Newly Renovated 2-bedroom Apartment for Rent in East Vancouver for $700 too good to be true.

[Elmware]

So I'm looking for a place to rent, and I'm looking on Craigslist, when I come across this place for $700/mo. It's listed as Newly Renovated 2-bedroom Apartment for Rent in East Vancouver. Claims to have 2 decks as well. Sounds pretty good, for a place right in Vancouver.

I send an email asking to arrange to have a look at the apartment, and the following is what I get:

Hello,

Am very happy to read from you that you are interested in my
apartment, and it is still available and vacant as of today.....I want
you to know like i said in my Advertisement that, i needed a
responsible person that i can totally rely on, I worked with the
Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club and i got a letter that i needed
to visit our branch in the West Coast Africa, that is why i want to
give the apartment out, am married and 52 yrs old age, who is honest
and faithful,I attended catholic and i thank God for all He has been
doing in my life and family.....Am here together with my wife and
please i need someone that will take the apartment as if it were there
own and once you can promise me this, am ready to rent this to
you.....Am not after the rent at all, that is why am renting for a
$700/month with the utilities which i must confess that, you will
never regret from renting this, due to my absent right now, we look
for an agent but unable to see one while leaving. I spent a lot on my
property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your
absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as your
own, it is not the money that is the main problem but want you to keep
it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come
for a check up anytime. I will go for a short or long lease term.

The apartment is situated at Details:

1744 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5N 2S6, Canada
.............................
2 bedroom
1 bathroom
..............................
Solid, newly renovated 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment for rent.
Freshly painted. New laminate flooring throughout apartment and new
flooring in bathroom and kitchen. Full self-contained kitchen. Two
balconies. Coin-operated washer and dryer in common room area. Located
in a central area of East Vancouver with easy access to downtown,
Burnaby and surrounding areas. Near shopping, schools and bus stop in
front of building. Only a few minutes from Nanaimo skytrain station.

Feel free to drive by as I have the keys with me,
Thanks very much for the assurance that you have given me, May God
bless you and here is the application,the apartment will be rented to
you, Hope your family is doing well and have a nice day.

Here is the application to fill out for your grant.

Your First Name?..................
Last Name?........................
Home Address?..................................
Occupation?...........................
DOB?.....................................
How many people will be living?................................
Any Pets?.................................
Do you have a car?........................
Reference?...........................................
Hobbies?................................
Religion?..........................................
Nationality?...................................
Moving Date?..........................
First Month Required?....................

Awaiting to hearing back from you so that we can move further.

Thanks very much

The choppy English and big words had me suspicious, but I decided to respond. They get right back to me.

Dear Xxxxxx,

Hope all is good with you, all things being fine with me here and
my family, I got your application and it was absolutely well filled,
Am okay with that and I will be going to the DHL to book the keys for
you, but please i will want you to verify your home address to avoid
any mistake at the DHL while posting the keys to you, i will also
advice you to get packing your load, and wish to Congratulate you
that, you are the right tenant for my apartment and my mind chose you,
I pray for Gods hand upon you and fullness of your promises....My
family are sending there regards as well and also the First Month rent
will be pay as soon as possible.....so that the keys can be send to
you.
Pls, Is this the best address to give the DHL?

Receivers Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Receivers Address: nnnn Xxxxxxx Xx.

Here is the contents of the document sending to you:

Your First month rent ($700.00)
The Keys with the entrance keys
The description and number of the apartment
Your papers Reference Form

No-one overthere that have access to my apartment, as I'm here in the
west africa with the keys and the documents of the apartment, and due
to the trust I have in you, that's why am sending the keys of the
apartment to you, as you are the new chosen tenants of my apartment.

Am out of Vancouver, BC for 3years, that is when the rent will be
due,well i will like you to know that you can go ahead for the
exterior viewing of my apartment coz for now you can only drive pass
my apartment for the exterior viewing only for now.

Finally, Regards the payment, I advice you should make the payment
via the Western Union and , i will implore you to arrange the First
month rent soonest and get back to me so that i can forward you my
information to get the payment from you......I pray for God to guide
you through and please , Take very good care of the place for us, we
rely on you and depends of you as well.

