Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: David Williams <[email protected]>
Date: September 1, 2010 7:47:29 AM EDT
To: Con Warner
Subject: Re: $750 / 2br - Hot Apartment! (Brooklyn, NY 11217)

Hello Con Warner,
I am Dr Mark Williams a volunteer with Save a Soul Organization.I arrive West Africa a week Ago in supporting long term needs for clean water in Kenya, Sudan, Mali, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Benin, Republic, Nigeria and Ethiopia - providing the everyday needs of more than 389,500 people. Also committed to mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS, which kills more than 6,000 Africans everyday, we are supporting community garden programs for AIDS sufferers and their families.

I am renting my Apartment because i will be spending a long time (3-5yrs) traveling around Africa and i need a clean responsible person that i can trust to take a proper care of the apartment at all time. I cherish my apartment so much so I took the keys /documents with me and am only willing to rent it out to someone who I can trust because I don’t want my property to be misused in my absence. I would like to have your word because i am doing this base on trust and putting everything in God hands. The rent includes all utilities and it available for short and long term rental. Fill out the Rental application below if interested and please note this that you cant go inside the apartment because the property is locked and the keys are right here with me but feel free to go view the exterior and upon approval the keys/papers work will be FedEx to you.
The Rent Include all utilities except internet and cable
Rental Fee: $750
Security Deposit: $450
2Bedrooms
2bathrooms
Address: 391 Dean StAPT 3C Brooklyn, NY 11217
Fill the rental application below.
RENTAL APPLICATION
Tenant Name:
Desired date of occupancy:
Desired length of occupancy:
Smoker:
Sex:
Pets:
PRESENT ADDRESS:
How long:
Home Phone No.
Cell Phone No:
Current rent payment:
Reason for moving:
Employer:
Address:
City:
State:
Position:
If a student:
Name of the School:

Thank you again for your interest in my apt , Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you.

Thanks and God Bless.
Dr David Williams
+2347036595935
Save A Soul Organization

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union with a promise that he will send the keys through a courier company.

Sounds safe. It's not!

At other times, he will ask for proof that you are able to pay the deposit and rent due to a string of time wasters.
This proof is in the form of a Western Union payment to a friend or family member.

In either case, if payment is made and you give this person the details, they will collect the money.
You will not hear from them 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.

I was looking on craigslist and I came across an apt in Astoria for really cheap. I know it sounded way too good to be true but I sent an email to the poster anyways. This is the email i received in return:


Hello,
Thanks for the email,$750 include gas and light and the security deposit is $450, all you need to pay for is security deposit and one month rent for now every other things i have paid all before living the state with my wife, that is i need responsible person that i can trust and to take a proper care of the apartment at all time.

plz get back to me with this:
Name:
Desired date of occupancy:
Desired length of occupancy:
Smoker:
Sex:
Pets:
PRESENT ADDRESS:
How long:
Home Phone No.
Cell Phone No:
Current rent payment:
Reason for moving:
Employer:
Address:
City:
State:
Position:
If a student:
Name of the School:

Thanks and God Bless.
Dr David Williams
+2347036595935

The phone number listed definitely did not seem like an American number and after putting the number into my Google search box I came across this site. I was lucky to use my instincts and I was even luckier to find this site. thanks so much