Consumer complaint received 2019-12-13
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC (NY)

On XX/XX/XXXX ( Friday ) I moved out of my previous apartment and was still in the process of finding a new place to move into. I immediately moved all my stuff into storage and continued my search via XXXX, XXXX, and other apps to find housing in New York. I ended up finding a nice one bedroom apartment for {$620.00} a month in the XXXX. I proceeded to contact the poster/landlord and set up a visit to the apartment to see it as well as meet him. I immediately headed there after moving all my stuff into the storage unit and once I arrived found that the apartment had been put up for rent just the day before, the previous tenant still had a few bags and a mattress left at the apartment. The landlord told me that they would be moving their stuff out before the following Wednesday ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and I would be able to move in on that date if I was able to provide the down payment and first months rent. He also mentioned that 4 other people were supposedly looking at the apartment after I was and that he had already spoken to one or two people before I came. I couldnt help but be eager to take advantage of the opportunity that was in front of me so I quickly got loaned the few hundred dollars I needed to immediately put down the security deposit/down payment of {$650.00} ( extra {$30.00} to cover the keys and some broker fee or something he said ). He was very happy I was so interested and said that if I was able to send the money right away that we could go walk to the hardware store and have copies of the building and apartment room keys made for me. I sent the {$650.00} and we quickly made copies and went back to make sure they worked and he told me that hed call me the moment she had her stuff out and that I could come and sign the lease then as long as I had {$620.00} for the first months rent. Wednesday came around and she supposedly still had her stuff there, he kept pushing the day back until it finally came to the XXXX of XXXX when he said I was able to come sign the lease because the previous tenants lease officially ended on the XXXX and we both had busy schedules that week so I went and signed a lease/contract starting the XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX and ended XXXX if XX/XX/XXXX. I sent the money and then went home. I took a photo of the first page of the contract but he said not to take a picture of the signature page because it wouldnt be necessary until it was officially notarized. He then proceeded to tell me that he would send photos of the notarized lease as well as a few other documents I requested. He sent one or two of the documents but not the lease and the few photos he did send me didnt  exactly make full sense. Every night he would tell me she was supposedly moving her stuff out and every hour the story would change. I went there multiple nights after work because her stuff was supposed to be gone but when I got there her stuff was still there. Once the XXXX came around I went while he was at work and I went inside and waited for her to hopefully show up and get her stuff out. Then he said he was going to get a court order from a judge to have the lady formally evicted and that it would guarantee she would be out in 7 days from that day. He still repeatedly told me that she was coming to get her stuff on random days/night between the XXXX and the XXXX. Multiple times I went while no one was there just to double check that her stuff was actually still there. It always was there and even though he said that the entire apartment was fully cleaned and repaired, it seemed to get progressively dirtier every time I went. Two days before the XXXX he told me that he gave her {$150.00} to get a uhaul in order to get everything out by the XXXX. I asked for proof of that as well as proof that she actually rented the uhaul. He kept postponing sending the photos. Once the XXXX came around I went and check if her stuff was out yet. While I was there I found out his full name and did a little research on him. It turns out hes a scammer who normally works in XXXX and is very good at it. I found a few contracts identical to mine signed by other people for similar prices but all the same address. I have photographs and plan to take action but he is now accusing me of supposedly stealing from his apartment but Im sure this is just another ploy to receive some form of extra profit from this scam. I spoke to a couple other tenants in the building and apparently there was no lady who lived there before so I decided to check the bags that were supposedly hers and the bags just didnt make sense, they just seemed like it was for show. While I was there I had called the cops multiple times and even had to hide from someone trying to get into the apartment. He has sent me {$700.00} back so far but {$570.00} still remains and I am worried all the time and effort put into a court case wont be worth it in the long run. If he hadnt sent back the money Id most likely be able to just start living at the residence and simply refuse to leave/change the locks but due to him partially paying me back I am technically unable to do that. Since this incident I have done a massive amount of research and even contacted the company/landlord/company owner that owns the building and explained the full situation, he told me I was stupid for going through XXXX and that its not his problem or business what goes on in the building. Even though this is an illegal sublet and the tenant is also using the illegal sublet to scam people out of thousands of dollars. 

I am now in the middle of filing an internal affairs complaint, a recall request with XXXX  XXXX XXXX, a small claims court case, and also potentially being investigated for a crime that I didnt commit. I dont know what to do next, I dont know what steps to take, and I dont know what questions to ask. All help is welcome, any form of advice or even a contact that could help me are more than appreciated. If anyone knows of a lawyer that would be willing to defend me for cheap or even just give minor advice for a lower price. 

I know Im an XXXX for getting myself into this mess and for not seeing the signs pointing towards it being a scam. I understand I should have been more cautious but I know this scammer is smart and I honestly believe that everything was valid up until the lease being not notarized. Ive attached texts between the landlord and I, contracts between him and I as well as random contracts between him and other people, as well as the initial contact through XXXX, and also the websites showing hes a confirmed scammer that operates in NY. I also attached the contract he signed for the apartment when he began renting it and a change if address for a lady who is supposedly still living there according to other documents I found in the apartment. Also attached is a photo of his banking transactions showing him repeatedly buying keys and other sketchy transactions. All these documents were found while I was in the apartment waiting for cops to come in order to begin the process to bring his whole operation down. I have other photos proving other sketchy and scamming activities done by the fake landlord/tenant but those are more useful in court, due to them not actually being relevant to my inconvenience.