My experience follows several others already listed in complaint. I, too, was searching for a "value" in today's apartment-rich market. I did a search on Craigs List in Los Angeles and found an amazing condo in Hermosa Beach. It listed all of the amenities, including the actual physical address and name of the condo community ("The Gallery). It also provided amazing photos. The price was amazing too; $1,500 per month for a 2 bedroom steps away from the beach, including all utilities and furniture (if I wanted it).
Needless to say, I was ecstatic when the "owner" responded to my replied interest. Katherine Dotson @gmail.com indicated that she had JUST relocated to the UK for a fantastic job opportunity and was looking for someone to rent her condo—for up to a maximum of 5 years. The reason for the low price? She needed to pay her rent in London and merely wanted "someone good" to take care of her property here. It sounded way too good to be true, but good things can happen, right? Right. Except in this case. And except on Craigs List (a breeding ground for scammers). And except where a fictitious shipping online shipping company (TNT Global Express) exist. Now, that's not to say that Craigs List is all bad. It's not. You just have to be hyper-aware of some of the predators that exist and use a resource like CL to milk good people. I also understand that there is an actual TNT Express that isn't affiliated with these people. Good luck to them.
Anyhow, I was about to bite the apple, so-to-speak when I received within minutes another email response from a different CL ad. This one sounded all-too-similar to the one I had received from "Katherine Dotson". I did a little more research and found out about similar scams in NYC. I also contacted "The Gallery" and was informed that: 1) they are not a condo unit; 2) they do rent beautiful apartments; 3) the 2 bedrooms normally rent for $2,790 not $1,500; 4) they were not aware of anyone by the name of Katherine Dotson.
Clearly, this is a scam and by being a bit more cautious—although my exuberance was definitely dampened—I saved myself from losing $1,500. I won't bore you with the elabore TNT-fund transfer scheme. You can read it in the other postings. It is accurate.
Buyer beware!!
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