Rental Scam! Red Flags and How to Avoid.

[Charlotte285]

*The reason why I started a new coversation regarding rental scams is because "the owner" I contacted sounded legit and seemed to know Airbnb long-term rental rules. Different from other scamming stories I read online, he did not ask me to transfer money outside of Airbnb (at least not yet). Instead, he indicated that everything, including the payment and the rental contract, will go through Airbnb. However, he still raised lots of red flags (details down below). After contacting Airbnb Customer Support, they confirmed that the emails were sent by an unauthorized party.*

*From what I know and hear, Airbnb DOES NOT have local agents to help handling the rental matters.*

*Check the website URLs. Should be under "www.airbnb.com". Otherwise are fake.*
*If you are in doubt, contact Airbnb Customer Support before taking any actions (including clicking links in the emails if any).*  

For the past few weeks, I have been searching for an apartment to rent in Miami. I found this too-good-to-be-true listing on both rental website (Zumper) and advertisement on Facebook Marketplace. For those who don't have much idea about Miami rental price: normally a 1 bed/1 bath apartment cost around $1,200+ just the place itself. This listing offers $1,000 only for a 2bed/2bath townhouse including all utilities (water, electricity, internet etc.). Out of curiosity, I made contact through Facebook message. It was later on directed to Zumper for "the owner" to contact me via email. At first he sounded cool (tho explained a little too much), but soon rasied lots of red flags once he mentioned Airbnb. 

1. No listing post available on Airbnb site.
2. Described Airbnb as "the biggest international website dealing specifically in rental properties." 
3. Ask for information in order to "provide Airbnb with your details."
   (Never heard hosts booking for renters on Airbnb. Should be the other way round!)
4. Only allows potential tenants to check on the property after paying full amount deposit (in my case $1,000).
   (Mentioned refund but do not trust them! Why don't you allow people to book one day stay with a discounted price (or even in full) to check on the property?) 
5. "The property looks like in the pictures."

Other detials I found weird:

- Almost exact wording as other Airbnb scams people shared online. "If you decide to proceed with this transaction, ..."

- Keep mentioning Madrid/Spain. Okay, I get it. You live in Madrid/Spain. 

- Interesting timing. He sent me emails at 6:58pm, 10:05pm, and 10:43am EST. I did a little math, it should be 12:58am, 4:05am, and 4:43pm Madrid/Spain time. Sounded like a hardworking person who is very eager to rent out his property in Miami/USA.

Following are the emails:

#1
Hello,
My name is Miguel Rufino Garcia and I am the owner of the property I am happy to let you know that it is still available for long or short term rental. I bought this property for my daughter during her studies in the US, but now she is back home in Spain, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time (obviously preferable for long periods).
The property looks like in the pictures. The utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spot, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $1,000 per month. One month deposit of $1,000 is also requested and fully refundable once you decide to leave the apartment (with a 30 days notice before). As from my side, I will never ask you to leave the apartment because my daughter is permanently living here in Madrid/Spain, so we won't disturb you.
Before we proceed I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the property, and for how long.
All the best from Spain,
Miguel

#2
Hi again,
Everything sounds good, but as I said, I live in Madrid/Spain and unfortunately i cant be present to deal in person. I can arrange to rent the apartment from Spain through AIRBNB, which is the biggest international website dealing specifically in rentals properties.
I hope you are familiar with Airbnb, but if not i'll explain you how it works..
If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number along with your full name, the date when you want to enter in the apartment, how many people would live there and for how long.. Then I will start the process through Airbnb here in Spain, providing them with your details. Next you will receive a notification message with all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete the process and receive the keys with the rental contract.
This is the only way i can proceed, so hopefully you will find it ok in order to secure the apt in your favor...
Let me know,
Miguel

#3
Hello again,
At this moment i dont have it listed on Airbnb, but if you are interested, Airbnb will send you a notification and you can see the listing with pictures and description on Airbnb website. Also on the notification, you will receive the steps on how you need to proceed in order to book the apartment. Everything will be thru them, including the payment and sign of the rental contract. Once you confirm the booking with Airbnb, an agent from them will show you the apartment. However, they will ask you to pay them the security deposit in amount of $1,000 before that. They will hold your funds and they wont release anything to me until you have checked the apartment, you decide to rent it and we sign the rental contract. At any time, you can request for a refund if you are not happy with the apartment.
Please send me your full name, phone number, the date when you want to enter in the apartment, how many people would live there and for how long.
Looking forward to receive your email.

