Room for Rent Scammer - [email protected]

From: Emily Brown < From: Emily Brown <[email protected]>
Date: 2010/7/14
Subject: Re: PS Fwd: APARTMENT AVAILABLE IN CENTRAL LONDON.
To: Michelle


Hello Michelle

Thanks for your mail and once again your much interest in renting my
spare room. There's desk and wardrobe in the room.

I would like to tell you that i have lots of offer at hand and i may
have to make my decision soon...I also want you to know that you are
doing the best thing by looking for accommodation before coming down
to London..Because a lot of people come to London everyday and they
end up having nowhere to stay because they fail to seek for
accommodation before coming down.

As regards my spare room..It might be gone before your arrival in
London...So, i will advice you to book down the room in form of
reservation...To go about this..You will have to get back to me with
the following details..Full name, International passport number or
driver's license number, Current address and phone number, Move in
date, sex and your date of birth.

I need this information to prepare the tenancy contract so i can send
to you to go through the terms and conditions as regards living in my
Flat. And as soon as the tenancy agreement form is ready you have to
make reservation deposit so that i can be positive about your
reservation. You'll be issued an acknowledgment receipt of the payment
which serve as you've reserved the room as your room to move in when
you get to London.

I'll be looking forward to read from you soon.

We can as well chat on msn if you have any question, my id is
[email protected]

Have a nice day,


Emily.

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.

Hi Michelle,
i received some days ago an email exactly like that from the same email address!

Here it is the last email received from this fake Emily Brown:

Hello Marco,
How was your day? Enclosed in this mail, you will find the tenancy
agreement duly prepared by my lawyer, i want you to go through it
carefully and then you'll get to study the terms and condition of
living in my place.

If everything is okay for you, get back to me asap because we'll need
to move on with the second phase of the documentation and you will
also be making the initial payment so that i can be positive about
this and also confirm your reservation. You will make the security
deposit £400 pounds and a month rent for 1 room £420, the payment has
to be made to my lawyer.

He'll prefer A bank Transfer because it is safe and secured.

Here is bank details as follows:

Bank Name: Abbey bank
Account Holder's Name : Paul Bogle
Account Number 43724728
Sort Code:09-02-26
Swift Code/Iban Code:gb37
Abby 0901 2643 7247 28

I will be waiting to see a scanned copy of the transfer confirmation
page so that i can forward it to my lawyer as your evidence of
payment.
As soon as he confirm your payment he'll issue you an acknowledgment
receipt which serve as you've rent the room as your room to move in
when you get to London.

I have also attached my international passport photo page with this
email because you will need to print it out and taken with the signed
lease agreement contract when you are coming.

Hoping to read from you soon.

So, is it a fake?

Best regards,
Marco

Welcome Liga,

I am glad you are doing your research as it will help you to avoid being scammed.

Just looking at the format I see a typical scammer storyline, and in the English I see several African mistakes, so this looks like an African scammer.

However, I can tell you that Michelle researches room for rent scams to make sure they are scams before she posts them here.

Since Michelle posted this one, you can be certain that this is a scam.

Hi,

see what a got from [email protected]

Hello Jules,
Thanks for your mail and once again your much interest in renting my
spare room. The 2 bedrooms are the same price.

I would like to tell you that i have lots of offer at hand and i may
have to make my decision soon...I also want you to know that you are
doing the best thing by looking for accommodation before coming down
to London..Because a lot of people come to London everyday and they
end up having nowhere to stay because they fail to seek for
accommodation before coming down.

As regards my spare room..It might be gone before your arrival in
London...So, i will advice you to book down the room in form of
reservation...To go about this..You will have to get back to me with
the following details..Full name, International passport number or
driver's license number, Current address and phone number, Move in
date, sex and your date of birth.

I need this information to prepare the tenancy contract so i can send
to you to go through the terms and conditions as regards living in my
Flat. And as soon as
the tenancy agreement form is ready you have to make reservation
deposit so that i can be positive about your reservation. You'll be
issued an acknowledgment
receipt of the payment which serve as you've reserved the room as your
room to move in when you get to London.

I'll be looking forward to read from you soon.

We can as well chat on msn if you have any question, my id is
[email protected]

Have a nice day,

Emily.

Lucky I found this post because I really didnt know what to do with this !

Thank you a lot !

--
Jules

Hi,
I had the very same experience in the last days... I am trying to keep contact with the scammer to obtain some more information (I asked her for a complete IBAN account number and I've checked for the lawyer's studio - No lawyers with that name in London, even if it's very similar to an existing one). I'm happy I found this forum so that other people can avoid frauds. Just one question: when you realize you're being scammed, are you supposed to call the police or what?

Thanx...

I'm copying the e-mail exchange I had with "Emily"... If she writes me again I'll post her e-mails to add more useful information...

