The Lexicographer's Rules

Sorry, this one isn't about language. But it is about knowing how to do research to prove people right and wrong, which is how I spend a lot of my time in working with language.

So what is this? This is what a Craiglist apartment scam looks like. The Craiglist abuse department took down the ad yesterday, but not before I made a PDF of it as backup. Besides two pictures of a neat, well-furnished apartment, it has this:

$1100 / 2br - frunished 2 bedrooms 2 baths apt (Upper West Side)
12 W 68th St !
This is a building just right next to central Park where all the funs takes place here in NY, is few steps to central Park and you can have a full view from this Unit. Lincoln center is close by and Damrosh Park is near by, the cross streets are central Park west and Broadway easy to access and lots of security.

Utilities Included: Heat,Electric,Gas,Water,AC

If you know New York City real estate, your alarm bells are ringing. A two-bedroom apartment in that neighborhood in New York City does not rent for $1100. My first thought was that it should rent for at least double that.

Then I looked at the pictures. Newish building, nice floors, big windows, lots of space, expensive furnishings. My second though was that the apartment should be at least $2800 a month.

Then I re-considered the location. I put it closer to $3800 a month.

Also, the ad says the cross streets are Central Park West and Broadway. No, they're not. Twelve West 68th Street is between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Broadway is one block further to the west.

Also the mention of Damrosch Park is curious. Who gives a damned about Damrosch Park when you have Central Park a few hundred feet away and when Damrosch is four blocks away on the other side of Broadway and Lincoln Center? Nobody, that's who.

I figured it was probably a scam, but just in the off chance it was a poorly written and miscategorized ad, I emailed the guy. You see that sometimes: somebody only wants to rent out their apartment for a week and they forget to say so in the ad, making it look like $1100 is the rent for a month, and they make the mistake of not putting it in the short-term rentals. Also sometimes people do a bad copy-and-paste job from one ad to another but they mean no harm. It happens.

But then I got a response from ohus223@aol.com.

Hello and than you for your interest in my apt.
I am the owner and the apt is available immediately,
I am now working at the US Embassy in London, UK (Great Britain) i will work here at least 4 years. Because i can't come to the US to show you the apartment will make the deal only via Rent.com . To see,inspect and then rent the apartment you will have to send me your details:

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:

I would also like to know a bit more details about you and a bit about your credit score.

The rent terms are simple:

You can rent the apartment from 6 months to 6 years.
1100$/Month
1 Month Advance 1100$
1 Month Safety Deposit in advance (1100$)

The transaction will be done via Rent.com(an eBay company)

After you send me the details i will start the transaction. You will receive the transaction info and the invoice. I am the apartment owner so because i am out of the country and the apartment has furniture and appliances worth over 30,000$ to see the apt you will have to send a safety deposit, i will not receive this deposit, the payment details will be unavailable to me, i will get the payment only if you decide to rent the apartment, if you do not rent the apartment you will get the money back the same day. After your deposit is verified you will receive the rental agreement and the property key so you can inspect the apartment. After the inspection:

If you do not want to rent the apartment you will receive the deposit back the same day. You will have to return the rental agreement and the key.

If you want to rent the apartment the safety deposit will be given to me and I will keep it as guarantee in case something happens with the furniture/appliances etc. You will receive this money when you do not want to rent the apartment anymore, if everything in the apartment has not been damaged.

The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus metro etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities a man needs including electric Utility, Cable TV, Parking, Laundry in the bldg, Air conditioning, high speed internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed.

The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER.

I hope you are a serious person.
Regards,

-- APT DETAILS
2 Bd. Apartment
12 W 68th St, New York, NY 10023

This is a building just right next to central Park where all the funs takes place here in NY, is few steps to central Park and you can have a full view from this Unit. Lincoln center is close by and Damrosh Park is near by, the cross streets are central Park west and Broadway easy to access and lots of security.
 
Utilities Included: Heat,Electric,Gas,Water,AC

Here is the email message as a PDF, which includes more pictures of the apartment. The message is scammeriffic. All the tells are there. It's 99.99% sure to be a scam, a fraud, a rip-off.

