Zillow/For Rent By Owner rental scam

My daughter was looking for a home to rent in the northwest area of Columbus, OH and found an ad on Zillow for 6924 Maybrook for $700/month with all utilities paid. This is ridiculously low rent for a home in this area, but I asked for more information anyway, just to see what it was about. (One of the things I noticed right away with the ad was that it had the wrong city in it.) I received an email from someone named Robert Turner (see below). As soon as I read the first paragraph I knew this was a scam. I\'m a Realtor, and I immediately checked the MLS to see if this property was listed for sale. Sure enough, it is. Then when I saw the name on the email, I knew I had dealt with this person (or persons) before. He (they) find properties for sale, list them as rentals, and then try to collect a deposit from some poor unsuspecting consumer. I noticed when I went to the link, that the ad wasn\'t available on ForRentByOwner.com. Maybe someone else reported it before I did. Hopefully with people being wary and reporting scams like this on this site, people like this can be stopped in their efforts to scam the public. I\'ll report this to the Columbus Board of Realtors so other Realtors will know about this. I\'ve found that it\'s a good idea to do a search on these sites for my own listings now and then to be sure they aren\'t being listed by people like this.

Thanks for your interest in regards my property. Yes the house is still available for rent at a reduced price and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house, now that we are not around. My wife and i just traveled to Nigeria for a program called Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education. The program involves countries which are in The UK , Spain and Germany . We will be away for 2 to 3 years or more, that is why I have made up my mind to put up my house for rent to who ever that will take good care of it. Also, how long do you intend to stay? How soon do you intend to move in?
FEATURES :
Laundry
Electric Range
Electric Heat
Master Bedroom
Playground
Has a basement
AMENITIES:
Air Conditioning
Cable TV
Ceiling Fans
Dishwasher
Fireplace
Garbage Disposal
Microwave
security alarm
Pets Allowed
Refrigerator
Washer / Dryer

Rent:$700 includes utilities
Security deposit:$500
Please feel free to ask any questions you do not understand and i will look forward to receiving your email as soon as possible.
As i am not around to show the inside, you can go check out the house and the neighborhood from the outside and get back to me if you really like it for more information.
Kindly confirm your interest by filling the form below:

RENT QUESTIONNAIRE
RENT APPLICATION FORM.
FIRST NAME:__________?
MIDDLE NAME:__________?
LAST NAME:__________?
DATE OF BIRTH:_________?
PROFESSION:__________?
PHONE:
(CELL)PHONE__________?
(WORK)PHONE__________?
(HOME)PHONE__________?
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? ______________?
IF YOU HAVE A PET,
KIND OF PETS: _____________?
HABITS
DO YOU SMOKE ______________ ?
DO YOU DRINK ______________?
DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT? ____?
HOW SOON CAN YOU MAKE THE MOVE IN DEPOSIT REQUIRED ($500):____________?
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU WISH TO RECEIVE THE KEYS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE HOUSE:_______________?

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that we can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt and contacting you. Await your reply so we can discuss on how to get the document and the key to you.Please Note that your rent only starts counting after you have finally moved into the house,so you need not to worry about making the deposit payment now and not moving in immediately,all you\'re doing is securing the house in your favor in order not to loose it to other interested applicants..you can call with me with this number +234_81258_46802...

Scam Tip Report #7712 - Zillow/For Rent By Owner rental scam

scamalot Scam Resources and Archive