Sublet Rental on Craigslist

I responded and tried to get an appt to meet to view & never got a direct response to that request. Both letters seem like form letters.
After googling I found the same exact letter #1 below [with different address] on a scam alert site. Same ad for apts in different cities.

I do not want to alert the scammer via email b/c will just change the name and cont with the scam. I am rating it a 10 since I have read that others had sent in money & was not able to track this person down.


[Letter 1]
Happy to hear of your interest,
The apartment is available for rent,
It is very spacious, over 1400sqft, very modern and bright, 2 large bedrooms, 2 full baths, a living room, dining area, washer and dryer in the apartment, lots of closet space, fully furnished, all new bedding/linens, cookware, dishes etc .The rooms are nicely furnished and the apartment features a spacious/open modern Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances: range/oven, microwave, dishwasher & refrigerator, lots of closets and storage space. Air Conditioning, Hardwood floors, Granite and marble bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, 42" LCD TV, DVD, Sound System. Comes with a gated parking space included,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you want to rent it unfurnished and you want use your own furniture) Maintenance is done by a specialized company and i will be billed for any maintenance work that gets done. Pets are allowed! . The address is: 176 Broadway New York NY 10038, It is located in a very select downtown neighborhood, The area is very nice, very quiet and safe, it is close to all the best attractions, easy access to public transportation. Great Restaurants, Bars, Pubs and shopping abound in the immediate area, within walking distance. In this area i could rent the apartment for almost double the price i am asking ( US $1500.00 / Month, US $1500.00 Deposit ) Water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking, All the utilities and amenities fees are included in the monthly rent because I want to find someone serious and reliable that will always be on time with the rent and will take care of my property.

I am the apartment owner, i now live in London, UK most of the time and i have decided to rent the apartment. The rental will be done only via eBay Real Estate. eBay.com is a legitimate and neutral company, offering purchase protection for millions of transactions each day. The apartment is not yet listed on their web site, first we have to set up the rental process through them. The process is simple and easy, everything is done online. To secure the apartment you will deposit the first month's rent plus the deposit to eBay as security, they will handle all the paperwork, documentation and the keys will be mailed to you via Overnight Express. You will have a 5 days inspection period to review the apartment and the lease, I am sure you will love the apartment and that you will decide to rent it, but if you decide not to rent the apartment eBay will refund you the money 100%, you will get the first month's rent and the deposit back the same day the lease and keys are returned as I will be supporting the fees.

The apartment is unoccupied, you can move in the same day or whenever you are ready. The lease is flexible, can be month to month, min stay one month, If you are interested you can secure the apartment now and move in later, the lease will start from when you move in. I will be billed when i set up the process so I don't want to end up paying eBay hundreds of dollars for this service without any result. I want to make sure i am dealing with people who are serious about renting.

Please tell me something about your income. If you are interested in the apartment please describe yourself so i can have an idea about you and the people that will be living in my apartment. Let me know if you are interested, when can you secure the apartment, how long are you planing to rent, I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.


Thank you for your time.
Regards!

Ps. Below are pictures of the apartment, enable images and let me know if you have received them.

[Letter 2]

Hello again.

I would be more than happy to rent my apartment to you, can you please confirm the date when you can inspect the apartment, the move in date and if possible the approx period of time you want to rent it.

I have been living overseas for over 7 years now and every time i had to rent the apartment i did it via eBay, the company has a dept specialized in Real Estate. To secure/rent/inspect the apartment, the funds will have to be transferred as security to an eBay Agent from the UK. There will be no financial commitments, the funds will be deposited as security and will be returned in full if you decide not to rent the apartment.
The funds will be collected and deposited in an insured trust account, after that, the keys and lease will be sent to you so you can inspect the apartment. The lease will start from the day you move in. If you decide not to rent the apartment the funds will be transferred from the trust account back to you, 100% once you have returned the keys and contract.

eBay is one of the top and biggest US companies offering many services such as Vehicle Purchase Protection, PayPal Buyer Protection etc and everything is guaranteed. There is a signed contract that i have with eBay so it is not me who makes the terms.

You have the option to move in later, the lease will start from the day you move in, however, I would like to have the apartment secured until the end of next week since I will be billed hundreds of dollars for this service and i want to make sure i will not be paying the fess for nothing. If you have the rent and the deposit available and you are ready to deposit them to secure the apartment please let me know.
Regards.

PICS OF APT:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23371934