Rental Scammer - [email protected]

Laila Vanessa Stuvik < [email protected] > wrote:

Hello,

I am happy to let you know that my apartment is presently available even for long and short term periods. I am Laila Vanessa Stuvik, the owner of the apartment. I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in US, but now she's back home (Oslo/Norway) permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time.
The flat is exactly like in the pictures . The utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spot, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $1,400 per month and the refundable security deposit is also $1,400 and you get it back, once you decide to leave the apartment (with a 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to US, so we won't disturb you.
Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long.

Thank you,
Laila

From: Laila Vanessa Stuvik < [email protected] >
Subject: Re: 1490 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401



Thank you for your reply!

At this moment I'm in Oslo and can not be present to deal face to face.
I can make arrangements to rent the apartment through Tripadvisor which is an international company dealing specifically in rentals apartments, I used it in the past and I was very pleased.
I will explain how it works..
If you decide to proceed with this transaction, I will need :
Your phone number
Full name
The date you want to move in
How many people
Then I will contact Tripadvisor company and they will start the process right away , Next you will receive a notification message from them containing all the instructions that you need to follow in order to complete the process and receive the keys. In order to view the apartment the Tripadvisor agent will call you to establish a meeting place. You will have an agent assigned once they receive the payment for the firts month of rent and the refundable deposit.
Regarding the Payment it has to be completed before they release the keys to the renter, the payment is by bank wire transfer to Tripadvisor bank account( first month and the deposit ) they will hold and insure your money until you check the apartment and decide if you want to rent the place or not. The payment has to be completed in 24 hours from the moment you receive the invoice.(That is my insurance) because my biggest concern is that I must pay fees up front for their service .
You will be given a 2 days inspection period from the day you receive the keys and contract that you will only sign after you check the apartment for 2 days. Durring this period you can take a decision.If you will not be satisfied with the apartment the total amount will be refunded to you that same day. If you like the apartment then you will sign a contract, for the months or years that you want it for.. This is a year to year contract but if you just want it for 9 or 10 months, for example, you will sign it for that exact period.

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 got a similar email reassuring me that the deposit will be protected by Gumtree. Is there a way to check if it it true or not?

Hello Nas Ben,
Gumtree does not hold deposits for clients and anyone that makes this claim is a scammer. Never make a deposit on a rental without viewing the property in person.
Please post the email from the scammer that claims Gumtree offers deposit protection.

Hi,

What do I do if the scammer has used my name? I would rather not have a scammer associated with my name at all. Is there any way we can report them? I have had people emailing me to ask if I am leasing out any places- I am not.

Thanks,
Laila

Welcome to Scamwarners,

It is not much you can do when a scammer steals your name.

By making your post it is the best thing you can do.

Also you may want to set up google alerts.