Question regarding rental contract

[green scarab]

This is almost not comprehensible and probably a scam.

[short karma]

i also thought the same, what are the red flags in there in your opinion?

[lyric spade]

At the very best, that was improperly translated using software, with the result not being checked whatsoever by anyone who has ever communicated in German.

The most glaring example to me is the use of "Höfling" - the term historically used to refer to someone who holds a low-ranking position at some noble/royal palace ("court"), and nowadays is for example used to describe people who suck up to a person with wealth/power in hopes of getting their protection and improving their own standing.

[surreal belfry]

Also, what documents did you send them? Never never never send a copy of your ID to someone, else they'll use this for the next scam

Switching between du and sie, general very familiar way to write (rental contracts are a very distant thing usually), very weird and incomprehensible order of things (prepare the contract send it back then get in touch with an consultant???...)

[short karma]

i sent my passport’s page but had blurred out some stuff with a small watermark on it

[surreal belfry]

Never ever do that plz

Even if blurred

They probably also offered you an ID as "proof" it's legit? It's most likely the ID someone gave to them in a previous scam

[short karma]

they did , actually their profile on fb also seemed genuine so i went with it but now that i got that shabby mail, ig it made it clear that this is a scam

[surreal belfry]

Fb is the best source for scuh scams, don't even try finding a flat there

[lyric spade]

So. I just "translated" the entire mail into English, to showcase how weird it sounds.

[surreal belfry]

Hack an account / just create one with fake pictures, tell them you're looking for someone to rent ur old place, give a weird Gmail address to get in touch with your 'landlord'

[lyric spade]

Because there is no formal/informal Version of "you" in English like there is in German, I'm going to use the old "thou" in place of the informal form.

Good evening mister […] i am happy and will have a nice day and a good start into the weeekend. Thou will have a good start in the season/term. Many thanks for your email as well and like I said to you last week I send your documents to my courtier and he confirmed to me the authenticity of your documents this morning, and that is the good news.

We now can conclude the juxtaposition/lineup of the lodging situation and your rent Money of our Apartment and become our new tenant. Thou profile Matches with mine. In fact you can partially view/inspect/visit the Apartment on the 2nd of August 2024.

Our [habits/customs] originate from Leipzig and our approaches are as follows:

If you prepare the contract and send to us via email, you have the opportunity/possibility to establish contact with the advisor. Then you can receive the contract from the signee and I send it to the signee, and then you transfer the amount of the first rent and the deposit as security.

Then, without having to pay the rent and the deposit (1259€), you can reserve the Apartment only at the date of the 2nd of August at the source, and you can find yourself in the Apartment and can The Apartment keys will be stored starting with the 2nd of August and our contract will become effective. We hope/would like that the Appointment happens on Friday, the 2nd of August, starting at 2 AM [!!!???] and that you can move in after the view/inspection of the apartment.

Thanks for thou opinion. I wait to read you. Kind regards and a nice evening

[surreal belfry]

Wg gesucht, immowelt, immoscout, ebay kleinanzeigen

Risk of scam is still there but deff less than facebook

If you ever see more shady stuff / unsure if it's shady, u can also send me a pm / tag me. I'll reply fast and almost instantly detect the scams, I know them all

[short karma]

ikr, the translation was really goofy 😭 oh well there goes my ausweis

[lyric spade]

Also, who does an apartment tour at 2 AM?

[short karma]

aaaa tysm g, wish i’d posted their texts sooner in here

[surreal belfry]

Ikr the scammers did 0 effort

[lyric spade]

I think that's by design, actually. I've heard a few times that things like spelling mistakes are included in spam/scam mails so that anyone with common sense doesn't react, so only obvious scammer targets are left.

[surreal belfry]

Makes sense, only the 'weak' ones fall for it and the chances they go all the way through with it are higher

[short karma]

can i add you perhaps? just in case if i need to get something checked next time

[surreal belfry]

Sure yes

[short karma]

[coral hound]

unfortunately facebook is full of scammers (been there, done that);
if you need any help, i can take a look at your wg-gesucht message that you're sending to everyone, maybe we can "tweak" it a bit to give you a better chance!