1. The scammer forgot to give a name but is quick to claim to work at the US Embassy in London. It's an inversion of the normal priority: the first information should be readily divulged, the latter only rarely and cautiously. He's claiming to work someplace with authority, yet uses an AOL address, doesn't give further credentials, doesn't offer references, not even a building manager, superintendent, neighbor, anybody.

2. He's asking for money just to view the apartment. Nobody reputable will ever ask you to pay money just to view a prospective apartment. Never ever. Walk away. The way it would be handled by somebody reputable is through a broker or management company. This is a town filled with them. Again, you will never be asked to pay money to look at an apartment in this town by anyone who is honest.

3. He invokes "Rent.com(an eBay company)" as if it's some kind of money-handling authority. To the best of my knowledge, Rent.com is only a listing service and doesn't handle the transfer of money from renters to landlords. This means he's probably going to give me the URL to a fake site that claims to be Rent.com and claims to do escrow; that is, it supposedly will hold my money until such time as I authorize its release. Instead, what would happen is that I would sign over my money, he'd receive it, and I'd never hear from him again.

4. He's obsessed with the money. Most of the message is about money. That, too, is an inversion of priorities. Also, the dollar sign comes after the amount. Maybe he's a European who owns an apartment here, maybe not, but the email seems designed, otherwise, to make one think the scammer is American, specifically the talk of working there for four more years. Also, the overall writing level is poor and disjointed. The State Department surely requires better performance than that, no matter what you think of its actions or politics. I'd expect somebody working in the US Embassy and owning an expensive apartment to have the best education and the high-quality presentation skills that go with it. Writing well would be ingrained.

5. The list of information for which he's asking. It's not that he's asking for it, it's the list. Scam after scam, time after time, again and again, features that list or one very similar. In looking at the dozens of 419 scam letters and the "foreign agent" scam letters ("we need someone to ship us merchandise or redirect funds to us") that I've received over the last week, I see that many of the 419 scammers include "The List" and ALL of the foreign agent scammers do.

On the off chance I was misreading the email and it was authentic, I googled the building address. Turns out, it's a historic building and it has a web site with pictures of the building and a list of apartments. This was the clincher: the Craigslist ad is with 100% certainty a scam.

1. The window configuration shown in the scammer's photos is impossible and does not match the building at all.

2. The view out the scammer's photos does not match the view on Google street view.

3. There's no two-bedroom apartment at 12 West 68th Street. There is one in the adjoining 14 West 68th Street, but the photos don't match at all.

4. There is a 3 to 4 bedroom apartment for rent in the building. The asking price is $7000. I think that confirms my estimate of about $3800 a month for a two-bedroom in that building. That price isn't a sign of someone desperate for money: they could just knock a few hundred off the going rate, not thousands, and still have renters lined up to sign up.

I sent the scammer one more email trying to get a name. He wrote back, claiming his name is "Gary Barts" and repeating most of the same information in the previous emails. This one is even more about the money.

So, la-di-da, scammer, and goodbye. I've done my best to make this as googleable as all get-out.

I would post the raw source of the emails, but since he's using an AOL account, there's no indication of his original sending location.

There’s loads of these guys out there, advertising identical apartments in a variety of locations. They take the deposit and run. Here’s a European variant: http://oreneta.com/kalebeul/2007/09/16/ralphanderson1987/

If you see anything more like that, please send me the links.

thanks!

Craig
craig@craigslist.org

Rock on with your bad-ass crime-stopping ways, Grant!  Whenever I try to strike back at some scam or evil act with as much venom as you did, my wife thinks I’m nuts.  (Well, to be honest, she’s kind of right about that.) 

I completely agree with you about spotting e-mail with “foreign accents.”  I taught ESL for years, and writing by a non-native speaker leaps of the page (or screen).  It’s one of the easiest ways to spot an internet scam.

Thanks!
(Next, I’d like to take on your endorsement of “professor emeritus” for a female on a recent show… Seriously?  Calling a horse a cow don’t make it so.)

