We know a lot of prospective renters want to do a quick look of the property, but my husband doesn’t want me to mass send out the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, the empty property was broken into and vandalized. We don’t want that to happen again! I CAN tell you that it’s a very special property, that would normally rent for quite a bit more than other comparable properties in the neighborhood.

For utilities, your electric, gas, water, sewer and trash will be covered. (Included in the rent) You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services.  Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property.

The rental term is 12-month lease, but can be switched into a 6-month lease if preferred. We just ask that you give us fair notice if you are moving out.

If you would like to set up an appointment, go to the link below and request the free copy of your rental / credit report. We use this company for all the properties we manage. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the free credit report. The actual scores on the report aren’t important to us, it’s more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure you are who you say you are.

Get your report here:  http://secure-credit.net/yourfreereport/

Remember, we only need to see the page about the rental history. That will be all you will need to bring with you to the showing. As far as getting together to see the property goes, I am available to show it any time from 10:00 am on, for the next couple of days. Let me know when you’ve printed out your credit report, and we will set up a time to do your walk-through.

Thank you once again for your interest!

Donna Johnston

I emailed her back (just so I could write this blog post, basically) and she was again insistent that I print out my credit report. Nope, no thanks. A similar scammer is named Mary C. Collins, but sometimes she’s May C. Collins. Yep, she can’t spell her own name.

Scam #2

Now, Scam #2 is a little easier to spot, and way ballsier. You write to another “landlord” and this time she writes back with all this crazy extraneous information asking you to pay her for the apartment sight unseen.

Scam #2 Example:

From Sharon Anderson loveandhappines4ever@ymail.com

Date Wed, Jan 29, 2010 at 6:07 PM

Subject Re: $800 / 2br – Spacious and Luxurious Furnished 2 Bedroom 2 Bathroom (Atlanta )

Hello and thank you for your interest in my apartment..

My name is Sharon Anderson, I’m 40 years old and I’m the owner of this apartment. I lived in this beautiful apartment for over 2 years and loved every day of it. The apartment is fully furnished (exactly like in the pics), with all necessary amenities.

The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat… the apartment comes with two parking spots, a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture). There is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier. Well behaved Pets allowed. I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job and decided to rent it because the rent is very expensive here. The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant. I’m asking only $800.00/month with all utilities included because I need a serious and trustworthy person who not only will pay me the rent on time but also will take care and preserve my property. I was looking to rent the apartment for at least six months, but I’m flexible, so please let me know your thoughts.

The monthly rent is not negotiable, if you can pay the 3 months in advance it will be considered as 4 month’s rent. If you don’t have the amount available for 3 months, the monthly rent for the apartment is US $800.00. First month’s advance, $800.00 deposit. Looking for someone to rent anywhere from 3 months to 5 years… I want to receive the money monthly in my Bank Account via PayPal. If you don’t have a PayPal account or if you have something better in mind, let me know. The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc. You can move in the apartment in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo. In order to check it, see if you like it (and I’m sure that you’ll love it), you need to receive the keys and the contract.  Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both parties. The solution is provided by a company called Move which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys. A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem.  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.

Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week. I hope you are a serious person. I am looking for someone serious and responsible, please tell tell me about yourself, about the people who will be living in the apartment and a little about your credit.

Let me know if you have received the photos of the apartment bellow.

Okay, nope no way. #1, if you’ve ever read Gavin DeBecker then you’ll know that liars and people who are trying to scam you generally provide you with a bunch of satellite details. This chick is 40? Who cares?

She also gives herself away with her awkward English. (I.e. She hopes I am a “serious person” and can’t spell the word “below.”) I’m a freelance writer, “lady,” I recognize a Craigslist scam written by an overseas human spambot when I see it.

This scam was explored in much further detail over at Working World Careers. Be sure to check out all of “Sharon Anderson’s” many aliases in case they change their scheme up a little.

Final Tips for Avoiding Apartment Scams

I noticed that the scammers seem to prefer bulleted lists in their posts. I’m not saying don’t trust every Craigslist post that uses bulleted lists (hell, I use bulleted lists when I post on Craigslist), but if it seems too good to be true for the price, uses a bulleted list, and doesn’t give an exact street address or phone number, be wary.

That said, anybody know where I can find a decent apartment near Piedmont Park with two bedrooms, hardwood floors, character, and a place to grill? Anybody?

Update: MyFoxAtlanta.com covered something similar to Scam #2.

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Tags: apartment hunting, Apartment rental scam, Atlanta, Atlanta apartment scam, Craigslist scam

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 11:18 am and is filed under Atlanta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.