Rental Scammer - Jase Varel [email protected]

Due to similarities between this report and mine, I decided to respond here, rather than initiate a new thread. (Please feel free to move it if appropriate.)

Letter #1, in response to an ad for an upscale local condo:

Hello,

The apartment at 38 Front St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 0B8, Canada is still available. Everything is just like in the pictures, it's fully furnished, fully equipped with all the appliances you need, very clean and well kept. You can rent this apartment furnished or unfurnished. It's your choice. I work in petroleum production as a chemical engineer and the company I work for has developed projects all around the world. They moved me to United Kingdom department because they have a new project here. I need to stay here more than 5 years so I decided to rent the place. The apartment is vacant so you can move-in anytime you want.

The rent is 865$/month and includes everything: heat, hydro, water, electricity, parking, laundry in-suite, washer and dryer also included, cable and internet. You have full access to all building amenities. Just in case repairs are needed there I will cover the costs no worries. I would like to know how many people will live in the apartment and also which rental contract do you prefer to start with. I'm not asking so much for it because I want to find a responsible tenant to take good care of the place. I have a Canadian Bank account for the monthly payments, or we can use any other payment method that is suitable for you.

This apartment is a private property, paid in full and no mortgage on it. Schools and groceries near-by. You have everything you need nearby because it's one of the best city areas. Pets are allowed. You'll love it for sure!

I want to rent the place on my own using a worldwide property management company. It's the first time I'm renting an apartment so I prefer to use a professional service to make it happen and this way I'm sure both of us will be satisfied. I need to know if you are really interested in the apartment so we can discuss further.


Sincerely,

Jase Varel

==END EMAIL #1==

After responding with an indication of interest, I received the following, which includes a request for "placing funds in escrow:"

Hi again,

After I discussed with my wife I agree to rent the apartment to you. I want to use PrimeLocation (http://www.primelocation.com) to complete the Rental Agreement. They will provide assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the keys plus the official documents. With this procedure you will be able to view my apartment without any commitment to rent it. I will cover all the costs for the transaction and delivery. I'm registered with this company and I will proceed with the rental transaction because I'm the landlord. Delivery of the keys will take maximum 3 business days. To avoid any misunderstanding I will explain you step by step how it works

1- You need to provide me your contact details: full name, mailing address (street, number, city and postal code) and your valid cell phone number.

2- I will go to the PrimeLocation office to start the transaction and I will give them the apartment keys and all the transaction documents.

3- PrimeLocation RealEstate Department checks the apartment documents. They will also confirm with the building management that I'm the legal owner of the apartment I'm renting to you.

4- PrimeLocation will send you the TRANSACTION DETAILS to inform you that they have the keys and the papers in their custody.

5- You need to send the amount of 1300$( for the 1st month rent from the rental contract and damage deposit) to the the PrimeLocation payment representative (lawyer escrow account) given to you in the notification. 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- As soon as the payment is completed you need to send the payment details to PrimeLocation.

7- PrimeLocation checks your payment and starts the shipping procedures using UPS or DHL Service.

8- You will receive the package and you will have 5 business days (inspection time) to check the place. The inspection time will start from the moment you will be at the building.

9- If you decide to keep the apartment you just need to sign the lease agreement and PrimeLocation will release the funds to me. If you don`t want to keep the apartment you will receive a full payment refund including any payment fee paid for it.

Please note that PrimeLocation can NOT release the funds to me without your approval. You will have a full payment control.

Using PrimeLocation involves three parties: me as owner, you as a potential tenant and PrimeLocation as a responsible third party authorized to handle this transaction. PrimeLocation 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 PrimeLocation.

If you have any other questions you can reach me any time at: 44 020 3289 7520 (if you are calling from Canada you need to dial 011-44-20-3289-7520) or you can email me and I will respond ASAP.

I also need to be sure that everything is clear for you because as I stated before I will pay for the transaction fees and delivery.

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

==END EMAIL #2==

Note the eerie resemblance to the "[email protected]" letter.

The email was injected through a Toronto system - strange, considering the writer is claiming to be in the UK. Here's the header entry:

"Received: from 199.189.27.93 by webprd-m19.mail.aol.com (10.74.15.139)"

IP Address Quick Report<br>IP Address: 199.189.27.93<br>Organization: Amanah Tech<br> City: Toronto<br>Country of Origin: Canada<br>* For a complete report on this IP address goto ipTRACKERonline

After reading the Presa thread, I advised the sender that I would not submit funds in advance of viewing the apartment. I have not yet received a response.