Great post. And a note on the comment above from Craig Newmark of Craigslist—it’s the rare company owner these days who stands behind the company, and actually cares when something goes awry. I heard Craig Newmark speak at an alt weeklies conference, and he’s really a good egg.

Personally, I’ve been posting about a company called mamasource.com that apparently spams people who click on a link to plant a free tree. Artie Wu, the owner of that company, is exceptionally hard to track down.

I agree with Amy, how nice to have an Owner and CEO stand behind their company.

I have also been posting about a company called Mamasource.com that seems to be a scam. The CEO, Artie Wu, did contact me once, and when I replies with the three things I’d like to see changed about his practices, he never replied.

There are over 100K subscribers that are being conned by Artie Wu and Mamasource, and my only goal is to make them realize what he is doing and get them to ask him to stop his email phishing and hijacking.

Please look at my blog at:

http://mamasource.blogspot.com

to see exactly what this particular CEO is up to.

Folks, thanks for the kind words! and I’m serious, if you find a problem, lemme know.

Craig

Craig I would just like to add that I am a big fan, your site is amazing and if your ever in Australia I will buy you lunch!

Craig,

I think what you have done here is very honourable and very noble of you.  Standing up to these scams and protecting and defending the websites loyal visiotrs shows you care.

Well done and great post.

Great, great post, grant. It’s astonishing to me how many people - seemingly smart, worldly-wise type people - can get suckered by elaborate scams on CL. (I had to tell a friend once, “No, do not ship this printer to Africa and get paid via MoneyGram.”) But it’s nice to know that the actual Craig of the eponymous list is looking out for his users!

Unfortunately these scams are happening all over the world especially on sites such as Craiglist and Ebay.  There has been a big thing in the English papers recently regarding a fake lottery win scam whcih apparently and somewhat suprisingly reaped 20 milliuon in profit! It is refreshing to see someone like Craig who is clamping down on this and has actually taken to the time to make us all aware of it.

Bex

Folks, thanks for the kind words! and we’ll keep the faith; just got rid of a lot of scams earlier.

Craig

You really have done your research here. The sad thing is there are people who would fall for this scam. I refer to myself as Miss Gullible sometimes for my foolish ways and ability to believe what I want to believe, even if it has no ground in reality. Thank goodness for people like you to save us from scammers. I hope no one actually sent money to this guy.

Thanks for posting this! I’m currently in the market for an apartment, and it seems that the scammers have become more clever in the actual Craigslist ads, but still use the same old tricks when you contact them. Here’s the lastest reply, I really like the way they tried to make it more real with the little voting tidbit…same deal, the couple is away, one usually for a presitgious job, for some reason there is usually a car accident/injury…UGH

Thank you very much for taking your time to mail me.  Hope you had a great vote today ?l must tell you that it is my sincere pleasure to write you back and to let you know that the two bedroom apartment you are making inquiry of is still available, the monthly fee is $900 and a security deposit of $200,available from now,utilities Included,Dryer,Washer,Heat,Gas,Light,Water and a secured parking space.Well trained pets are also allowed.
Let me quickly introduce myself to you. My name is Joan and my husband name is Duke, my husband is the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of, but right now he’s in west Africa on a missionary work, l was suppose to go with him but some months before he traveled l had a very serious car accident, that affect my back bone and brain, now l am using wheel chair and l find it very difficult to talk   but l can communicate through email, that is the reason why l did not traveled with him,l am staying with my mother in Ohio.
Actually me and my husband both resided in our apartment before he traveled to west Africa on a job transfer,with a Telecommunication Company, so we both agreed to rent/lease our apartment to somebody that can take proper care of it if we let he/she rent our apartment. We will not like to experience what we experienced from our last tenant, he destroyed most of our properties ,and l know how much my husband spent to repair the things our last tenant destroyed, to be very honest with you, a whole lot of people are contacting me regarding our apartment but l am not sure of who to accept due to our past experience, so we’re taking our time to look for a responsible and a very honest tenant that will take proper care of our home since me and my husband are both far from home, although my husband is a very busy man due to the nature of his job, but he said if l find a responsible tenant that can promise to take care of our apartment should rent it out to he/she.
We don’t ever want to take the risk of putting our apartment in care of an agent again, because our last agent just leased our home to somebody that almost destroyed all that my husband has suffered for, since my husband is a very busy person, he said l should be very careful with the kind of person l rent out our apartment to, but if you can assure me that if l let you rent our apartment, you will take proper care of it, l will be glad to make you our new tenant to be.

