Room for Rent Scammer - [email protected]

From: stephen colbert < [email protected] >
Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Subject: EMAIL ME BACK NOW TO PROCEED
To: Michelle


Hi,

Thanks for the mail and for your interest in my flat, it's my pleasure. I can come down to London any day or time for the viewing but as you can read from my previous mail that i currently live and work in cardiff so I will need to take a day off from my office before i can come down to London for the viewing.

I have wasted lots of money and time on traveling down to London several times to show people my flat but they will fail to turn up is either they cannot afford the rent or the security deposit required but want me to come down with the aim of renegotiating. I have consulted my lawyer and we have resolved that any potential tenants should be able to prove in the following way in order to determine who is financially buoyant and that he or she can stick to appointment when scheduled and able to pay his/her rent as at when due.

So before I can come down to London to show you the flat, I will need to see a proof that you are financially buoyant, truly interested in my flat and not a time waster, you will have to make the transfer of one month rent plus security deposit(£1000) via western union money transfer. here is how you do the transfer; you will go to any nearby western union outlet/shop very close to you with your close friend or relative and £1000 cash, when you get there, you will tell them you want to make a transfer using their service and you will be given a payment slip to fill, below is what you are going to fill on it;

Sender's name: Your close friend or relative name
Receiver's name: Your own name
Sender's address: Your close friend or relative address
Receiver's address: Your own address in London
Amount to transfer: £1000

Once you fill it, you will give the form to the agent with the £1000 and he/she will give you a payment receipt and this is what you will scan and email to me for confirmation and i will call their customer care here in cardiff to confirm and once i confirm that the money is available to be pick up by you as the receiver, I will buy my train ticket down to London immediately, email it to you so that you can know i will surely be present for the viewing and to know the time we shall be meeting for the viewing. I will be at the tube station to pick you up, take you round the flat and after the viewing if you are ok with the flat, you will sign my tenancy agreement form, we will both look for any nearby western union outlet very close to my flat and you will collect your money out with your passport, pay me face-face, collect the payment receipt with flat key and you will move-in on your move-in date which will be stated on the agreement form while i take my leave back to cardiff that same day.

I do not want you to have the feeling that I am asking for money BEFORE you see what you are renting because I know that payment is meant to be done AFTER you have seen the Flat and okay with it that is why I said you should make the transfer to yourself so that you will be the one to receive the money and pay me in person after the viewing. A little amount of money would be charge for the transfer but i don't want you to worry about that because my lawyer had advised me to be responsible for that for your own convenience, it will be refunded back to you immediately we meet for the viewing, so either you rent my flat or not, your money would be given back to you. I will be happy if you can email me back now so that i can know how to schedule my time in other to meet you for the viewing, i hope to read back from you as soon as possible.

cheers
Stephen

The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".

Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you

He will ask you to send him the transfer details.

Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money again.

If you are reading this because you are looking for property to rent, and you are in contact with this thief you are probably searching Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union before viewing, then it will also be a scam. Please forward the mail to me at the address in my signature line and I will investigate and list them if necessary.