That is a mental state you can't just pretend.

Have them use a different phone number and call the number listed for rentals (ie pretend they are wanting to rent a place). 

You can see he even went so far as to pretend it’s real by using a real enough image of check that they would “need” to block out the account and routing numbers….

We embrace S8 applicants, but screen them just like any other applicant.Many have an entitlement mentality and try to leverage their S8 voucher by pretending to be helpless:1) A percentage won't apply because they expect a landlord to waive application fees for them.2) Many cry broke and expect a landlord NOT to charge them a security deposit.3) Many of those same S8 tenants trying to avoid paying a security deposit, won't make an effort to call the list of nonprofits we send them that will pay their security deposit if they apply.4) A lot of them try to avoid paying for utilities.

Its worse than just being off.. 97% of those type of solicitations are from  scammers pretending to be lenders  you know pump and dump due diligence schemes quote super low rates tell you what you want to hear just need to send me 500.00 up front then another 1000.. 

From what I see all the people answering to me here (and there are so many) are just coming against and refusing to agree with my simple statement: "a landlord is not above the law or norms by its personal choice or presumed capability to judge what he don't know" or as well "a landlord cannot deny or miscarriage a service to a stranger without a known valid reason and at the same time pretend to be operating professionally or loyally to the moral"Basically I'm telling if you are not able to do your business correctly it would be better to find someone else than you, mainly when your ideas about "squatter" or fair treatment are coming from ignorance or completely invented. 

The problem is that it take far more effort to LIVE that dream that it is to wake up from that Dream.I teach Real Estate Investing on the side and I will tell you 95% of the students are sitting in class dreaming or pretending that they are improving their lives just by attending the class.In the end, they don't really study.I give a Spreadsheet exam at the end of a 12 week / 1 class per week session on building a 10 Year Pro-Forma business plan for your Real Estate and I will tell you 95% fail out right.Being in class is more about dreaming than it is about putting in the effort to learn the skills to be an Investor.

This is why we've seen good marketers gain massive wealth selling a false narrative, then ironically, use that wealth from the marketing to actually do the thing they first pretended to have in spades, now only possible via the marketing $. 

I usually pretend that I am a traveler or renter searching in that market.

For anyone who has not dealt with an abusive or manipulative person before I do not expect you to understand this feeling but it was alarming, intimidating and really was like this  person was done pretending and had now revealed their true character.