Craig List rental reply

I recd the following response to a rental ad via Craig's List. Usually scam email is easily identified by the overly poor spelling and lack of language skills. I checked the name of the company from this one and the company does exist. Has anyone seem one similiar yet? I am considering calling the employer listed to verify employment . However, it looks like a scammer to me as all the information he is requesting, including photos of the home are shown in the ad he is supposedly responding to. Here's the message:

Good Day
With regards to the property I am inquiring about, I will like to get some more details about it, I am currently in the Uk and I am Relocating down to the US to do a survey for my employer ( Kingsbridge Risk Solutions (UK) Ivy house,8 - 10 High Street,Twyford,READING,RG10 9AE), as we are about to open an office in the state, so due to my non presence to inspect the Property, I will like you to give me the below details,
# I need full details including address of the property and pictures if available for the place.
# Monthly rentals/security deposits.
# If utilities is added to monthly rent.
# When the property would be available.
# Mail me the total move in cost.

I await your response soon.
Regards.

--
Howard Richard
Mayer Collection
William Brown Street
Liverpool L3 8EN
Howard Richard <h> Hide

I will stick my neck out and say scam. The grammar and syntax are wrong in many places. "I will like to get", "due to my non presence", and "If utilities is added" are the obvious ones.

I googled "Howard Richard, Mayer Collection" The first link was a blog on craiglist scammers. see LINK

You will also note that he says his company is based in Reading and he is in Liverpool.

If you were to carry on the conversation - please don't - then he would try to send you a cashiers cheque. It would probably be for more than you asked for. He would either need you to send back all or some of the money via instant money transfer. The cheque would eventually bounce and you would have to pay the whole amount back to the bank.

Totally agree that it looks like a scam, I would presume they pay a deposit by cheque then change their mind and ask for their money back, less a small percentage for your trouble.

They may even use those details you gave them for a different scam where they advertise to sell or lease the property and collect the deposit.

Either way, your best not to bother responding

The Mayer Collection is an exhibit at the World Museum, William Brown Street, Liverpool. Not a residential address.

It is a scam and Ralph has got it almost right.

They send a fake cheque for well over the amount you want, hoping that you cash it and refund them the difference.

It's a very common scam and the format you've got there fits it to a T.

The same format can be found here:

http://craigslistscammer.blogspot.com/2 ... ology.html

This scammer has just changed the company name.

Hi,

I just received the exact same E-mail today.

Yesterday I got another scam Hello,

I am responding to the advert that you placed on craigslist.com,after going through the advert i am interested in it and i want to rent it for the period that it is available for.I am willing to sign a one year lease for the unit ,if it is still available i will really appreciate it if you can forward me more details about the unit and also let me know your final price for the rent and deposit.,Am a family Orientated man, No Pet {s}
information,pls let me know or you can call me on my cell phone, please dial as presented for international calls . { +44 7031914059} i will also like to know if the unit is Furnished or Unfurnished Unfurnished

I will appreciate a quick response to my email enquiry.

Welcome to Scamwarners Cohench. Thank You for posting this information.

It will alert and save others from being scammed. Well Done

Note the telephone number is a UK redirect service to any cellphone worldwide and much favoured by scammers.

If you have any questions or concerns please post - a support team member will be glad to help you.

Could you please post up this scammers mail address, together with any other information you have.

I found another example of the same scam posted here Click here

Craigslist Scammer (Attempted)

I recently posted my apartment on craigslist for sublease. I got a few responses, one which was a little sketchy. I want to get this person's email out there because my google searches came up empty on this person. Here are the two emails I got from the person, see what you think.


--email 1---
Hello,

I am responding to the advert that you placed on craigslist.com,after going through the advert i am interested in the
advert and i want to sublet it for the period that it is available
for.I am willing to sign a lease for the unit if there is one.I will
really appreciate it if you can forward me more details about the unit
and also let me know your final price for the rent and deposit.I
intend to move in by the second week in September around on the 10th
and want to stay in it for 3 months ending on December 20th,2009.I
will appreciate a quick response to my email inquiry.Get back to me on
[email protected]

Thank you.

