So we were looking for an apartment and we sent 1500 to a person that said he would rent the apartment but then he said that his previous tenant had corona so we can't rent the apartment. From that time he is answering our SMS messages and sometimes our calls. He asked a few times do we want the refund and we said yes, he told us that he would transfer us the money through ACH transfer but that didn't work, then he told us he will meet with us in person but his schedule is full so he can't. Now he offered us to send our money through Zelle as we did. Is it a scam, should I report him or not?
New contributor
Adam Zimbakov is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
-
7Did you see the apartment with them? Did you see the actual apartment?– mhoran_psprepCommented 2 days ago
-
2Did you see the Zelle transfer on your bank statement? Zelle transfers are almost immediate, and should appear on your bank account right away. Anything other than the transfer showing up in your actual bank means it's a scam.– littleadvCommented 2 days ago
-
4@Asleepace only if they actually saw the apartment from the inside. Scams sometimes include renting out apartments one does not own, if the prospective renter agrees to pay money based on only pictures or videos of the apartment (easily faked)– SyndicCommented yesterday
-
3I find it highly unusual to send money without having a contract first. That's not how it usually works, at least where I live...– infinitezeroCommented yesterday
-
4Have you met them in person already? How far from each other are you currently? "Schedule is full" is a pretty lame excuse unless you live very far from each other - he can always make time to meet someone for 2 mins even if it means you call to them. It also seems very odd that he would decide not to rent an apartment just because the previous tenant had Covid - surely that would just delay the move-in date for a week or so?– komodospCommented yesterday
|
Show 4 more comments
4 Answers
Everything about that says "scam". Corona virus does not last very long without a host to live in. the apartment could be left empty for a few days and it would be safe. The scammer pretends that they have tried to refund you, but mysteriously the refund doesn't work. And they can't possibly meet you to hand back the money. Before long, they will stop responding at all.
If you really know who they are, you could report them. But you have probably lost your money.
-
I don't know if there was an 'official' scam name but for a while people were renting out Airbnb apartments and then pretending to be the landlord and taking deposits only to vanish later. Commented yesterday
-
5I initially read the "previous tenant had corona" thing to mean that the previous tenant couldn't travel, and was thus still there. No idea if that's true, but it might provide a more reasonable explanation for refusing the let.– psmearsCommented yesterday
-
@psmears - It's possible, but I'd expect that to be more "you can't rent it yet" or really "you can't move in yet". Refunding because the previous tenant was still there seems a bit overkill unless the renter wants to cancel the deal.– BobsonCommented yesterday
-
@Bobson: Yeah - my reading was that this was a short-term (AirBnb-style) lease, in which case refunding would make more sense. Agin, no idea if this is true!– psmearsCommented yesterday
-
1And likely he asked for additional details about you to "try the refund again".... Commented yesterday
The tenant doesn’t have Covid. He just pays his rent every month to his landlord. On the other hand, there is a scammer who pretends to be the landlord, taking your money and eventually will disappear.
Nothing about this screams scam to me, but it could go either way.
If you have never met this landlord in person or been given access to view the apartment that makes it more likely to be a scam.
Despite other answers, lots of people are still getting COVID. That by itself is not a red flag.
-
Agreed. It certainly could be a scam, but it also could be legitimate human incompetence. If you do get the money back through Zelle, that it wasn't a scam.– keshlamCommented 2 days ago
-
4Seems a bit suspicious - He's just going to let it lay dormant forever because someone had Covid in it? Surely that would just delay the moving in, not prevent it altogether.– komodospCommented yesterday
-
@komodosp I don't see where you get "forever" from the description of the problem.– keshlamCommented yesterday
-
@keshlam, outside of a few specific environments, the COVID-19 virus only lingers in the environment for a few days; turn up the heat, and you can get the place safe by the time you're done with the paperwork.– MarkCommented 23 hours ago
-
3I still don't see forever. I'm also not certain that this isn't a misphrased "prior tenant is ill and I'm compassionately letting them extend their lease." Either I am misreading this, or people are reading things into it which has not been stated.– keshlamCommented 22 hours ago
There are some concerning things about your post but the main scammy hallmark hasn't been hit yet...
So we were looking for an apartment and we sent 1500 to a person that said he would rent the apartment
You sent money without seeing the apartment in person? Oh boy, is this normal nowadays? I haven't rented a new place in almost 15 years.
but then he said that his previous tenant had corona so we can't rent the apartment.
If the tenant is on their deathbed then it's understandable that the landlord isn't looking to kick them out quite yet. If the tenant merely has the sniffles then this is a weird roadblock.
From that time he is answering our SMS messages and sometimes our calls. He asked a few times do we want the refund and we said yes,
I can't imagine why this requires asking more than once. They are either scamming or truly in disarray.
he told us that he would transfer us the money through ACH transfer but that didn't work,
Whoa, whoa, whoa, you supplied them your banking info? It's certainly weird that the refund method is different than the original payment method, Zelle.
Albeit, not inherently dangerous but scammers usually try to use this as a springboard to ask for your bank login details at some point.
then he told us he will meet with us in person but his schedule is full so he can't.
Weird, but okay.
Now he offered us to send our money through Zelle as we did.
Yes, have them refund the money via Zelle.
Is it a scam, should I report him or not?
It's hard to say right now. If you receive the money successfully then never contact this person again.
Scammers trick customers via Zelle usually with something along the lines of "You need a pro/business account so pay money at this obscure URL to unlock your funds."
I whole-heartedly recommend fully reviewing https://www.zellepay.com/safety-education/video-how-avoid-online-marketplace-scam
-
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you supplied them your banking info? Albeit, not inherently dangerous ..." It's not? There's any number of ways having that information could be used for nefarious purposes. Commented 3 hours ago
-
1
-
1@JasonGoemaat The "Whoa, whoa, whoa" refers to it being weird that the landlord is taking a different refund path than the original payment. Commented 3 hours ago
-
and have you had your sister-in-law use that to pay her credit card? Commented 2 hours ago
-