can you say scam?

The other day we stopped and looked at puppies. They were so adorable and I wanted one so badly. The one I was holding was my favorite and he snuggled up to me and fell asleep. I just about died. So, I decided to look for a new place to live. A place that is accepting of puppies and has a yard for them to play in. (We aren't really moving, I was just dreaming of having the ADORABLE puppy and a lovely home to live in.)

Aaaannnnnyyyyyways. I saw a listing on craigslist for a darling home with 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms, remodeled in 2007. It is a cute little "cottage" with a red door and a porch. Tender, no? So, I emailed the poster and asked if we could come take a look at the place and I asked when it would be available. This is the response I got:

Good day Applicant,

Thanks for your email and interest in renting my house. I am Greg Foster the owner of the house you are making inquiry of. Presently, I am in Nigeria. I came over here with my wife, we both acquired the property immediately after getting married. On getting here, I had a thought of selling the house of which i did a research for an agent to handle it on our behalf and after getting one, we got a deal but later my wife advised against that. Presently, it is no longer for sale, under minding the for sale sign up there in the building which I put there before leaving but available for rent at $700 per month (which includes utilities) and a security deposit of $700. More so now, our purpose of leaving the States down to Nigeria is for an International Christian Conference (I.C.C) meeting, that has to do with establishing of more churches around the West African continent, aimed at propagating the word of God amongst them as to reduce the high rate of criminal activities practiced as the end time is near. We are currently working with the Church of God Mission international, led by Arch-Bishop (Mrs.) Margaret Benson Idahosa.

Please, I want you to understand that I spent a lot on my property that you have requested to rent, so I will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and would want you to treat it as your own because cleanliness they say is next to Godliness. It is not all about the money to be paid on rent or spent; it is all about a good maintenance culture which I want you to adopt on the property. I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I would be full of smiles whenever I come and above all, a good, strong and tight relationship between us when I come for a checkup. Please one more thing, I wouldn’t like to have any benefit of trust in you because I want to stand in your words that the property would be well taken care of all the time.

I believe you have see how lovely it is if from only the pictures you saw in my posting compare to the 100% comfort to be derived from it as an occupant. Please note that you will only be able to drive by the house for now but can't have a look at the interior until I have sent the keys and documents of the house to you. It has New fridge (7/07)...I believe it’s absolutely a perfect home for you and your family. Utilities include Water, Trash, Sewer, Gas etc.

Please note that, a deposit payment would be required if accepted to have the property rented.

MOVE IN DEPOSIT REQUIRED ONLY:

Security Deposit: $700

SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW.

RENT APPLICATION FORM.

FIRST NAME: __________
MIDDLE NAME: __________
LAST NAME: __________
PROFESSION: __________
PHONE: _______________
(CELL)PHONE: __________
(WORK)PHONE: __________
(HOME)PHONE: __________
ARE YOU MARRIED: __________
KIDS: _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY :________
PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________
CITY: _______________
STATE: ______________
ZIP CODE: ____________
HOW LONG: ___________IF RENTING
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING: __________
IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU, HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING: ____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN: ______________
IF YOU HAVE A PET: _________
NAME OF PET: _____________
KIND OF PETS: _____________
HABITS: ___________
DO YOU SMOKE: ____________
DO YOU DRINK: ______________
DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT: _____________
HOW SOON CAN YOU MAKE THE MOVE IN DEPOSITS REQUIRED ($700): ____________
WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU WISH TO RECEIVE THE KEYS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE HOUSE: _______________

Looking forward to hearing from you with all this details so that I can present it to my family, pray over it (because I consult the Almighty God before making any decision and if accepted, and have them stored in my file for the purpose of issuing the receipts to you and contacting you. Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys to you, please we are giving you all this based on trust and again I will want you to stick to your words, you know that we are very far apart now and only putting everything into God's hands and hope that you will not let us down.

The house will be available for rent for a period of five and a half years so you have a choice of deciding how long you intend staying there. Here is my number 011-234-803-080-9184 or 011-234-803-080-9184 , I will be expecting to hear from you.

Feel free to call me for more information and arrangements.

God Bless,
Greg

As soon as I saw that the response was more than just a couple of sentences, I knew this was a joke. And then I read that they were conveniently in Nigeria on a mission for Jesus, I was like, "Can you say SCAM?"

Yeah, I can and I did. Brent looked up the email and found another listing from the same guy in Salt Lake. We flagged both of the listings so they would be taken off.

After church we decided to drive past the address and see if it was even a real place. Yes sir it is! It is just as cute as the pictures that were on craigslist. (I really want to buy it!) It is also being sold by a real estate agency and had a flyer with the same exact pictures. Weird, no? haha. What an idiot that thinks he could try to trick me. Does he not know that I am a genius? Cause I am. This is the listing with the real estate agent.

http://www.realestateshows.com/519633

Brent blocked his email address from my account for me so I couldn't get anymore emails from the "owner" of this house. The thing that really bothers me....I LOVED this house. With a fenced backyard! For my puppy! Stupid people.