Rent To Own Home Scam – Seller Says They Are In Africa

I send a fair amount of emails to homes listed on Craigslist to see if sellers would be interested in offering their home as a rent to own.

There Is A Scam Going On Right Now!

People are posting scam Craigslist listings to try and elicit tenants or buyers to mail them a check for first month’s “rent” on houses they don’t even own.

Below are a few warning signs of fraudulent property listings:

1. The sales price or rental amount is too good to be true.
2. The homeowner only wants to communicate by email.
3. Property details are written in poor broken English.
4. Details on the listing are limited.
5. Homeowner sends a long email requesting that you provide a lot of personal information by email.
6. They claim to have just left the Country.
7. Homeowner requests that you mail them a check and claim they will leave keys to house in the mail box.
8. After reading the email, you are more confused than ever! Like this one I received below…

Scam Post On Craigslist:

Thanks for your email and interest in renting my house. I am the owner of the house you are making inquiry of…Actually I resided in the house with my family before and presently we have moved out due to my transfer from my work now in Warsaw,Poland. Presently my house is still available for rent for $1000 USD (rent already includes utilities). Moreso, i am currently in Lagos, Nigeria for an international Christian follower’s crusade. I will like to let you know that i initially wanted to sell the house but my wife adviced i rent it out to responsible people.

Please i want you to note that i spent a lot on my property that i want to give to 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 i 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.I also want you to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.

It has a dramatic entry foyer with ceramic floor. Extremely spacious rooms throughout with lots of big windows…nice and light! New neutral paint and some newer carpet..Very quiet, low traffic area. Appliances included are washer, dryer, oven,dishwasher, new fridge (7/07)…I believe its absolutely a perfect home for you and your family. Utilities include Water, Trash, Sewer, Gas and Electricity. The address of the house is 631 Sandy Creek Drive, Brandon FL 33511.

SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

FIRST NAME:__________?

MIDDLE NAME:__________?

LAST NAME:__________?

SEX:__________?

DATE OF BIRTH:_________?

PROFESSION:__________?

PHONE:

(CELL)PHONE__________?

(WORK)PHONE__________?

(HOME)PHONE__________?

WHICH NUMBER IS THE BEST TO CALL YOU ON__________?

MARITAL STATUS:__________?

KIDS _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________

PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________

CITY: _______________

STATE:______________

ZIP CODE: ____________

HOW LONG? ___________IF RENTING

WHY ARE YOU LEAVING__________?

IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU,

HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING? ____________?

WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN? ______________?

DO YOU AGREE TO PAY THE DEPOSIT BEFORE RECEIVING THE KEYS _____________?

IF YOU HAVE A PET,

KIND OF PETS: _____________?

HABITS

DO YOU SMOKE ______________ ?

DO YOU DRINK ______________?

DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT? ____?

Looking forward to hearing from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you…Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys to you,please we are giving you all this based on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words,you know that we have not seen yet and only putting everything into Gods hands,so please do not let us down in this our property and God bless you more as you do this…

The house is available for rent at the moment so you are free to move in as soon as you wish to….A Deposit of $400 (which happens to be the security deposit) is required before moving in…Feel free to call me for more information and arrangements on how to get the keys and other necessary documents delivered to you….my number is (011-234-812-339-5147 or +234-812-339-5147).The house will be available for rent for a period of 4 years so you have a choice of deciding how long you intend staying there…

Remain Blessed.
LABUDDE JEFFERY.

If You Receive An Email Similar To This – DELETE IT!

No legitimate seller or landlord would request this much information from you through email. Usually the story about having to leave the country is an instant sign this is a scam!

Make sure to steer clear of these ads when looking for your rent to buy properties!