How do I verify the owner of an apartment building?

I answered an ad in Craigslist for an apartment, the owner emailed me back and said she works for Christian Aid in South Africa and is looking to lease the apartment, so right away red lights are flashing in my brain. The apartment is a really good deal and she emailed me pictures and said I could go look at the place but they have the keys so I can't go inside. She hasn't asked for any personal info yet (SS#, Bd, etc) that usuallly comes with African scammers, but I just figure there has to be someway to verify if this person is legit, or if this is just a scam to get my personal info. How can I verify if the person really owns the building.

Please, I'm NOT looking for guesses, I can guess myself. I'm just looking for people who actually know how to find the info out. Thanks.

Ok...here is the problem...if HE has access to the internet, then he can find out who the property owner is through a public records search.

Let's say he did a search and found out that the property belonged to John Doe...then all he has to tell you that HE is John Doe and you'll think that the owner has been verified.

So, John Doe gets you to either mail him a check or wire him a deposit...then GUESS what he has?

YOUR ACCOUNT NUMBER.

That is all they need to wipe out your bank account.

Deal locally....these are scams. A TRUE owner will hire a property management company that is local to handle the rental/maintenance if they are abroad...they are NOT going to be trying to do it from Africa.

IT'S A SCAM!

I can not believe you are actually thinking about falling for this scam.

You can probably find the apartment managers phone number in the phone book. You can also look up the address at bbb.org and you have a good chance of locating the manager.

While people over seas often do own rental property in the US they do not conduct landlord business (for lack of a better term) long distance. There should be an apartment manager onsite or a real estate broker off site that handles the complexes affairs.

Where ever you live, you can go to the Courthouse in the Landrecords Division and research this information. It is public information. All you need is the address and you can know who owns it, how much they paid for it, any liens on the property and some more information. I am telling you what I know. I work for the landrecords division in my state.

Whatever county you live in, you can look up records possibly on the internet by visiting the Property Appraiser's website. For example, if you lived in Palm Beach County, FL you can go here: http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/papa/aspx... and search by address or even owner's name.
If your county doesn't have a website, you can go down to the Property Appraiser's office. Don't give out your information until you KNOW for sure who it is that you're giving it to!