[Carey25]

Miguel's daughter must have gone to several schools in the US, because I just received this email from him regarding an apartment he's renting on radpad.   

Hello, This is[Personal information hidden as per the community guidelines] 

and i am the owner of the property you areinterested in. I am happy to let you know that it is still available. Webought this property for my daughter during her studies in the US, butsince she is back home in Spain, we are looking for some to stay in theplace for long term. The property looks like in the pictures. Utilities (cold/hot water,electricity, wireless broadband Internet, 1 parking spot, garbage disposal,etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $1,000 per month. One month deposit of$1,000 fully refundable is also required( refundable with a 30 daysnotice). As from my side, i will never ask you to leave the apartmentbecause my daughter is permanently living here in Madrid/Spain, so we won'tdisturb you. Before we proceed I would like to know a little something about you, likehow many persons you intend to live in the property, and for how long. All the best from Spain, 

[Personal information hidden as per the community guidelines] 

[Kamrul3]

hi i was recently scammed too buy airbnb rental ive lost £500 on "deposit" i was in desperate situation and they took advantage of that.

these are some of the emails I received

Hi

My name is Marie, and I'm the owner of this apartment, the full address of the apartment is 3B Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware HA8 5FQ . I'm a Uk Army Sergeant, two months ago I was deployed for the next 3 years to British Forces Gibraltar and I have decided to rent the flat during my stay here . I'm interested in renting through Airbnb only for a long term, a minimum of 6 months. The flat is furnished, renovated and fully equipped (washing machine, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, digital TV, wireless broadband) . Also you can use my furniture, or you can use yours if you prefer, I have a very large and well-ventilated warehouse where you can store my furniture. The rental price per month is £850 which covers all the utilities, such as power, water, dishwasher, sewer and trash, this price is for the entire apt, I also request a damage guarantee of £850, when we finish the contract you will receive this money back on the same day when you leave the apartment, so the total to move in is £1,700

Before going any further, I want to know more about you, like:

- your occupation;

- how many people will live in the apartment;

- the period of months you want to rent the apt;

Hi again ,

As I've said in my previous email, I will rent the apartment through Airbnb.  I don't know if you have used Airbnb before. Airbnb is the biggest rental company in the world, you can rent a property anywhere in the world and if something goes wrong you are covered and protected by them. On your move-in day, you will meet with an Airbnb agent in front of the apt, he/she will give you the keys, show you the apartment and sign the final contract. You will have a 3 days period to inspect this apartment. If you don't like it, they will refund your money back in 24 hours. Again, payment will be handled by Airbnb and they will release the funds to me only after you agree to rent the apartment. You will have 24h to complete the payment for your reservation so you can move forward with the Airbnb Reservation if you have the full amount of £1700 ( first month of rent and the security deposit of £850 ) available now !  

If you are ready please send the me the requested details so Airbnb can send your the reservation email :

   - complete name;  

   - your email address;    

   - the date when you want to move in  

   - how many people will stay there;    

   - your phone number;   

   - a picture of your ID for your Airbnb contract

Thank you for your interest and look forward to a future cooperation and friendship.

£500 and rest when you are ready to move in the apartment

Dear Kamrul Hassan Emon ,

Congratulations on renting the apartment ! You are receiving this email because the owner Chloe Marie Anderson has registered you as a potential guest. We have attached you the invoice! This invoice is in PDF electronic format. Double click on the attached file to view the invoice and please follow the enclosed payment instructions.

[Katrina92]

Thank you for this post!! Literally the same exact name and emails...my poor father who is looking for a property to move to in 30 days ALMOST fell for it. I’m glad he called me and asked me to check it out first. I hate these scammers...and they are getting good at disguising themselves smh. But thank you for bringing attention to this. When I googled MIGUEL RUFINO GARCIA it was your post that first came up and verified it was a scammer. So greatful no dime was spent!

[Cathy304]

I just got the exact email reply when inquiring about a condo in Arlington, VA - rat bastards - do these people not have time for a legit job?  Thankfully one quick google of the name came up with this -- thank you everyone!

[Catherine918]

Thanks for posting this. Got an email from this person after replying to a too good to be true apartment ad here in Los Angeles. 

