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So I saw an ad on Craigslist for a $1500 1bdrm in NYC, and the (supposed) owner replied, just asking basic stuff about how long I would like to occupy it, if it would be only me living there, etc.
I replied, and then her reply was this:
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In this moment i'm in Madrid-Spain and can not be present to deal face to face but I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from Madrid through Realtor.com is an international company dealing specifically in rentals apartments, I used it in the past and I was very pleased.In order to view the flat and settle a deal, you will need the keys, and the contract.
I will explain how it works..
If we decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number full name and address where you want to receive the keys/contract.Then I will forward to Realtor.com company from Madrid, and they will start the process right away in US.Next you will receive a notification message from Realtor.com containing all the instructions that you need to follow.
Regarding the Payment, you will be instructed to deposit the amount to an agent from Realtor.com ,they will hold lock and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent the place or not.(That is my insurance).If you will not be satisfied with the apartment the total amount will be refunded in same day after your request.You will be given a ten days inspection period from the day you receive the keys and contract.During this period you can take a decision.
As for the monthly payment are done directly to my bank account from Madrid at the beginning or end of month at your convenience.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
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This is complete BS, isn't it? Her name (again, supposedly) is Bernice Moretti and the location of the unit is 1 W 71st St.
I should run from this, right?
It is a scam. Stay away. I get this from time to time.
It looks like Bernice Moretti changed her name to Silvano Zetticci and moved to Rome, here's an email I got for an apartment in SF:
In this moment i'm in Rome-Italy and can not be present to deal face to face but I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from Rome through Realtor.com is an international company dealing specifically in rentals apartments, I used it in the past and I was very pleased.In order to view the flat and settle a deal, you will need the keys, and the contract.
I will explain how it works..
If we decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number full name and address where you want to receive the keys/contract.Then I will go at Realtor.com company from Rome provide them all the necessary information, and they will start the process right away in US.Next you will receive a notification message from Realtor.com containing all the instructions that you need to follow,the invoice and contract as well.Regarding the Payment, you will be instructed to deposit the amount to an agent from Realtor.com ,they will hold lock and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent the place or not.(That is my insurance).If you will not be satisfied with the apartment the total amount will be refunded in same day after your request.You will be given a ten days inspection period from the day you receive the keys and contract.During this period you can take a decision.
As for the monthly payment are done directly to my bank account from Rome at the beginning or end of month at your convenience.
Don't just run - also report it back to Craigslist as a scam.
This ^. Anytime they can't deal with a prospect "face to face" is a sign alone they are full of baloney. As many warnings have been made about these scams it's a numbers game and some people will always g not see through it and get ripped off. Awful, Taking money someone needs for a roof over there head, Sometimes the only money they have for their own gain.
Now going under the name Karen Easterling, back in Spain and stating that she bought the apartment for her daughters who have now returned to Spain full-time:
Location: Sodo Sopa at The Villas above Kenny' s House.
2,492 posts, read 3,030,069 times
Reputation: 3911
I always think its sad that people have to even ask if that sounds legit. The world is made up of three kinds of people. Smart,hopefully naive and dumb.
Total scam. Realtor.com is a listing service, not affiliated with any one broker. I would also report it to them for investigation as well as Craigslist.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
the red flag was "i'm in Madrid" after that you know its bullsht.
i remember when i was young and foolish and almost fell for 1 of these. This was like 8-9 yrs ago and I believe thats when these types of scams first started. I had suspicions of course so I asked to speak to the guy directly and he went so far as to call me and explain that i HAD to Western Union the money before 5 that day. Its quite comical now that I think back to it, but at the time it didn't sound completely ridiculous to me. The guy was indeed African.. they are the #1 perpetrators of this farce. Had I not called my friend and asked him if this was too good to be true, I probably would have fallen for it.
They've gotten rather crafty with the scam as they're now using this "realtor.com" as the middle man..I guess they finally figured out that no one was going to Western Union them the money directly. But there are some people who fall for this.. my ex boyfriend fell for one. It was quite sad because this was years AFTER i had my experience with this scam, and tried to warn him not to do it. He was very hardheaded and lost some money smh.
idk how people actually live life on CraigsList. so many people use it and it actually works for them. it never works for me lol way too many scams on there
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