Address: 148 Hancock Street, Brooklyn NY 11216, United States
Nearest Metro / Subway: A train - 0,1 Miles
Nearest Bus / Tramway: Bus - 0,1 Miles
Nearest Airport: JFK - 10 Miles
As soon as l hear from you l will send you more information about our apartment and if my husband is Tokay with you, Expect to read from you soon, once again thank you very much for the time you took in mailing me l must tell you that l really appreciate it.

Yours Sincerely
Joan Duke

Hi,
I’m looking for an apartment in NY to rent for a week.
I’ve been getting some responses and the average price, for each night, is around 300$ and all of them with just a single room and a sofa in the living room.
Then I get this response, via 10kvacationrentals.com:
“Hi,
Thanks for your interest on my apartment; the apartment is located at 150 East 34th Street #18D, New York NY 10016. In a white glove doorman, luxury hi raises building on Manhattans posh Upper East Side. The place will be available for you on your arrival, to secure your Arrival Date: 12/1 and 12/7/08? For (6nights). The rent is $185 per night 50% of the full amount $1110, will be required which is $555 plus a refundable security deposit of $500.making $1055 to secure your date,
Kindly get back to me if you can meet up with my conditions so I can send you a booking form so as to be able to get the place secured on time, and I’d advise you make booking on time before someone else takes the place.
Do have a great day and i look forward to receiving your response.

MELLOR”

Now: CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS IS A SCAM OR NOT???
Thanks in advance and best regards,
Pedro

Thanks so much for the post. 

The scam is now on the Los Angeles Craigslist!  http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/apa/920424467.html

I’ve written to their abuse address and hope its down soon.

These scamming ads wouldn’t catch those of us who know the rental environment, but kids can get caught badly in these traps. 

Your article convinced my daughter that the whole thing was bogus.

Hi Pat,

Here is the rest of the post (he insisted… and gave a telephone number for me to contact him):
“Hi,
There is no problems about our cancellation policy, if there is anything you need to know don’t hesitate to asked, you can reach me on 7184049487, I await the rentals booking form, and I’d advise you make booking on time before someone else takes the date since you are still interested,.
Mellor”
——
If someone can give this number to any kind of authority to check this out, tourism would apreciate..!
Regards,
Pedro

Another scam on the Los Angeles Craigslist!!  Watch out!

This one also had perfect furnished pictures of the apartment-
just like the example.

When I wrote this is what he replied with:

$1100 / 2br - Stylish Downtown 2 Bedroom Apartment

Hello,
I have received your email that you are interested in my 2br apartment at 312 W 5th St Los Angeles CA 90013.
The apartment has over 1600sq ft: 2 bedrooms each with it’s own closet, a living room, a spacious kitchen with state of the art modern appliances, 2 large baths.

Rent is $1100 per month for the whole apartment.
1st Month , Deposit in advance.
The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees except electricity bills.

The apartment is available and you can move immediately, i will be in London UK for the next 5 years so that is why i am renting it for such great price.
Because there is nobody in the United States that can show you the apartment the apartment rental will be done via a neutral third party company Pay Pal Transactions, one of the biggest names in online transactions, accredited by the Better Business Bureau, they are the biggest credit card processor online, almost 90% of all transactions on eBay are done via PayPal, the transaction will be done via one of their departments that acts as an escrow. You can inspect the apartment before committing to a lease.  After your deposit is verified you can inspect the apartment. You will receive the keys and the lease, the same day or the next day the deposit is verified, you will access the apartment, inspect it and review the lease. If you do not like the apartment your deposit will be returned after you have sent back the keys and paperwork, if you like the it you will sign the lease, mail it and the apartment will be yours.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted and largest merchant companies : PayPal
PayPal is an eBay company offering Purchase Protection up to $20000 on eBay. All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, holding your deposit unavailable to me until you have inspected and reviewed the apartment, they will give me the details to collect the money only after you have inspected the apartment and only if you decide to rent it. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned to you.