Dr Danny Colewell
Lourdes Hospital, Liverpool
57 Greenbank Rd
Liverpool, L18 1HQ, United Kingdom


---email 2---
Good Afternoon,
Thanks for your email, I am interested in renting the place for the period that you have specified that it will be available for. Since it is a nice location, I am going to rent it and for me to move ahead and pay the rent for this apartment before I arrive, I have a financier that is based in the United States and I will ask him to immediately send you a check for the rent and deposit. For him to issue this check, I will need you to provide me with your full name in which the check will be issued and your complete physical contact address to which it will be sent to by my financier, as soon as you provide these, I will forward it to my financier with an instruction to issue and send you the check. Please I need you to also reconfirm the total move in costs, that is the rent and deposit to be paid.
Due to the limited time that I have, and the distance involved before my arrival, I will want us to wrap up everything as regards this rental as soon as possible so that I can be sure that I will have a place to stay on my arrival in the states. My reason for coming to the states is because I will be supervising a research work with the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA),i will provide you with details and my research/employment papers on my arrival in your place,i am of the opinion that such issues are best handled physically. As regards the lease agreement, if there is any,i want you to send it to me for my review,i will eventually have it filled and signed on my arrival in your place. I will look forward to your e mail with the required information.
Thank you.

I got this same email. However they are not very clever because someone sent me the same 2 emails word for word and it was from 2 different people and email address. I did email the one back first and when I realized that I had 2 of the same I emailed that second person and told them I knew they where a scam. I didn't get a response to the one that I said they are scamming me, but the 1st email it was too late. I told them basic information on my property, but I didn't send pictures or anything. I recieved a second email from "Prof Chil Yun" saying he is doing something with dinosuar bones here in the state working for some company and that to call him back at this number 44 7031914059. So I am positive without a doubt sure this is a scam, but what is the scam about. I never called that person back instead a emailed them back with some choice words.

Email ! from the scam.
Hello,

Good day,i am interested in your advert that you placed on craigslist.com,i have gone through the advert and i am interested in it , i want to rent it for the period that it is available for.I am willing to sign a one year lease for the unit ,if it is still available i will really appreciate it if you can forward me more details about the unit and also let me know your final price for the rent and deposit,and i will be willing to offer you 2 months rent plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior to our arrival.

What is the electricity/utility cost would be ??,Could you please let me know all the unit amenities including the measurement? I will like to have this unit myself.You can send me the application lease for me to review.Probably i will eventually have it fill out and sign physically in person on my arrival.

Are you the owner of the apartment ? You can reach me on my cell phone +447031914059 ..i will also like to know if the unit is Furnished or Unfurnished .

I will appreciate a quick response to my email inquiry.

Thank you.

Welcome here Jennleo3

I'm glad you realised it was a scam, and you were on time, you didn't loose any money on this scammer. Don't worrie about the information about your property you've send him. The worst thing that can happen is that he'll use it to put up a fake advert with your property details. If you google the address of your property now and then, or some specific details, you can monitor if the lad has put up an add. In case he has dome so, you can report the add and it will be removed.
Anyway, the scam that he tried to pull on you, was probably about sending a fake check with an amount much higher then what you asked for. Then he would ask you to cash the check, and send him the balance back via western union or money gram.

I got the same email today:
Good day,i am interested in your advert that you placed on
craigslist.com,i have gone through the advert and i am interested in it , i
want to rent it for the period that it is available for.I am willing to sign
a one year lease for the unit ,if it is still available i will really
appreciate it if you can forward me more details about the unit and also let
me know your final price for the rent and deposit,and i will be willing to
offer you 2 months rent plus the security deposit in order to secure this
unit prior to our arrival.

What is the electricity/utility cost would be ??,Could you please let me
know all the unit amenities including the measurement? I will like to have
this unit myself.You can send me the application lease for me to
review.Probably i will eventually have it fill out and sign physically in
person on my arrival.

