Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Apartment Availability

Thanks for the interest you have in my flat.My flat is still available for rent and you can stay in my flat as long as you pay your rent at when due. Here are the necessary things you need to know about the rent and deposit.

Rent £400 pcm : £ 100.00 pw
Security Deposit: £ 600.00 (Returnable at the end of a week stay in my flat)
Utility bills inclusive ( water, gas, council tax, TV license and wireless Internet) Utility Cost : £ 0.00 pcm.

However, At this stage that you want to rent my flat, i need to know some few question about you.Can you keep my flat clean and tidy? Do you have references in Cambridge?. Kindly reply for further information and i will like to know where you are coming from to stay in my flat.

I look forward to reading from you. Have a wonderful week ahead of you.

Regards
Mr/Mrs Lawson

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.

I have received the exact same email about a property in Birmingham on Craigslist and smelt a rat even before anyone has asked me for money (hence me googling the email address). Is it possible to report these ads so they get removed? I would hate for some international students etc to be exploited as their claiming to offer a property very close to the universities.

Did they use the same email address as reported above?

You can flag them at Craigslist, but honestly, they'll just put more up. The best thing you can do is report the scammers here in order to help warn others. There is a scam warning at the bottom of every Craigslist ad warning of scams.

Yes same email address as above. Have reported but like you say will just put up again under a different email I'm sure.

>
> From: [email protected]
> To: Michelle Banks
>
>
> Thanks for the reply and the information provided.I can make a perfect reservation for you for the said period of time you are willing to stay in my flat and also i 'll like you to know that my flat is a one bedroom flat not shared.I and my lawyer have both agreed to make a reservation for you so you don't need to be worried as long as you have promise me that you will take proper good care of my flat just the way it is. However, my lawyer asked me not to collect any money from you as long as you have not sign a contract neither have i taken you round my flat so he decided to make a confirmation of your financial ability before we proceed with the reservation. I have traveled all the way from Coventry to take some interested candidates round the flat because that's where i work.Some outside tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb me to make a reservation or arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who lives close by, also some do not meet up with the appointments.
>
> Henceforth, my lawyer and i have decided to carry out a simple test on financial ability to pay for my rent before coming for viewing. I would not ask you to send your bank statement. At least 1 month rent together with the security deposit which is £ 600 which is refundable after your 1st week stay in my flat,would be required from you to transfer through the Money Gram. You can make the transfer with your family member or friend's name as a sender and your name as a receiver to an address in London and you can as well use my flat address.
>
> Once you have done this, scan the receipt to me and if you do not have scanner, you may write out the details on the receipt as i will send it to my lawyer to verify if it's truly genuine and available in your custody, after verification, then we can proceed for the reservation and you can easily pick up the money at the nearest Money Gram Post Office when you arrive to London and also, i will refund back to you the cost of transfer when we meet.
>
> I look forward to reading from you soon.
>
> Regards
> Mr/Mrs Lawson
> +447509382635

So glad I found this page as I almost fell for it.
See email below from the apparent anita.I had also asked her number to speak to her before I send the money but I will not be going ahead:

From Anita
447509382635
Thanks for the swift reply.The flat is fully furnished as you can see from the picture and there is a garage and an off street parking for the flat.The flat is still available for rent.I am willing to have you in the flat for as long as you wish after the viewing. It is most unfortunate that my past experiences of inviting people for viewing or reservation of the flat without any form of confirmation of their seriousness and not keeping up to time as and at when scheduled, has brought about great loss to me. I have traveled all the way from Coventry to take some interested candidates round the flat because that's where i work.Some outside tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb me to arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who lives close by, also some do not meet up with the appointments.

Henceforth, my solicitor and i have decided to carry out a simple test on seriousness and financial ability to pay for the rent before viewing. I am not asking you to pay before the viewing but at least, the security deposit of £ 600 which is refundable would be required from you to transfer to someone close to you through Money Gram Post Office Transfer agent using your name as the Sender and your friend or family member's name as the Receiver in the UK premises.Once you have done this, scan the receipt to me and if you do not have scanner, you may write out the details on the receipt as i will forward it to my solicitor to verify if it's truly genuine and available, after verification, i will ask you to inform the receiver to go and pick up the transfer and i will refund the transfer charges immediately after the viewing.

Note that the transfer must be confirmed valid before the receiver picks up the money and also, i will refund back to you the cost of transfer when we meet for the viewing
Best Regards
Mr/Mrs Lawson


AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!!

Just FIY - they're still active. Replied to an ad for a house in Hitchin on Gumtree.

Thanks for the interest you have in my house.My flat is still available for rent and you can stay in my house as long as you pay your rent at when due. Here are the necessary things you need to know about the rent and deposit.

Rent £700 pcm
Security Deposit: £ 600.00 (Returnable at the end of a week stay in my house)
Utility bills inclusive ( water, gas, council tax, TV license and wireless Internet) Utility Cost : £ 0.00 pcm.

house However, At this stage that you want to rent my , i need to know some few question about you.Can you keep my house clean and tidy? Do you have references in Hitchin?. Kindly reply for further information and i will like to know where you are coming from to stay in my house.

I look forward to reading from you. Have a wonderful week ahead of you.

Regards
Mr/Mrs Lawson