Rental Scammer - [email protected]

guess who, again - only now he's [email protected]

I would have been taken, but I sent the e-mails to my daughter and she warned me off. Those of us who are older (60s) are sometimes not as computer savvy as the next generation. If you have parents/grandparents who use the internet, please warn them to check with you or another trusted computer wise person before getting involved in any on line transactions like this.

Hi again

Since at this moment I'm located in London, United Kingdom obviously we need a safe way to complete this deal. The solution is a worldwide third party company called HomesOverseas (www.homesoverseas.com) ,they will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the rental package. With this procedure you will be able to check the apartment before I receive the payment. Please be aware that is NOT necessary for you to register with HomesOverseas given that I'm a registered user for 4 years and I've made over 7 transactions with them so far. They are really professional and they have great services.

Regarding the process, you will only have to deposit to HomesOverseas the first month of rent from contract and damage deposit a total of 1300CAD so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the rental package (keys and documents). I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this process will work:

1 - To start the process all I need is your full info(full name, mailing address and a cell phone number).
2 - I will go at HomesOverseas to deposit the keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - HomesOverseas will check the package to see if everything is in order and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys and proof of ownership with their Real Estate Professional Department in London. They will also confirm with the building manager that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - HomesOverseas will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody. They will also send you all the payment instructions to complete the rental transaction.
5 - At this point you will have to make a money deposit on the HomesOverseas payments representative for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit for the first month of rent and damage deposit. The payment needs to be sent within 24 hours after you receive the transaction details or else they will charge me an additional fee.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the payment details to HomesOverseas .
7 - HomesOverseas will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the shipping procedures using UPS or DHL .

8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 5 days (inspection time) you must contact HomesOverseas to inform them if you keep the apt or not and if everything is in order you will instruct HomesOverseas to send me the information about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds. If you don`t like the apartment they will be sending the money back to you and you will send back the keys and contract. HomesOverseas can NOT release the funds without your approval.

You need to know everything about this process before we get this started. I think is right for both of us. If you have any other questions you can reach me any time at: +44 20 3286 3726 (if you are calling from Canada or United States you need to dial 011-44-20-3286 3726) or you can email me and I will respond ASAP.

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300CAD$) so we can move forward and e-mail me your full information I requested.

Thanks
Hello Diana,
Yes you can move-in June and the money will be for the 1st month of rent from contract that will be June 2015. I will not charge you until than. I think it's correct for both of us. You can use use my furniture no worries and you can also use the storage unit that is located near the building not far away.
Please send me your full name, mailing address and cell phone number so I can proceed with the transaction.
Let me know soon!
Thank you!

From: Robert Elas <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: 85 Robinson Street

Hi there,

Thank you for getting back to me. If you are still interested me and my wife agreed to rent the apartment to you. I promise you that you will love the place. You seem to be a nice person and I can assure you we will not have any kind of problems in the place. Everything in the place is new and renovated but just in case repairs are needed I will cover the costs no worries.
Now I'm located in London, United Kingdom and I will stay here for the next 6 years. Obviously you will have to see the apartment before discussing further details because you cannot rent an apartment that you haven't seen. I am willing to send you the keys so you can visit it and see if it suits your needs.
The delivery for the keys (keys for the apartment and storage unit, key-card access for parking and apartment door.) and lease agreement (signed by me), will be made through a worldwide third party company called Zoopla (www.zoopla.co.uk) to make sure that we can trust each other.

You will only have to deposit to Zoopla a total of 1300CAD that will represent 1st month of rent from contract +damage deposit(refundable in the last month of rent from contract). You don't need to open an account with Zoopla because this transaction is a rental and the Landlord (Owner) must open the transaction.

Here is the procedure explained:


1 - To start the process all I need is your complete information(full name, shipping address and a cell phone number where you can be reached)
2 - I will go at Zoopla to deposit the keys and the lease agreement on your name as the intended receiver.
3 - Zoopla will check the package to see if everything is in order and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys and proof of ownership with their Real Estate Professional Department in London. They will also confirm with the building management that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.
4 - Zoopla will send you a notification through email to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody. They will also send you all the payment information to complete the rental transaction.
5 - At this point you will have to make a money deposit on the Zoopla payments representative for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit for the first month of rent and damage deposit. The payment needs to be sent within 24 hours after you receive the transaction details or else they will charge me an additional fee.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the payment details to Zoopla.
7 - Zoopla will verify the transfer and if everything is in order they will start the delivery through licensed shipping company such as DHL or UPS. The delivery will take 3 business days.
8 - After you receive the package, you will go and check the apartment and in 5 business days (inspection time) you must contact Zoopla to inform them if you keep the apt or not. So if you decide to move-in the apartment you will notify Zoopla so they can send the payment on my name. If you don`t like the apartment the payment will be full refunded to you. Zoopla can NOT release the funds without your approval. Also the inspection time of 5 days will start from the moment you will be at the building.

Using Zoopla involves three parties: me as owner, you as a potential tenant and Zoopla as a responsible third party authorized to handle this transaction. Zoopla works the same way as the escrow account on which you place the deposit when you rent an apartment, except that instead of a bank, we use Zoopla. Of course, nobody can take that money until you will sign the lease agreement.

You need to know everything about the process before we get this started. I think is right for both of us. If you have any other questions you can reach me any time at: 44 020 3239 5827 (if you are calling from Canada or United States you need to dial 011-44-20-3239-5827) or you can email me and I will respond ASAP.

Let me know if you have the funds available (1300CAD$) so we can move forward and e-mail me your full information I requested.

Thanks

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.