2 rental scammers, Oxford UK

Hi,

Thanks for this site. Something made me suspicious about a couple of rentals in Oxford, UK from [email protected], advertised on gumtree. I googled her address and it came up on your site, then also found identically worded ads with identical pictures all over the UK! So, thanks for helping me escape this scam!

Then there was another one on Craigslist from "Jansons Hudson", [email protected] - also looked too good to be true, claimed he's in China on business etc., and I found his e-mail address on a scam-warning Twitter, and identically-worded e-mails on other scam-warning sites.

Is there somewhere to report these people, so they can be stopped? It seems they're just free to operate all over the net, even using the same e-mail addresses for months.

Here's the text of their correspondences to me:

1. "Mr/Mrs Grant", [email protected] - ad on gumtree, 6 Dec. 2010: "Gorgeous furnished 1 bedroom flat in Woodin's Way, Oxford" - now removed.

"The followings are the basic details you need to know about the one bedroom flat. The flat is available on short and long term basis. The rent is £ 90.00 per week and Security Deposit is £ 400.00 which is refundable after 1 month stay in my flat The utility bills gas,water TV,Internet and council tax are included in the rent with exception of electricity bill ,the flat has separate electricity meter . Moreover, the flat is one bedroom fully furnished and equipped with all necessary house facilities ,gas heating central system also benefits a secured parking space . At this stage that you want to rent my flat, i need to ask some few questions . Can you take good care of my flat as it is? How many month do you intend to rent and pay for? Do you have any reference in Oxford ? Kindly reply for further information and also i would like to know where you are coming from to stay in my flat.
Regards
Mr/Mrs Grant"

"Thanks for getting back to me. I spoke with my lawyer concerning your stay in my flat and we are more than willing to make a reservation for you. However, it is unfortunate that my past bitter experience of inviting people to come and view or reserve my flat without any form of confirmation of their financial ability and not keeping up to time as at when scheduled, has brought about great loss to me.
Some outside tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb the the landlord to arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who are in the city, also some do not meet up with the appointments which causes a lot of inconvenience for me.
However, you will need to make a reservation deposit but before that, my lawyer will need some informations from you to draft a contract which you will print and bring along with you on your arrival date to my flat.
Your full name:
Present address:
Confirmed move in date:
Tel. no :
Kindly get back to me with these information so that i can tell you how to proceed with the reservation deposit.
Regards
Mr/Mrs Grant"

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2. "Jansons Hudson", [email protected]. Advert on Craigslist Oxford, UK (and still there as of 8 Dec.), "£450 One Bedroom for Rent". http://oxford.craigslist.co.uk/apa/2048335873.html

Text of ad: "This is fully furnished apartment with wardrobe, TV, DVD, Chair/ Table, Double bed, fully equipped kitchen, Dishwasher, Fridge, Electric range, Washer/Dryer, Microwave with internet access. Contact me for more details about the rent."

Text of e-mails:

"Thanks for the interest in my apartment, is still available for rent. It is located at 105, Southfield Road, Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 2BG . I am giving this apartment out for rent because I just relocated to China to take care of Business,of which I will not be back until after 3 years. I traveled along with the apartment keys and document, I tried to look for an agent before I left but couldn't get any in time.

If you know that you have a good reference and a good credential and please I only need someone that can take good care of my apartment. Utilities bill are also included in the rent,get back to me asap because I need a tenant urgently and i can also forward the rental application form to you, if you are interested. Have a nice day.

Regards,
Jansons."


"The neighbourhood is peaceful and safe . I have attached more addition pictures of my apartment and I hope that can answer some of your questions. Please fill the rental application form below;

PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF.

Full Name__________________________
________________________
Home Phone ( )________________________
Date of Birth_________________________
________
Email
Address:__________________________________________(optional)
Other Phone ( )___________________
List All Pets______________________________________
PLEASE GIVE RESIDENTIAL HISTORY (LAST 3 YEARS)
Current Address______________________________Apt#________
City__________________ State______ Zip________
Month/Year Moved In______________________
Reasons for
Leaving____________________________Rent$__________
Owner/Agent_________________________________
Phone ( )____________________________
Previous Address (last 3
years)______________________________________________Rent$____________
Owner/Agent_______________________________Phone()

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you. Await your reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document, via DHL.
Regards,
Jansons."

Welcome to Scamwarners, and well done for spotting the scams.
Scammers tend to work out of West African Internet cafes, so are out of reach of victims' police forces. So reporting them here is the best option.
We don't believe in closing their email addresses. You found your way here by googling on them, so the longer they are in use the better. Close them and it takes a while until someone reports the new ones.