by Michelle
Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:29 pm
From: Charline Stephen [ [email protected] ]
Sent: 24 July 2010 07:51
To: Michelle
Subject: Re: Reply to your ad: 120 pounds per weeks 1bedroom flat to rent in Park End St, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 1JD
Thanks for your reply, my flat is finished and furnished with the
necessary amenities needed in an ideal flat,Below are the things you
should know about my flat.
Rent
The rent is 120 pounds per week
The security deposit is 400 pounds
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 Oxford?
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 you can pay your 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 transfer of a 2 weeks rent
and 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 he receives the scanned copy of the transfer receipt or
the details of the transfer.
Once you are done with the transfer, get back to me with the scanned
copy of 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 proceed 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 any question.
Best Regards.
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.
