Rental Scammer - [email protected] / seasonelsa@hotmail.

PLEASE DELETE MESSAGES SENT FROM THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES -- [email protected] / [email protected] . I almost got scammed, but thank God for scamwarners I was able to find out the truth early and avoid being scammed.

"Hi Flatmate,
I noticed in your profile in Share Accommodation you were in search of a room lucky enough i have a Well furnished apartment suitable and decent for a Perfect roommate, the apartment is ready for immediate move in and it is located in 28 Scotts Road 228223 Singapore,close to shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants,shopping mall,Central train station,Fully furnished with TV , fitted kitchen with all pots/pans, toaster, fridge, dishwasher, dryer, etc.Heated indoor pool and spa, Gym,sauna,fully serviced apartment complex,Large balcony with excellent views,Internet Access,Air Conditioning,Opening Windows,Washing Machine,Ironing Equipment,Tea/Coffee Making,Hairdryerbut before i start telling you about it, it is only right that I let you know more about me being your potential flatmate so that you can know somethings about me.

My Name is Elsa Fontaille and I am a 23 year old easygoing female,My father is from France and my mother is from Singapore. My Hobbies are swimming, reading and traveling. In fact, I have being to Germany,Wales,also recently Scotland,I also like hanging out with friends and associating with people but I have not had the opportunity to hang out with my friends as I have being busy with my studies and also as I am looking to have my masters very soon. My mother used to live here in this apartment with my Family. but my father live in the apartment also later moved to USA where he passed away and I am the only one in this apartment although my mother is still in USA overseeing my late father's business and am not around for now and would not be back for sometime. I am in UK now on an internship project attached to a firm of my Dad's Company and I have being sent to supervise and would be back by the end of November 2010. As soon as i have confirmed you as my flatmate for reservation, I will send you the Keys to the apartment by mail

About my apartment, It is a three bedroom apartment and as I live in one room of the apartment, I have two rooms ready for move in, the rooms are furnished with a sofa-bed, two armchairs, dining table with expendable leaves with 4 matching chairs, television with digital receiver,Air Condition,laudry machine, telephone, parquet floors, and there is a window facing north. The apartment is wireless Internet enabled

Living room description:
Air conditioning ; DVD ; Hifi ; Broadband Internet WIFI ; Tv by Cable ; Phone ; TV ; Bookshelf ; Desk ; Sofa ; Chairs ; Double Glass ; Shelves ; Armchair ; Window ; Parquet flooring ; Coffee Table ; View on courtyard

Bedroom 1 description:Bed, bathroom and households linen ; Double bed ; Double Glass ; Shelves ; Window ; Bedside lamp ; Bed ; Parquet flooring ; Wardrobe ; Cupboards

Bathroom 1 description:
Shower ; Bed, bathroom and households linen ; Hair Dryer ; Tiling ; Single wash basin ; Towel Dryer ; WC

Kitchen description:
Vacuum cleaner ; Kettle ; Iron ; Fridge ; Toaster ; Coffee machine ; Micro wave oven ; Chairs ; Shoulder-height kitchen cupboards ; Floor-standing kitchen cupboards ; Parquet flooring ; Kitchen Table

You will have free and unlimited access to all part of the apartment, the Kitchen, the living room and of course except my room, and you can also have your own visitors.The rent for the room is $700 Per Month and this includes the utility bills(all included) and you will be required to pay a security deposit of $500. This security deposit will be refunded to you at the end of your stay in my apartment.
I hope it suits you well and if you have any more questions you can surely ask me, I also attached the pictures of my flat and also the tenement agreement so that we can conclude and you can eventually move in.

you can also reach me at [email protected]

Regards and waiting to read from you soon,



Elsa"

"Hi Flatmate,
Thanks for your mail,the rooms are still available and Like i said,my apartment has 3 rooms and a living room,so i use one room while two is for rent.The rent for the apartment is $700 per month while you would also make a security deposit of $500.This deposit would be refunded to you at the end of your stay in the apartment if nothing is destroyed during your stay.
Before we proceed though,there are some conditions and rules and I will like us to decide on and it just requires your conscent and afterwards we can proceed with the contract and for me to reserve the room you so you can move in as soon as you want to,i will need you to get back to me with the following:

1.You shall sign a document confirming that the room has been reserved for you

2.You shall make your first month payment to me

3.You shall have to read the agreement contract which i shall send to you firstly as an attached mail before you make your payment. For the document to be prepared successfully,I would be needing the following details:

(1) Your move in and out date;

(2) Your current address and also the address where you would like the keys to the apartment,the Original copy of the contract and also the receipt of payment sent to after confirmation of payment from me which you shall sign and bring along with you when moving in finally as my room mate