Thanks for your trust,......I will continue to pray for you and
please, do stick to your words and caring of the place

Awaiting your email......

So I decided to maybe brush this guy off by telling him that I got a better deal.

Hi, Thanks for considering me. Just this morning, I got an offer for a 3 bedroom house for $400/mo, so I think I’m going to take them up on it.

Thanks.

and here's his response:

OK i will collect $350 per month get back to me.

Thanks

He seems rather desperate to collect something out of me. There's no way I'm sending money through Western Union. Especially if he's not able to provide a receipt. This totally reeks of scam all over it. I believe it is a form of Advanced Fee Fraud. Definitely one which could have left me homeless at the end of this month.

[Burnaby49]

Elmware! Good to hear from you again! It's been a while. Since we met I've moved up and become the Canadian moderator and I almost deleted this post thinking it was an ad (I delete a lot of those and my judgment is impaired at the moment by the imbibing of most of a bottle of wine). But, having read it, you're right on point.

However, unfortunately, I have to disagree with your assessment as given in the discussion title. A $700 a month newly renovated two bedroom apartment in a reasonably new building in the Cedar Cottage area isn't too good to be true. As a Vancouver area resident who rents you must know better than that. It's completely fucking impossible. So yes, it's an advanced fee scam. That whole writeup is bullshit from start to finish. Who cares that he's a faithful catholic in a loving marriage going to Africa?

An apartment as described in the building matching that address would go, at an absolute minimum, for about $1,500 a month. And what do these questions have to do with renting a place;

Hobbies?................................
Religion?..........................................
Nationality?...................................

My rule of thumb in situations like this is that any payment requested to be made through Western Union is part of a scam. And, as Connie Francis sang, there are no exceptions to the rule.

Good luck in finding a new place.

[Burnaby49]

My apologies. Streetview screwed me around. An older building but the rest of my post still stands.

[notorial dissent]

Elmware, welcome back, and congratulations, you've unearthed a new variant postage free Nigerian scam. It seems a thing with the Nigerian letters that they want to over share their personal(fake) details. Also, a yacht Club branch, seriously!!!

[The Observer]

Ah, if only Brad Christensen still participated here at Quatloos. Brad used to scam the Nigerian scammers by trolling them into believing that they had him hook, line and sinker, while it was really the other way around. He would have certainly played with this joker and kept him/her on the hook for several weeks thinking that their money was on the way.

If I had been me, I would have found a picture of a burned out apartment building. Then I would have sent it to the scammer, saying, "Hey, I just went by the apartment to get an idea of the neighborhood, and it turns out your apartment burnt down! I'm not interested in living in a burnt out apartment, I don't suppose you have another apartment in Vancouver that you could rent for the same price?" The response would have really shown if this person was a scammer.

[Elmware]

So here's my latest reply, as of this morning:

Hi Gabriel,

I figured I would go for a drive and check the location out. Unfortunately, when I got to the site, and saw the building, it looked like the place was falling apart. There were yellow strips saying “Caution – Do not enter” all around the premises, and piles of rubble all over the property. The building was also covered in graffiti and most of the windows were broken. There was also a notice, on the building, saying that the building had been condemned.

Do you have any other apartments, in Vancouver, that you can rent to me for the same rate?

Let's see how he responds to that.

[Elmware]

And here it comes:

I will collect the same price so get back to me so i can forward my
western union payment information to you.

The apartment is situated at Details:

531 Beatty St, Vancouver, BC V6B 0C5, Canada
.............................
2 bedroom
1 bathroom
..............................
Perfectly nestled in the heart of Vancouver between Downtown, Yaletown
and Chinatown. Beatty is walking distance to everything you need.

The front facing balcony overlooks the delightful Chambar restaurant,
the renowned Dirty Apron Culinary School and The Devil's Elbow.

Scenic parks, Chinese gardens and the Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain
Station are mere minutes away.
A historical building that was restored in 2007 has a concrete
construction, concrete and brick exterior finishing making it a quiet
home.

