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?
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9Did you see the apartment with them? Did you see the actual apartment?– mhoran_psprepCommented Sep 17 at 10:09
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4Did 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 Sep 17 at 17:12
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5@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 Sep 18 at 8:21
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4I 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 Sep 18 at 9:00
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5Have 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 Sep 18 at 9:25
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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.
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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 Sep 18 at 8:42
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10I 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 Sep 18 at 14:33
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1@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 Sep 18 at 15:03
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1And likely he asked for additional details about you to "try the refund again".... Commented Sep 18 at 18:00
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1Plus, refunding the money the way it was originally sent should be the FIRST way to "try" the refund, not the last resort...– SabineCommented Sep 18 at 19:52
The tenant doesn’t have Covid. They just pay their rent every month to their 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.
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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 Sep 17 at 16:52
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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 Sep 18 at 9:29
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@komodosp I don't see where you get "forever" from the description of the problem.– keshlamCommented Sep 18 at 21:28
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@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 Sep 18 at 22:26
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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 Sep 18 at 23:51
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.
If the money comes from an account different than the one you sent money to initially then this would raise a red flag; it could indicate a different victim sending you money. If they refund more than what you paid then it would also be a red flag.
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
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"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 Sep 19 at 18:54
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2@JasonGoemaat Most of us have written a check in our lifetime... Commented Sep 19 at 19:07
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2@JasonGoemaat The "Whoa, whoa, whoa" refers to it being weird that the landlord is taking a different refund path than the original payment. Commented Sep 19 at 19:08
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and have you had your sister-in-law use that to pay her credit card? Commented Sep 19 at 20:04
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