Once Jenny replied, she received an email back which included photographs of a three-bedroom house in Crawford Cres available for $280 per week and details about the property's features.
Duncan, who provided a copy of his passport and drivers licence - an identity later to be stolen - told her he had just vacated the property to settle down in the United Kingdom as his wife had "just gotten a good job opportunity" there.
When she phoned a provided UK number for the landlord, Jenny spoke to a man.
Soon after, the scammer emailed her an application form requiring her name, date of birth, telephone number, address and contact details for a referee. She was told to send a copy of her passport, drivers licence and a pay slip to prove her income.
Jenny, an intelligent mother of two, completed the forms and provided the documentation.
She smelt a rat when he wanted $1120 for rent and bond to be paid into a Western Union account before he handed over the key. Jenny pulled the pin on the deal and told Duncan not to contact her again.
"I didn't think any more of it and was thankful I hadn't handed over any money. I didn't report it to police and just moved on."
On Tuesday a woman she didn't know reported Jenny's name was linked to a rental scam in Auckland and that she had a copy of Jenny's passport and drivers licence. Immediately Jenny went to Whangarei police station.
"It's too much to comprehend and to work out how far reaching the consequences of this could be. I have been so stressed out about this. I could be accused of all sorts of crimes and how do I prove it wasn't me. I feel so violated."
She is in the expensive process of getting a new passport and driving licence and says so far it appears no money has been taken from her accounts.
The Department of Internal Affairs reports identity crime costs the New Zealand economy as much as $209 million every year, saying identity crime was a global problem and New Zealanders tend to be trusting people, which could make this country appear to be a soft target.
Whangarei police Sergeant Gavin Cyprian said instances of identity theft were increasing especially with the internet.
"This rental scam has quiet a convincing story line but some things just don't add up," Mr Cyprian said.
He said in the past it was a difficult crime to prosecute people for as it may have been committed overseas or online and it could take a long time to resolve but a special unit had been established in Wellington to deal with such crimes. The warning signs were usually having to ring someone overseas and having to deposit money in a Western Union account.
"Don't send identification away over the internet. Just don't send it full stop," Mr Cyprian said.
Fact Box
* Never pay a deposit or send ID until you have physically visited a property and met with the landlord
* Make sure it's a genuine tenancy before you do pay
* Never deal in cash
* All payments should go into a valid New Zealand bank account
* Look out for Western Union transfers these will almost certainly be a scam
* If a property is offered at a price below market value, be suspicious
* Check the website that the ad purports to be from, and find out if it's really listed or if the site is even what it claims to be