Rental Scammer - [email protected]

Oh great stuff, I'll head on over there

Sorry for posting here, I didn't realise.

Thank you so much for posting this.

Here's are the emails that I got:

1)

Hello,

The en suite double bedroom is still available for rent.You can stay in my flat as long as you pay your rent at when due. Here are the necessary things you need to know about the rent and deposit. Rent per month is £300{ includes all bills : water, gas, council tax, TV license and wireless Internet} also Security deposit of £600 protected by the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme and it's refundable after end of your stay in my flat. Dss is acceptable but you will need to make a deposit upfront.

However, i need to know some details about you. Can you keep my flat clean and tidy? Do you have references in Birmingham? The flat is new and all the facilities present are all new so i am looking for a responsible and clean tenant.

I am reliable and open. If anything is wrong with the flat, i makes sure the problem is quickly rectified. I have been disappointed lately with unserious interested candidate when it comes to viewing or reservation so i will appreciate your sincere reply.

Hope to read from you soon and i would like to know where you are coming from to stay in my flat.

Regards
Mr/Mrs Kelvin

2)

Hello,
Thanks for your reply. The flat is a one bedroom flat not share. The flat is available and the garden is meant for 2 flats which is beside each other. I am renting it out because i was transferred outside Birmingham at my place of work, i am not after the rent but someone that could take good care of all the facilities present. I currently work and live in Coventry and i would need to take a day off to come down and schedule viewing with you.

Some prospective tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb the landlord/landlady to arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who are in Birmingham.

Nevertheless, my lawyer would need some information from you to draft an Assured ShortHold Tenancy Agreement which you will print and bring along with when you're coming for the viewing. Details needed are:

Your full name:
Current address:
Confirmed move in date:
Mobile number:

Please get back to me with these information so that i can tell you how to proceed and please, let me know if you have other options because i wouldn't want to schedule a viewing with you and get disappointed at the end of the day. Thanks for your interest.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards
Mr/Mrs Kelvin

3)

Hello ,

I have received the contract from my lawyer, find the enclosed document files with this email. Please read through the Assured Tenancy Agreement and get back to me if you are okay with the obligations?

However, i am more than willing to re-modify the contract indicating a new move in date in case there is a change in your move in date.Please let me know if you are willing to proceed as soon as possible by signing the contract and email to me the signed copy? So that i can tell you how to proceed with the payment.


I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

====================

At first I thought it was an honest person, but by the last email something started telling me that it's just bullshit.

Then I went on google, typed in the name, and this page popped up.

Once again, thank you.

By the way, the ad was on Birmingham, UK CraigsList.

Welcome to Scamwarners Fight Evil,

Can you please post the email address he used.

Sure

The email address was: [email protected]

The main body of the OP post is pretty much word for word the same as ones i was getting 5-6 years ago when looking on Gumtree around the Manchester area.
At that time, the name being used was Linda Abri. If i go back through old emails, i may still have some of the scam replies. If i do, i will post them here to show the same techniques still being used by scammers.

All i can say is the old saying that if it looks too good to be true then it usually is!

The bad grammar in these emails along with funny names and background stories usually give these scammers away but i suppose if you are new to Gumtree and it's equivalents then it may be harder to spot scammers.

As per other posters advice, NEVER send anything through Western Union nor any money transfer service!

If the landlord is genuine they will have no problems in letting you check them out, see their I.D nor in giving you their address. Check all of these out before signing anything or handing any money over.

As for properties themselves, i could start a whole thread on "quick fixes" landlords do to make the property seem perfect when in fact it has many hidden pitfalls.

Hope this helps some of you folk out there.

Here we go, my reply from one Mrs Abri in response to my enquiry on her flat.
NOTES
( The amounts are pretty much always the same £100 per week ALL INCLUSIVE with a £400 or £500 deposit. This alone should tell you that it is a scam as i do not know of ANY CITY that you will get a all inclusive deal for £100 a week!)
(They normally always get your name wrong, in this case, they used my surname indicating English is not their first language)


Date: Sunday, 16 May, 2010, 23:24

Dear Ross,


Thanks for the interest in my flat, my flat is fully finished and furnished to a high standard.Below are the things you should know about
my flat.
Rent
The rent is 100 pounds per week bills are inclusive in the rent,such as Electricity, water,TV license broadband wireless internet
and gas.
Security deposit 400pounds
At this point that you want to rent my flat, i have a few questions for you:
1. Can you take good care of my flat?
2. How long do you intend to rent my flat for?
3. Can you provide a reference in Manchester?
4. Where are you coming from to rent my flat?.
I require answers to my questions before we can proceed with the reservation processes.
However owing to my past unpleasant experience of inviting intending tenant to view my flat without confirming if they are actually able to pay their rent at the right time has caused me a great discomfort and as such do not want to experience it anymore, because i have to travel all the way from Scotland to take interested candidate round my flat. I do hope you understand my point of view. In view of the previous occurrences, I do not want to collect any money from you as i have not taken you round my flat and signed your contract with my lawyer, but my lawyer have strongly advised me to confirm that an intending tenant can pay for his or her rent as at when due, so before we can proceed for the viewing, I will like to confirm if you can afford my rent. All you need to do now is to make a transfer of 2 weeks rent plus security deposit of £400 to your friend or partner within the UK through western union transfer. The reason for using western union is that it is faster and my lawyer can easily confirm the transfer almost immediately she receives the scanned copy of the transfer receipt or te details of the transfer.

Once you are done with the transfer, get back to me with the scanned copy of the transfer receipt and if you do not have access to a scanner you can as-wel write out the details on the transfer receipt as i forward it to my lawyer to confirm if the transfer is valid and available for pick-up by your friend or partner.Once my lawyer confirms the transaction valid, i will then ask you to tell your friend to go and pick up the money for you, then we can immediately schedule a convenient time for the viewing. I shall refund the cost of transfer to you when we meet for the viewing. After the viewing, if you like my flat, you can proceed to signing the contract and then pay your rent and security deposit to me directly.
I look forward to reading from you soon.
Do not hesitate to ask anymore question.
Best Regards.
Mrs Abryson

The email address that this scammer used was [email protected]. She had called herself Linda Abri throughout until she signed this Mrs Abryson.
Another giveaway that they are targeting so many folk, they can't even get their scam names right on each email.

I really hope this helps and that people realise that these types of ads are all scams. To be fair, Gumtree and the like should do more work with IP's to help crack down on these ads.