I've written about Michelle before. She's not real. She's not even a woman. Nor is she from the UK, looking to rent your apartment or mine. But she's still out there. Since I have a rental property perpetually listed, she'd always sending me emails. And theses are fairly sophisticated emails. She has assessed that I am targeting a certain segment (doctors) because they come in and out of the area and they can afford the house to rent. I am sure she is trying to rent at all medical colleges across the country, as well as other high-profile business locations. A landlord who has just listed a property, without prior knowledge of Michelle, and with a trusting heart, will no doubt email her back for more information.

Of course, this isn't just to get you on a mailing list. Once you bite, Shelly will try to lure you in further. More than likely, it's similar to other scams where she'll pay her deposit with a stolen credit card and ask for cash to be wired back to her or someone else. Maybe a fake moving company that does not accept credit cards or a grandma in a nursing home. It doesn't matter. You wire the money, the credit card fails, you are blamed for accepting a cancelled card, and you're out the money you sent Grandma.

Shelly's specific in her desire to live in the location you've identified in the listing. She also has a good job, but she's from overseas, so it's hard to check up on her. She asks specific questions (that are likely already in your listing). Also, from what I've seen of people who have gone for the lure, she'll send you semi-hot photos of "herself." People respond well to all of these techniques. Here's her email. Ignore and report to Google.

Hello,

I saw your rental listing and i will be coming from United Kingdom for a research program at the Medical College of Wisconsin and i wanted to see if it's still available. If so, could you let me know what the monthly rent is?  Also, here are some other questions I had:  Will the unit be furnished?  What is the neighborhood like?  On average, how much do the utilities cost? When will the unit be available?  Can I sign a year lease Or Months To Months?  Do you require a deposit?

I look forward to hearing from you and you can email me at.... michellewilliamson1999@gmail.com

Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,

Michelle.

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