Scammed!

I have found myself in the middle of an internet scam and I can't stop cracking up. Do you know who Ted Nancy is? Ted Nancy is the guy who writes "Letters from a Nut" or "Extra Nutty" which are some of my favorite books. Ted Nancy writes these crazy letters to all kinds of businesses asking for these crazy demands and waits to see how they reply. The book is filled with letters and responses and they are SO funny. When I first discovered the book I ran to the bookstore and bought about 4 or 5 of them. I came home and read it cover to cover all by myself in my apartment and was cracking up laughing for hours.

Anyways, on to the scam that I found myself in and the hilarious day that I have had as Ted Nancy. One of my new found hobbies is looking on craigslist for homes for rent, cars for sale or what ever I think of that day. I found a 3 bedroom home for rent that looked like it was a pretty good deal over in San Mateo. There was no picture so I decided to send the guy an email. Here goes the beginning of the scam (warning - this may get long but is worth the good laugh you will get)....

Me:
Hi, I am very interested in your home for rent on Craigslist. It sounds like it would be a perfect fit for my husband, two children and I. I have a few questions. Please give me a call or reply to this email if it is still available.

Shawn:
Thanks for the interest in the ad i posted on Craigslist........... even if i didn't add the details needed for the proper introduction of the apartment.I am the owner of the apartment and i recently moved down to Oregon with my wife after my retirement....the following are the apartment details:
square feet:2520 3 bedroom
amenities includes:internet,dining room,cable.fully equipped kitchen,tree surrounded,well furnished,.,, Like new inside with hardwood floors, gas cooking, many built-ins, side yard for entertaining, shed, garage,gorgeous kitchen. cozy fireplace in family room. larger master bdrm w/ walk-in closet. lots of storage. refrigerator, washer & dryer included.
marble floor,plasma screen,, fruit trees, patio and , shopping, . and few to mention
street parking just in front,laundry on sites,washing machine and dishwasher available
APARTMENT ADDRESS XXX Virginia Ave, San Mateo CA
Please if you are ready now to occupy the apartment kindly let me know please

(I took the real address out and added XXX for privacy - corene)

Me:
Thanks for getting back to me on the property. I looked it up on google maps. You have been refering to it as an apartment but on google maps it looks as if it is a house. Is it a house or an apartment? We are definately interested in it especially if it is a house. However, we do have our own furniture. Can we rent it without the furnishings?

Thanks,

Shawn:
It a house Yes you can use your furniture.

Me:
What are the leasing terms? How much is the rent per month and how long is the lease? When can we look at the place? We are very interested.

Shawn:
As long as you are staying but i may be selling after 5yrs or more

Me:
What is the monthly rent and when can we look at it.

Shawn:
Thanks for the reply and am so sorry for the late response. You may not be able to see in the interior because i dont have someone to show it to you but i have some interior pics.

(at this point we are definately a little suspicious. we do some online research on the property and find it on zillow for sale for 1.2mill. I called the selling agent listed to see what the owner's name was and if they were really renting out the house or if it was a scam. Of course it was a scam so I decided to play around with Shawn for a bit.)

Me:
What is the monthly rent and can you send the pictures?

Shawn:
(He sends pictures. The pictures were of a random house and not the same pictures as the house on zillow,)


Me:
This is a lovely house. We definately want it. We have a pet buffalo name Tizi that is very large but very well behaved. Will it be a problem to keep her in the backyard. We haven't had any problems with her in the past. She is very friendly.
When can we move it?

Shawn:
You can move in immediately. After the dep and a month rent is paid. No problem with your pet.

Me:
We don't use electricity or appliances. Will if be a problem to remove all the appliances and lighting in the house before we move in?
What is the best way to get the money to you?

Shawn:
That no problem. Regarding the payment you will be paying it to my lawyers account. He will get to me

Me:
Great, let us know. Do you mind if we install a steel front door and board up the windows as we are collectors of old cooper toasters and dont want to be robbed of our collection.

Still waiting his response. I think my next email will be something like this: I hope it's not a problem if we convert one of the bathrooms into a walk in freezer, as my husband is a hunter and likes to butcher the animals in the home.

If you are laughing as hard as I am leave me a comment.