[Alexandria26]

Thank you so much for posting this! My brother was in a desperate situation and almost sent his money to this scammer! I kept telling him that no leaser would require you to pay a deposit prior to seeing the apartment. Be careful out there!

[McKenna7]

This exact same person did the same thing to me here in San Diego. With the exact same email. I'm so glad I looked up Miguel Rufino Garcia of Madrid Spain and found this post or else I would have kept going along. Too good of a price to be true. 

Email #1

Hello,

This is Miguel Rufino Garcia and i am the owner of the property you are interested in. I am happy to let you know that it is still available. We bought this property for my daughter during her studies in the US, but since she is back home in Spain, we are looking for some to stay in the place for long term.

The property looks like in the pictures. Utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, 1 parking spot, garbage disposal, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $1,000 per month. One month deposit of $1,000 fully refundable is also required( refundable with a 30 days notice). As from my side, i will never ask you to leave the apartment because my daughter is permanently living here in Madrid/Spain, so we won't disturb you.

Before we proceed I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the property, and for how long.

All the best from Spain,

Miguel Rufino Garcia

Email #2

Hi again,

Thanks for your email. Everything sounds good, but as I said, I live in Madrid/Spain and i cant deal in person. However, I can arrange to rent the apartment from Spain through AIRBNB, which is the biggest website dealing specifically in rentals properties.

I hope you are familiar with Airbnb, if not i'll explain you how it works.. You would be able to check and inspect the property before moving in and decide if you want to rent it or not.
If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need your phone number along with your full name. Then I will start the process through Airbnb, sending them with your info. Next you would receive a notification message from Airbnb with all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete and confirm the rental process(keys and contract also).

This is a safe and secure way for both us and it is only i can proceed.

Let me know,
Miguel

[Michael4555]

I have the same email on a long term property i was looking to rent. Thank you, you saved me from sending him three-month rent in advance before even visiting the flat as a hold. purue scammer on zoopla uk.

Thanks

[Hesho0]

is there any way to get the money back. if you have sent a deposit. the host is not replying back to me.

[Anissa23]

I just received the same email this morning in regards to a condo listing here in Detroit, MI. This is absurd!

[Candice64]

Wow so I'm chiming in because I just recieved an email from this Miguel person and the exact wording was used on a rental property in DC.  I did my research and found the property online for sale from an actual real estate company. *sighs* 

Luckily I caught on when I realized the time difference and he never addressed my initial questions about touring the unit. SMH

[Candice64]

I'd also add, folks please google drop photos of these "too-good-to-be-true" places. You'll be surprised where the search will take you and will also save you a lot of anxiety and time. 

[Melissa530]

OMG!! So crazy same exact email i got from him! The townhouse price was too good to be true, so of course i has to look it up and google his name!! I was trying to find a rental for an apartment and came across an ad for a townhouse for 1000$ i live in California and cost are crazy! So seeing that price of course i jump too it and email him. So so glad i came across this post and didn’t go thru with the rental! 

[Tara184]

OMFG you just saved me 1000 dallors and Heaven knows I need a place for myself and one year old and he sent me an email response EXACTLY like the one above for an apartment in Costa Mesa. So sad because I had my hopes set on this but for some reason something had me google the information before handing over the money Monday morning.  THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH.  ❤❤❤

[Anna2090]

This person pretends to be a woman named  Susanne Enoksen <susanneenoksenn@hotmail.com>

´´Soy el propietario del piso de 1 hab 1 baños, 60 m2 situado en 13 Carrer de Carme Karr´´ Barcelona,Espana.

but payment goes to a man name Valdemar Jepsen 

Also said is traveling in Norway but email was sent from Germany and this airbnb supposed to be in Ireland. 

Said that airbnb will give me the keys after I pay and that if I do not like the place will refund money. 

payment is only by bank transfer and in Spain this is not retractable so there is no such thing as money refundable according to my bank.

Para completar el proceso, visite:

 http://airbnb.booking-online-info.info/1/listing/89/view-zljatbi3/860dZJuZrg

Bank address – SEVERO OCHOA, 2, LASROZAS , 2823 , Espana
Account name –  VALDEMAR JEPSEN
Swift: INGDESMMXXX
Account number : ES84 1465 0340 5417 3357 3786