The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished,  flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, Washer / Dryer in the building, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance problems will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.

I would like a bit more details about you:

Credit score ?
How old are you?
Are you married?
Occupation?
When do you want to move in
How long do you want to rent the apartment?
First month’s rent, deposit, will be paid in advance are you OK with this?

I hope you are a serious person.
Please see the images of the apartment bellow.
Regards.
Daniel Jules.

Thank goodness I googled ! Here is my response today 12/28/08:

Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at :  500 N St APT 310   Sacramento CA 95814
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$750 per month,
First month’s advance, $750 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Marine Biologist, 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.

Photobucket Photo Album with pictures of the apartment :

s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo77/daniel_014/

Regards.
Daniel Jules.

Wow, and here is another in Portland OR,

Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at : 1500 SW 11th Ave Portland OR 97201
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$ 800 per month,
First month’s advance, $800 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Structural Engineer , 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.

Photobucket Photo Album with pictures of the apartment :

www.s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo77/daniel_014/

Regards.
Daniel Jules.

The same scam on Atlanta Craigslist.
Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at : 434 Marietta St NW   Atlanta GA 30313
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$ 700 per month,
First month’s advance, $700 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Marine Biologist, 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.
Regards.
Daniel Jules.

I got one too, The new year is off to a good start.
Sacramento Ca 12/31/08

Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at :  500 N St APT 310   Sacramento CA 95814
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$750 per month,
First month’s advance, $750 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Marine Biologist, 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.

Photobucket Photo Album with pictures of the apartment :

s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo77/daniel_014/

Yeah,
The apartment looks great.  How do we get this ball rolling? I live in Tampa but will be relocating soon to Miami for work. As the Holiday season ends I will be needing to make my move. Let me know what the next step is. How do I get the keys to see the apartment?
Noah
In a message dated 1/2/2009 7:22:25 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, danielju00@yahoo.com writes:
Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at : 133 NE 2nd Ave   Miami FL 33132
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$ 800 per month,
First month’s advance, $800 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Marine Biologist, 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.
Regards.
Daniel Jules.

It’s in Boston, too. How much do you love that he’s a Marine Biologist? Lots of dolphins at Oxford!

$800 / 2br - 2 bedrooms 2 bths great location, high end furnished (downtown)

Hello,
I just read your email and if you are still interested in renting an apartment my 2 br apartment is unoccupied and available for rent right now.

It is located at : 21 Beacon St Boston MA 02108
2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, 2 closets, over 2000 sqft, all bills included in the monthly rent.

The rental terms are simple:

The lease can be anything from 6 months to 6 years.
$ 800 per month,
First month’s advance, $800 deposit. The monthly rent includes all utilities and amenities fees.

My name is Daniel, Marine Biologist, 44 years old, I have nobody in the US that can show you the apartment, i will be in London with my studies at the Oxford University for the next 6 years. I will need your details: Name, Address, City, Zip .  This is my second apartment and that is why i am renting it, the people that lived there until now have bought their own house and moved out so the apartment is free and available at the moment.

I can only rent the apartment using a neutral third part company: PayPal Transaction, they are the leader in payment transactions,offer Purchase Protection, recommended by eBay, accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They will hold the deposit from you until you have inspected the apartment, so you can take a look before committing to a lease. The keys and paperwork can be delivered at your address overnight.