Amenities include one secure underground parking stall, a common
bicycle storage area, a bike wash, an equipped exercise studio just
steps away, an outdoor Zen garden, in-suite double-stacked energy
efficient laundry.

Over-height ceilings, edge-set natural bamboo flooring in living area,
carpeting in bedroom, 7' high solid-core, wood suite entry doors, flex
space for home office, den, storage or pantry. Brand new flooring just
installed this month (not shown).

The kitchen offers stainless steel appliances, a microwave and a hood
fan, energy efficient, dishwasher, solid glass backsplash, custom
designed flat panel kitchen cabinets with dampeners, quartz composite
kitchen countertops, double bowl stainless steel sink, in-sink waste
disposal unit and single lever chrome faucet.

The bathroom boasts stone floor tiles, ceramic tiled shower and tub,
single lever polished chrome lavatory faucet.

Access to large common-area deck furnished with outdoor fireplace on
those chilly nights.

Utilities included: Gas, water, and heating.

What do you think? Should I go for it? Or string him along. Anybody wanna have some fun with this guy?

Gabriel Brandon <gabrelbrandon@gmail.com>

[Burnaby49]

You're turning that down? It's a great spot. Just up Beatty from the Pint and its daily deep-fried chicken wing happy-hour special and almost across the street from Stadium Station, the one I use most when going downtown!

See what happens when you bargain? One query and you've been upscaled from some dump on Kingsway to a new concrete highrise right in the heart of the Chinatown-Gastown-Yaletown area. Quibble a little longer and you'll end up in a penthouse on Coal Harbour for $700 a month.

[The Observer]

What do you think? Should I go for it? Or string him along.

Oh, definitely. If you do it right, you will turn him into the landlord baron of Vancouver who owns every rental within 25 miles. You might even get an offer from him to rent out Burnaby's house to you.

What I find amusing is that he fails to explain, or even question, why his "apartment" was a condemned travesty. If he truly owned the place, you would think that he would express surprise how quickly his lovey domicile had been reduced to a testing ground for apprentice demolition men to train on. And he didn't try to argue that you were either mistaken or lost and were looking at the wrong site. In short, it was as if it didn't matter a bit about the current status of his property, he simply would just give you a shot at another place.

[Burnaby49]

What do you think? Should I go for it? Or string him along.

Oh, definitely. If you do it right, you will turn him into the landlord baron of Vancouver who owns every rental within 25 miles. You might even get an offer from him to rent out Burnaby's house to you.

What I find amusing is that he fails to explain, or even question, why his "apartment" was a condemned travesty. If he truly owned the place, you would think that he would express surprise how quickly his lovey domicile had been reduced to a testing ground for apprentice demolition men to train on. And he didn't try to argue that you were either mistaken or lost and were looking at the wrong site. In short, it was as if it didn't matter a bit about the current status of his property, he simply would just give you a shot at another place.

Why would Elmare conceivably want my old dump in burnaby after that last offer? Weren't you paying even the slightest attention to my description of it's amenities? Just a five minute walk from The Pint's happy hour! I didn't even mention that it's just across the street from the Devil's Elbow Ale and Smoke house and a five minute walk from The Warehouse, Chief Rock's favorite place for all you can eat tacos on Tuesdays.

[The Observer]

Why would Elmare conceivably want my old dump in burnaby after that last offer?

I didn't say Elmware would want it, only that he might be able to tease our Nigerian real estate magnate into offering your crappy million-dollar home for rent. I am sure that Elmware is holding out for a $3 million dollar estate for $700 a month.

[Burnaby49]

This article points out the reason for my rule about Western Union. If anyone wants to use Western Union for an everyday financial transaction, Like Elmware's deposit, it's almost certainly a scam;

http://vancouversun.com/news/crime/kaml ... iliar-scam

[The Observer]

Yes, any advance-fee scam is based on getting the money transferred as quickly as possible into the grifter's possession. The other example was the recently busted phony IRS caller scam where individuals were conned into putting money on debit cards that the scammers then were able to access electronically after getting the necessary information to use the cards remotely. Oversea con artists almost always will use some electronic method to get access to the funds immediately since time is their biggest enemy. Even a day of thought may convince the mark that there is something wrong and cause them to cancel a check or contest a credit charge; in addition, these methods always require identification and a paper trail to convert to cash.