Simona

---
Hello,
Thanks for your interest in renting my spare room. The bedrooms are
furnished..they also have private bathrooms, a sound system,
bedspread, in the sitting room there is a plasma tv, internet access,
fully fitted kitchen, central heating, tasteful bespoke lighting,
washing with dryer machine, microwave oven and a parking space. The
apartment is three bedroom flat and i will like to rent out two rooms.

The apartments is situated at 49 Millman Street, Camden, London WC1N
3EW (CENTRAL LONDON), quiet but very safe street in the heart of
London. There are 2 tube stations within walking distance from the
flat: Russell Square tube (3 mins) and Houston tube (10 minutes) as
well as numerous bus stops going in all directions of London, and most
of them 24-hours. The transportation links are unbeatable, but most
parts of London are also close enough to go by foot in under 30 mins:
Herbrand St, Hunter street, Woburn place e.t.c.

There are many grocery stores located within 2 mins walking
distance, including a small Costcutter, small and large Sainsbury's,
Tesco, as well as Drummond Street which has multiple restaurants,
fresh food stores and pubs. Besides that, Euston Station or Tottenham
Court Road also offer many other kinds of stores.

I've attached to the mail more pictures of the flat and i hope you
will like it. Rent is very reasonable at only £420 per month Including
Utility bills and £400 refundable security deposit for the apartment.

My name is Emily Brown, i was born in the United Kingdom, I'm
single, 29 years of age, i work as a marketer in the company i work
for, I am a friendly, easy going and a happy person. I love meeting
new people, having a good laugh and I'm always up for some fun. In
saying that I also like to chill out and enjoy the finer things in
life such as good food, wine and music. I am looking to live with
like-minded people.
Please let me know if you're interested so that we can proceed in your rent.

Have a nice day.



Emily.
---

Hello Simona,
Thanks for your mail and once again your much interest in renting my
spare room. yes there is internet connection...very fast with desk
inside the room. The other room is still available.

I would like to tell you that i have lots of offer at hand and i may
have to make my decision soon...I also want you to know that you are
doing the best thing by looking for accommodation before coming down
to London..Because a lot of people come to London everyday and they
end up having nowhere to stay because they fail to seek for
accommodation before coming down.

As regards my spare room..It might be gone before your arrival in
London...So, i will advice you to book down the room in form of
reservation...To go about this..You will have to get back to me with
the following details..Full name, International passport number or
driver's license number, Current address and phone number, Move in
date, sex and your date of birth.

I need this information to prepare the tenancy contract so i can send
to you to go through the terms and conditions as regards living in my
Flat. And as soon as the tenancy agreement form is ready you have to
make reservation deposit so that i can be positive about your
reservation. You'll be issued an acknowledgment receipt of the payment
which serve as you've reserved the room as your room to move in when
you get to London.

I'll be looking forward to read from you soon.

We can as well chat on msn if you have any question, my id is
[email protected]

Have a nice day,


Emily.
---
Hi Simona,
Thanks for the mail. I will forward your information to my lawyer
immediately. I will send you the lease contract as soon as i hear back
from my lawyer. You will go through the contract and get to study the
terms and conditions of living in place and once you are satisfied you
be making the initial payment to reserve the room.

Have a nice day.

Emily.
---

Hello Simona,

How are you today? Enclosed in this mail, you will find the tenancy
agreement duly prepared by my lawyer, i want you to go through it
carefully and then you'll get to study the terms and condition of
living in my place.

If everything is okay for you, you have to sign the tenancy contract
and send it back to me through email so that i can also sign.

You will be making the initial payment so that i can be positive about
this and also confirm your reservation. You will pay the security
deposit £400 and 1 month rent £420.

He'll prefer western union money transfer so that he can collect the
payment same day.

Here is the details as follow:

Receiver's Name : Paul Bolge
ADDRESS: 68 Comeragh Road, Kensington London, W14 9HP.


I will be waiting to see your mail and the Western Union transfer details as:

NAME OF SENDER:?
ADDRESS OF SENDER:?
MTCN:?
AMOUNT:?

You are to deduct the western union charges from the security deposit
which be given to you when your tenancy expires

As soon as he confirm your payment he'll issue you an acknowledgment
receipt for you and a letter confirming your rent.

I have also attached my international passport photo page with this
email because you will need to print it out and taken with the signed
lease agreement contract when you are coming. You can locate a western
union outlet at any post office around.

Hoping to read from you soon.

Emily.

---


Hi Simona,

Thanks for the mail. My lawyer suggested the western union before it's
faster. There's no problem if you want to pay directly into his bank
account.

The details are:

Bank Name: Abbey bank
Account Holder's Name : Paul Bogle
Account Number 43724728
Sort Code:09-02-26
Swift Code/Iban Code:gb37
Abby 0901 2643 7247 28

I will be waiting to see a scanned copy of the transfer confirmation
page so that i can forward it to my lawyer as your evidence of
payment.
As soon as he confirm your payment he'll issue you an acknowledgment
receipt which serve as you've rent the room as your room to move in
when you get to London. I hope this is okay.


Thanks

Emily.

---