Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: Sarah Brown [mailto:[email protected]]
To: Michelle Banks
Subject: Re: 223 North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000

Hi Michelle
We can start with a 6 or 12 month lease, that we can renew it after that,if you wish.The apartment it's available right now, so you can move straight after your inspection.
It's $250 per week for the apartment, the rent included all utilities,Gas/Electricity/Dishwasher/Telephone/Cable/Internet/Car Park.
You should pay first 1 month rent + BOND (1000) so the total amount will be $2000.
In the following lines I will try to explain the procedure.You will have to send me your details (your full name and address) so I can fill out the lease agreement and start the transaction.
I will pay for a 3 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away.
I will send you the signed lease agreement and the apartment keys through Airborne Express.They will send you a notification that they have received the keys and the lease. Next you will have to send the 1st month payment and the bond to the Airborne Express account through bank wire transfer.You will have to send the deposit information(a photocopy of the transfer receipt) to Airborne Express.
You will receive the keys and the lease from Airborne Express.You will checkout the apartment and if you like it you release the payment to me.If you don't like it you return the keys and the unsigned lease to the Airborne Express agent and they will refund the cash you deposited.
I think that this way we are both safe.I will pay for all the Airborne Express expenses and you will pay for all the bank wire transfer charges.I am hoping that this is ok with you and we can close the deal.
Best regards,
Sarah

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, pre-paid credit card or bank transfer with a promise that you can have the keys to a property that does not belong to him.

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 or MoneyGram payment to a lawyer,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.

All the details such as names, addresses, pictures etc. that the scammer uses in order to back up his story, are stolen from elsewhere.

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 Craigslist, Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment 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.

From: "Sarah Brown" <[email protected]>

Thanks for taking the time to look at my apartment.

My name is Sarah Brown, I'm 43 years old and I'm the owner of the apartment located at: 4702/71 Eagle Street Brisbane City Qld 4000.I lived in this beautiful apartment for over 1 year and loved every day of it, until last month when I received a promotion and needed to move to Athens, Greece.

The apartment is in the best conditions, it is newly furnished and equipped with all the dependencies, central air and heat, the apartment come with two parking spots,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don't like it and you want to use your own furniture),there is also a linen closet, washer and drier.The rent of the apartment is $250 p/w including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, garbage).Also the apartment is near the public transportation and other facilities.There are no problems if you have pets, as long as you clean up after them.

My contract here, in Athens, expires in June 2020, so I can rent you the apartment for max. 4 years and minimum 3 months.

Because I had to move to Athens so soon, I didn't had the time to find a trustworthy agent,so I had to take the apartment keys with me. I had a really bad experience with the renting agents from the area, with my previous home. I can't come to show you the apartment and I don't have any friends in the area to send the keys. I found an alternate solution in order to close the transaction safe for the both of us, it is an shipping company called Airborne Express (I will arrange for a 3 days delivery),they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the Keys and Lease Agreement.With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment.

I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.

If you are interested in renting my apartment please reply back and i will send you all the details about how Airborne Express works, step by step.

Looking forward to your reply,

Best wishes,

Sarah