Are you the owner of the apartment ? You can reach me on my cell phone
+447031914059 ..i will also like to know if the unit is Furnished or
Unfurnished .

I will appreciate a quick response to my email inquiry.

Thank you.
*Prof,David Baker
Phone:+447031914059*

I was surprised because i had mentioned in the ad that all utilities were included but still did not suspect a scam. I called the nbr given in the ad, just to inform him that the apartment had been rented, and got a busy signal. I then tried to see where the nbr was from (I am in USA and know that 44 is the country code for UK) and came across your website. Thank you for the warning.

P. S. to my post: I am tempted to reply to him " Go to hell, Professsor. You may find something suitable there."

Hi hinaly. Welcome to SW.
The phone number the scammer gave you looks like a regular UK mobile number but "070" numbers are free redirect numbers. A lot of scammers use them.

Can I ask what email address the scammer used on this occasion?

I got a similar one today.

The reply goes to : [email protected]
Thursday, October 18, 2012
From: "JOHN BROOKS" <[email protected]>
To: undisclosed-recipients

Hello,

I am responding to the advert that you placed on
craigslist.com,after going through the advert for the apartment,i am
interested in it and i want to sublet it for the period of time that
it is available for(i would prefer about 5-6 months rental).I am
willing to sign a lease for the unit if there is one.I will really
appreciate it if you can forward me more details about the unit and
also let me know your final price for the rent and deposit.I intend to
move in around the end of October and want to stay in it for about 6
months,i will be moving in alone and i do not keep any form of pets
and i am a quiet person and due to the nature of my work,i will be out
most of the day,actually i will be doing a private research work with
the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA) and i can
show you a copy of my contract papers with them when i arrive your
place. I am presently working with the U.S. Naval Hospital here in
Guam.

I will appreciate a quick response to my email enquiry.

Thank you.

John Brooks.
U.S. Naval Hospital
Guam Bldg 1 Farenholt Ave
Agana Heights, GU 96910.

<Fake> check scam.

FROM: JOHN BROOKS <[email protected]>
TO:
Sunday, October 21, 2012

Dear xxx,

Thanks for your email,i am interested in renting the place for
the period that you have specified that it will be available for,i
will be staying alone and i dont keep pets, i am willing to offer you
2 months rent plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit
prior to my arrival.Could you be kind enough to let me know what the
electricity/utility cost would be monthly?Since it is in a nice
location,i am going to rent it as i like it .I am an easy going person
and would be outdoors most of the time during my stay in the apartment
due to the research work i will be doing while i am in the
states.Please send me a picture view of the apartment.

Due to the current situation and with my being not able to view
the apartment at this time,i am presently in Guam here in the United
States and will be arriving around the 25th of October to your place.I
am a chemist by profession and am presently working at U.S. Naval
Hospital Guam Bldg 1 Farenholt Ave Agana Heights, GU 96910 here in the
United States and my reason for renting your place is because the
hospital is sending me to do a private research work with the United
States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA),i will be working with
them for about 5 months starting from November on contract,i will be
glad to show you my contract papers and all other documents relating
to my research with them during that period on my arrival in your
place,i am even of the opinion that such issues can best be handled
physically.

As regards payment for the rent and deposit,one of our financiers
will be effecting your payment to you as soon as you give us the go
ahead to do so.I believe we can work together and ensure every
arrangements that we shall both execute in line with my taking up the
tenancy should be done accordingly to ensure we have a proper
understanding.As regards the lease agreement,if there is any,i want
you to send it to me for my review,i will eventually have it filled
and signed on my arrival in your place and i will abide by it.Due to
the remote location of the hospital here in Guam,it is always hard to
receive or make calls due to disruption in the reception,but it is
easier and faster to get a hold of me via this email as i check it
regularly.

Sincere regards and will be waiting to hear back from you soon.

John Brooks.
U.S. Naval Hospital
Guam Bldg 1 Farenholt Ave
Agana Heights, GU 96910.