West African missionary apartment fraud and bird poop

So Tex and I are casually looking for an apartment when I came across a 2 bedroom apartment on Craigslist for $700 a month.

Curious, I e-mailed the poster to inquire if this was in fact legit and I get this response:

Hansen Karle hansen.karle@yahoo.com> writes:
>Hello
>Thanks for the email. I DR Hansen Karle the house and also it is situated
>at (130-140 Beaconsfield Rd., Brookline, MA, 02215 ) and also want you to
>know that it was due to my transfer that makes me and my wife to leave
>the house and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a
>responsible person that can take a very good care of it as we are not
>after the money for the rent but want it to be clean all the time and the
>possible tenant will see the house as his or her own. We are going to be
>gone for 2 years or more.

> We have left the Massachusetts and we are currently in West Africa for
>our missionary call. Before we left the Massachusetts for West Africa, we
>look for a reputable agent that will take a very good care of th e house
>while we are away but could not found any so we left with the house keys
>and document when leaving. If you will be the right tenant to our house,
>we will get the keys and documents of the house sent to you via courier
>services as soon as all terms are settled.
>
> I will be online through out to get back to you as soon as you are able
>to get back to me. I would want to know how soon you would want to move
>in as I will be taking a 1 month upfront payment for the house including
>all the utilities there. I am asking for $700 and I believe we should be
>able to help ourselves. I am accepting $700 because I want you to take a
>very good care of the house while I am away.
>
> I am looking forward to hear from you ASAP so that i can forward you an
>application to fill out and discuss on how to get the house for rent over
>to me so that I can get the keys and papers sent to you via fedex or ups
>e.t.c, also are you ready to rent it now or when? Await your reply. I
>will be willing to send the inside view of the building if you demands
>for it.The good Lord has been good to me, I am paying him back with my
>missionary call.. I could let you remain in the house till I come back if
>you are a good tenant..
>Thanks God bless you.
>You can call me Via this Number for more
>Hansen Karle
>details:+2347089063609

Again, curious and maybe slightly hopeful/skeptical, I replied that I would indeed like to see photos. What he sends are photos of a freaking mansion, I mean seriously and absolutely the most posh pad ever. He also sends a weird application for the apartment, asking the following questions:

RENT APPLICATION FORM
1)Full Name:.....
2)Your Full Address & Phone Number....
3)How old are you?....
4)Are you married?..
5)How many people will be living in the house?..
6)Do you have a pet?....
7)Do you have a car?..
8)Occupation?..
9)What is your religion?....
10)Are you born again?.................
11)When are you moving in?..............

I didn't reply to that e-mail or send my application in because I had a nagging suspicion that this was just too good to be true. Googling the phone number "Hansen" gave me, I found a series of posts on this exact same type of fraud.

I reported the scheme to the federal gov., but I bet the dude will be making some good money in the meantime from those a little less skeptical than I.

So not only is the perfect apartment a figment of some asshole's imagination, but I sat in bird poop while trying to read outside today.

All in all, not my fave.