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Topic: Any suggestions about how should I respond to a scammer?  (Read 4785 times)

Odd

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I'm helping a cousin look for an apartment and I stumbled upon a decent apartment which had email as the contact option preferred.
This is what I got in response when I wanted to schedule a viewing:
Hi there,

Thank you for your email and interest in my Apartment,I own the place and renting it out myself. I moved out to Florida(USA) due to my transfer.The Apartment is available for rent for $1,000 and a deposit of $500 (Utilities are included in the rent).The lease depends on what you want Long term lease or month to month both of it is okay with me.

   I was transferred to Florida from work. The Apartment is in a perfect condition and ready for move in as soon as possible.Unfortunately, I would not be present in person to show you the property due to my recent job transfer to (USA), and I do not have a local representative to show the Apartment due to my transfer so if you are interested in renting the property and willing to work with me despite my absence then I would email the necessary papers for the lease to you for necessary endorsement.

This is located at 1110 Queens Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8T 1M9, Canada.

I also want to tell you that the neighborhood is secured and the people staying there are good.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

Full Name__________________________
Home Phone ( )________________________
Cell Phone ( ) ___________________
Date of Birth_________________________
Current Address_______________________
City____________State______ Postal Code______
Reasons for Leaving____________________________Rent $________
Are you married_______________________
How many people will be living in the Apartment___________
Do you smoke____________
Do you have a pet___________________________
Do you have a car___________________________
Occupation____________________ ________
Move In Date__________________________ __
How soon can you make the deposit and first month rent_____________
How soon do you want to receive the keys and the document______

If you really interested, please fill the rent application and get back  to me so we can proceed. You can call or text on the number below.

(850) 483-0514.

Thanks,

Estela.

A google search shows that this same letter is a copy-pasted craiglist scam that has been reported at least three times before.
I'm not a clever man, my usual response to phone scams is to make them waste their time by responding to as many questions as I can with whispered song lyrics and then blowing a foghorn on the speaker, so I was wondering if anyone had a good idea about how to mess with this person.

montrith

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Full Name: George C. Parker
Home Phone: 0845 769 7555
Cell Phone: Do not have
Date of Birth: December 17, 1928
Current Address: 1000 5th Avenue, New York City, NY 10028
Reasons for Leaving: I must leave USA for work related complications
Occupation: Salesman
How soon can you make the deposit and first month rent: I am willing to write you a check as soon as you provide the necessary documentation proving my right to reside in this address. I will also be needing a copy of the original proof of purchase on your part.

I understand you are leaving to live in Florida(USA). Are you likely to move back at some point, or can I consider my residence as permanent for now? Also important, do you have any friends or relatives that might require access to this apartment? If so, do they live nearby? Is it possible for you to be in contact with them in case of emergency, or should you be required to handle things from Florida(USA)? How will you handle situations like late rent payments?

Will answer more of your questions as soon as you answer mine! Glad to be doing business with you!

PS: I forgot to ask, are there any bridges near the apartment? If yes, please provide names and locations.

Isfahan

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First thing after smelling a scammer is identifying their vector for getting the free money. In this case, it appears to be the deposit, which I suppose you give them and then never hear from them again. What I'd do is invent a reason for wanting to include the first month's rent along with the deposit, which in this case would bump up the free money to $1,500. Ask the scammer if it's okay to pay $1,500 up front because <reason>. This small investment of time will have them dancing at their good luck of finding such a sucker, and will improve the odds that you can keep them hanging on with the idea that they'll get more money than usual for the effort. If it looks like you're losing them, you can sweeten the pot by adding another month's rent on to the offer. This person sounds like either a moron or someone who wouldn't understand how America works, so some generic rumbling about how you can avoid taxes by adding more rent payments up-front and should be enough to explain any further higher bids from you. Essentially you're inducing such a scammer-boner from them that they're willing to say or do anything to get that money from you. Harness some of that Odd internet knowledge and ask for photos of the place with weirdly fetishistic undertones, like the living room with mud tracked barefoot through the carpet or the bedroom with a man's suit arranged neatly by the door.
Baldr nigeline Lemon strifeheart Nemo2342 One Of The Crappy Pokemon That Nobody Likes

montrith

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Forgot to link to this, but Bob Servant is your friend here.

http://www.bobservant.com/BobServantEmails.html

nigeline

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Isfahan, you are brilliant.

Odd

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I couldn't lie about my name because he already had my name from my previous email. So I sent him that along with the numbers for two work numbers not listed online and believable information.
In the follow up I'll proceed with Isfahan's plan of a big jackpot as bait. Now I'm sure he can't actually take pictures of the apartment in the ad so I'm going to ask for specific closeups of stuff that can be faked anywhere else.
How about I ask to be shown if plants can be kept inside the apartment, if the tub can be used to water and clean the plants and if the oven can dry herbs as well as cook brownies?

chai tea latte

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Now I'm sure he can't actually take pictures of the apartment in the ad so I'm going to ask for specific closeups of stuff that can be faked anywhere else.
How about I ask to be shown if plants can be kept inside the apartment, if the tub can be used to water and clean the plants and if the oven can dry herbs as well as cook brownies?
Odd, August 17, 2014, 07:51:37 pm

If you want to sound like somebody already from the lower mainland any of these would work great.


(everyone here knows about this guy, so it's fun(?) to see foreigners interacting with him)
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 08:06:00 pm by kal-elk »

montrith

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Ask him questions about the neighbors. Give a subtle impression you're especially interested in any females just about to turn 18.

Odd

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No response back.
It seems I'm just not attractive enough for scammers.