The transaction will be done via one of the most trusted names on the internet: PayPal.
PayPal is the nr1 option when paying on ebay, they are the lead merchant for credit card payments over the internet, the are accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and offer Purchase Protection .All this can be verified and is 100% legitimate.
They will be the guarantor for our transaction, so when you will send the deposit, they will hold the payment details until you have inspected the apartment. Because i am out of the country and the apartment has electronics and appliances worth over 15,000$ you have to send the deposit and confirm the details to PayPal Transactions so you can receive the rental agreement and property keys to inspect the apartment. You do not have to commit to a lease if you do not want the apartment and in that case the deposit will be returned back to you the same day.

There is a washer/dryer in the building. The apartment is very close, in walking distance to local transport, bus etc. has just been renovated, totally finished, flexible lease, is nice, clean, quiet, has all the facilities and the utilities anyone would need including electric Utility, Cable TV, 2 PARKING SPACES,  Air conditioning, high speed Internet, workout facility, well behaved pets are allowed. Maintenance will be resolved by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that is done. You can also rent the apartment with your furniture, i have a spacious room in the building’s basement where the furniture from my apartment can be stored, in case you want to bring your own.
The rent is for the whole apartment NOT just a shared room. This is not a sublease, etc, i am the OWNER. You can rent the apartment furnished and unfurnished.
Please tell me a bit more about you and what you do, your credit score,etc. I am looking for someone quiet, serious and responsible.
Let me know if you have received the images of the apartment bellow.
Regards.
Daniel Jules.

Daniel Jules strikes again.
I had the same exact problem with Daniel Jules for an apartment in Boston… I actually sent the money via Moneygram and when I tried to email the the payment code to a supposed paypal email address that is blacklisted by this website it showed that no such email address existed. I called Paypal and they said they offered no such service, so immediatly went out and cancelled the transaction and got my money back. He’s still waiting to hear from me and expecting the deposit will still go through… What should I say to him?

Colleen,
Tell him that he is going to wind up in prison.
Robin Buckley

Crisis averted!  After having corresponded with Daniel Jules (Marine Biologist 44, Oxford University)over the holidays on his unbelievably beautiful 2BR/BA DWNTN MPLS Apt., I sent a MoneyGram today, then promptly checked the listing on craigslist…saw that it was flagged..and was lucky enough to recind my money by contacting MoneyGrm, because he had yet to pick it up.  his info is: danieljul33@yahoo.com,
23 Leicester Square London, UK WC2H7LA… and the money gram was confirmed by: agent22@mail2Realtor.com.  I had planned to have a continued interest/more secure pmt. method but after having stumbled on this I am convinced that I narrowly averted being punked!
Thanks a bunch!

Robin,

I think you meant to respond to sbourke, but I would love to see that happen. He almost took my brother and his fiancee and prison sounds about right.

I would like to see law enforcement catch him in the act, but that probably won’t happen, even though I did file a report. If everyone filed with www.IC3.gov then maybe they would go after him. I think that’s the right address.

Glad that I happened to investigate this Daniel Jules aka Roger Hart aka others regarding the impossible low rentals in luxury apartments. Knew it was too good to be true, and this one certainly was. Turns out Danny-boy also has a listing for a 2bd 2bth luxury condo in downtown Miami listing at $800/mth with the deposit going to an ING Group agent just for viewing the unit. The apts in the high rise sell for $800K for starters, so you do the math how a biologist working in London for the next 4 years can afford to rent a fully furnished unit for that amount. If anyone’s interested in the ongoing saga of the scammer Jules, or those looking to rent units from this character, here’s the backpage.com link of the unit in Miami.
(http://miami.backpage.com/ApartmentsForRent/_800_2br_beautifully_renovated_fully_furnished_luxury_2_bedroom_apartment_/classifieds/ViewAd?oid=4511042)

Well good looking out “renters-beware”, until the next scam-of-the-week.

L

HI all,

This Daniel Jules character contacted me after I responded to an add for a great 2 bdrm 2 bath fully furnished, 20K worth of electronics in this downtown seattle apartment.  I went as far as having him send me the transaction as I knew that it was a scam from the beginning.  I work in IT and am able to track where people like this are located.  I have since contacted british police and given them his exact location.  Aparently they have been looking for “Daniel Jules” for quite some time.

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