(3) Your scanned ID passport for identification

(4) Your Full name

(5) The total months you will like to stay in my apartment

(6) Mobile #

The house is located at 28 Scotts Road 228223 Singapore.close to shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants,shopping mall,Central train station,Fully furnished with TV , fitted kitchen with all pots/pans, toaster, fridge, dishwasher, dryer, etc.Heated indoor pool and spa, Gym,sauna,fully serviced apartment complex,Large balcony with excellent views,Internet Access,Air Conditioning,Opening Windows,Washing Machine,Ironing Equipment,Tea/Coffee Making,Hairdryer It overviews the courtyard with a large window. This apartment is ideal for 3 guests.The living room is well furnished and perfect,i am not around for now and would not be back for sometime. I am in UK now and would be back by the end of November 2010.As soon as i have confirmed you as my flatmate for reservation, I would send you the Keys to the apartment by mail and also send the contract documents and receipt as well.

I hope you quite understand me and everything?

There is also a washer and dryer in the apartment for the laundry needs and also to the apartment has a car park.In fact,it has being allotted two car spaces.

I wait to read from you soonest to continue the contract and further details about the documents towards having you as my room mate. You can call me on +447011151047

Warmest regards,

Elsa"

DO NOT DEAL WITH PERSONS CLAIMING THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY AWAY FOR INTERNSHIP OR WORK OR VACATION, AND YET THEY ARE WILLING TO CORRESPOND AND TRANSACT FOR RENT. THESE ARE SCAMMERS.

The safest and surest ways are to safeguard yourself by:

1) Press for a viewing appointment. If they say they are unable to accommodate a viewing for you, that is a sure RED FLAG for a scammer;

2) Do not agree to sign any contract or tenancy agreement over email or fax. Important documents such as contracts or tenancy agreements must be done in person and in the presence of the landowner and broker/agent (if applicable);

3) Do not pay cash or wire money over Money Gram or Western Union because there is no traceability. Ensure you have viewed the unit, have signed a contract first done in person and have the keys to the unit before agreeing to pay any amount.

4) Lastly, check and confirm with your respective government agency on the homeownership --- if the landowner really owns the place being rented out. Sometimes scammers can produce very convincing and authentic-looking documents, so you can endeavor to verify their identities and claims.

Hello,

I run an expat consultancy in Singapore that includes accommodation services.
I compiled the following article, the details of which I garnered from the local
media. I hope that it can serve as a warning to expats-to-be who are
contemplating moving to Singapore.

Beware dodgy landlords in Singapore

Looking at the latest round of numbers, it appears as if more and more
expats are becoming victim of dodgy landlords, bogus lease agreements,
deposits that simply disappear and a host of other rental issues that leaves
fresh arrivals swindled even before they had a chance to settle down in
their newly adopted home.

In fact, Consumers Association of Singapore, CASE, a consumer advocate
organisation there that keeps track of complaints logged by people that have
been duped, found that in the October 2008 - March 2009 period foreigners
lodged 32 out of the total of 365 complaints against realty agents. This
constitutes a 23% increase from the 26, out of 516 complaints in the same
period a year before.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Estate Agents in Singapore
received five complaints from foreigners since last October. Perhaps
tellingly, none the agents involved was IEA registered. The most common
complaints were overcharging and not honoring agreements made, especially
when it came to returning deposits and advanced payments.

Another quite common ruse is the fake landlord. Recently, the Singapore
Straits Times reported on a suspected fake landlord who claimed to be the
owner of an apartment on 14 Scotts Road and was looking to rent out his
unit. However, this address is actually the location of a shopping centre
called Far East Plaza. After pressing him for more details, he hung up and
never replied to the paper's inquiries again.

As expat populations grow, conmen like this are seemingly becoming ever more
numerous and ever more brazen, targeting foreigners in particular who are
looking to rent a property. New arrivals are especially easy targets because
obviously they're not as clued in to the property industry as the local
population or long-term expats.

Posing as condo owners, these conmen send potential tenants fake addresses
and pictures of well-furnished homes to entice unsuspecting foreigners into
transferring security deposits to them. When these tenant hopefuls request
for a meeting, the "landlord" simply claims to be overseas for business.
Eventually, as in the case above, the tricksters are never heard from again.

The lesson to be learned here is to always make sure that the landlord
you're dealing with is indeed the owner of the property you're interested
in. Better yet, enlist a realty agent with plenty of local knowledge to
filter out the bad apples for you so you have one less potential headache to
worry about.

N.B. Recently, the Singapore authorities have started zeroing in on
unscrupulous landlords. A sizable number of these con-men have in fact been
found guilty of tricking tenants. In all cases, a jail term was meted out.
As a result of this, it's safe to say that the incidence of rental fraud
will most likely go down.

You have some helpful information on the website. Thank you for posting it.