[Elmware]

Funny you mention the IRS scam. Recently, I've been getting those calls too. Especially during July. What's even funny is that I live in Canada and one of them left a message on my voicemail saying they were from "Internal Revenue Service." Others said they were from CRA, but the call usually drops while they are telling me that they have a warrant out for my arrest for tax evasion.

Anyways... Back to this landlord. I was thinking of replying with something like:

Gabriel, I'm a little disappointed in you. Here, I thought you would have a penthouse overlooking English Bay for me, for $350/mo with all utilities included, and this is the best you can do?

I think by then he should realize that I'm messing with him. Shall we see?

BTW: I also thought the same thing about his property being condemned. Heck, I would have wondered what the hell is going on, of if the person went to look at the wrong place.

[Elmware]

Latest reply so far.

Yes $350 per month include utilities.

[Burnaby49]

Keep going, he'll soon be paying you.

[Elmware]

He's certainly not giving up yet.

Thanks very much for the reply, Yes, you are to pay the first month
rent so that i can take some money from it and pay the DHL for posting
the keys to you.... Also I will want you to put your mind at rest and
count on me as i will never disappoint you or take advantage of you,
so get the rent ready so that i can issue out your receipt and get it
with the keys to be posted to you.

Awaiting to hearing back from you soonest so that i can send you the
information to pay the rent at the western union.

Thanks alot

[The Observer]

You could try prolonging his agony by talking about the problems you are encountering at Western Union in getting those rent checks to him (after you tell him you sent the money):

1) "Western Union contacted me and told me that the transfer was delayed to Hurricane Harvey/Irma/Jose."

2) "They spelled your name wrong or put down the wrong numbers, and the transfer was rejected by the computer. They said they will have to try again tomorrow. I am increasing the transfer to 2 months of rent."

3) "They accidentally sent your funds to the widow of General and former Maximum President for Life Chitok Mugambe instead of you. I am trying to get the funds back, I will have to send you a new check next month but will include 3 months of rent to make up for the delay."

4) "The lady that is living in your apartment says that she never pays you rent and has been cheating you for years. So I am trying to understand why I have to pay and she doesn't?"

5) "I am sending the funds directly to LaMurtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria and they will be ready for you to pick up at the Delta Airlines ticket counter. Because of the delays in getting the money to you, I want to increase the rent check by sending you 12 months of rent in advance. Please use this special code to identify yourself as the legal person entitled to the funds: 1XR56054YsGR4513deltaLOS1008322444444444442323RRXTST232221311333222. You will also need to bring two forms of government-issued photo ID, such as a passport and driver's license, your birth certificate, and a letter from the chief constable or police official in your town, certifying that your identification is correct. This is done because the airline delivery services want to protect you due to the high incidence of fraud and forgery in Nigeria. You must be able to recite the special code by memory to prove that you were the original recipient of the code. You will not be allowed to read the code off any written paper or document, and you must recite it perfectly or the funds will not be turned over to you as the airline will think you stole it from the true owner. So please make sure you study and memorize this code well."

6) "I'm sorry, but it turns out when I sent the funds by Delta Airlines, I checked a wrong box, and the funds did not go to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, but to Muhammad Ali Airport in West Louisville, Kentucky. Please let me know if you can get to Kentucky to pick up the funds. If you can, I will increase the funds for another 12 months so that you will have money to travel back to West AFrica on your return."

[The Observer]

Of course, if you are really not interested in stringing him along, you could end this very quickly with the obvious question any sincere renter would be asking:

"I would like to look inside the apartment before I decide. When could that be arranged?"

Of course, he will maintain that he can't since he has the only keys to the apartment and will quickly drop you like a hot rock when you insist on being able to look at it - but you might make him squirm if you keep telling him that you will pay him more rent than what he is asking for.

[Burnaby49]

Sending him to Louisville? Are there no limits to your vicious sadism?