Skeevy renting listings

[Blastfrog]

I've been looking around for cheap places to rent and came across something kinda amusing/interesting. Note to mods: This isn't about me, but rather something I wanted to share, so please don't move it to blogs.

$200/mo (when all of its neighboring properties are in the 600 range), phone number listed as "John" without a last name (slang for a pimp?) and the first line of the description is "GREAT DEAL for FEMALE STUDENTS" (caps verbatim).

I kinda get the gut feeling that it's a ghetto cathouse. How likely am I correct about this?

[Du Mhan Yhu]

You should totally move there, I love seeing people get burned by false/obvious scam listings.

I knew a guy that got put out $3,500 in a Nigerian scam (419 scam). He answered a listing for a 4 bedroom house in Anacortes Washington for $600 a month. The listing was mirrored but with different contact info. The guy would never meet my friend and kept saying he would mail him the keys once a deposit and first months and last months rent was received. Well come 2-3 weeks later he still hadn't got the keys and the "owner" claimed to be in west Africa on missionary work.

Once it became obvious he was ripped off, he was out a few grand and to make matters worse, the money was requested to be wired (he did) and the guy some how made all my friends calls forward to his phone for about a week.

Me and others mentioned many times that the ad seemed fishy. We still give him shit about it sometimes.

[Cupboard]

Create a fake network of social-media contacts and a fake persona who exists only in your mind. Use attractive stock photos and album resources from friends that exist in your real life. Have this fake person contact the owner and say that you are inquiring about a friend of yours who is interested in the property. Remain noncommittal and begin the process of setting up an in-person meeting proceeded by a conference call via internet or phone interview.

If the guy is actually only looking for females, mention that you are transgender but are incomplete in the process of hormonal transition.

Just about everything is fair if you pull it off in the marketplace, especially when it comes to private transactions.

[geo]

Wow that's one hilarious listing. I helped a friend buy a ghetto house for $10,000 to keep as a storage unit for his business... which is putting in sign posts btw. We saw a lot of sketchy listings. None as good as yours.

One of the houses had NO WINDOWS. What it did have? Little arms on the walls that I said you know what used to be up there right? Cameras. Who the fuck can make a house with no windows and its allowed by the city? It must have been someone's rape house.

You know this John might not be the legal owner, he just might be some dude that broke in who's using it. You give him the $200 for first and last month's rent and he just walks away.

[Dragonsbrethren]

Du Mhan Yhu said:

I knew a guy that got put out $3,500 in a Nigerian scam (419 scam). He answered a listing for a 4 bedroom house in Anacortes Washington for $600 a month. The listing was mirrored but with different contact info. The guy would never meet my friend and kept saying he would mail him the keys once a deposit and first months and last months rent was received. Well come 2-3 weeks later he still hadn't got the keys and the "owner" claimed to be in west Africa on missionary work.

I was looking for a place a few years ago and ran into one of these. Decent price in a nice neighborhood, house was kinda run down looking so I assumed that was why rent was low. Had been dealing with slum lords my entire life so that was nothing new. One email was all it took to knock my BS meter off the scale. Not sure how people fall for this stuff. Missionary work, really?

[GreyGhost]

Du Mhan Yhu said:

The listing was mirrored but with different contact info. The guy would never meet my friend and kept saying he would mail him the keys once a deposit and first months and last months rent was received.

That has "SCAM" written all over it, your friend needs a keeper.

the "owner" claimed to be in west Africa on missionary work.

Probably spent most of his time accusing children of using witchcraft so they could be put to death.

geo said:

One of the houses had NO WINDOWS. What it did have? Little arms on the walls that I said you know what used to be up there right? Cameras. Who the fuck can make a house with no windows and its allowed by the city?

Bikie gang clubhouse? Crystal meth factory? FBI safe house? Ghetto storage unit?

Most likely a former bikie clubhouse or home of a prominent member, which tend to be fortified with cameras everywhere. Those people aren't fazed by building codes and zoning regulations.

[Kontra Kommando]

"John" is the code name for the customers. But any place that that goes for that low to the relative cost probably has some fundamental issues. ie. roaches, bedbugs, rats, crime, pollution, etc.

If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.