apartment scam

Hello, beware of scammer

More especially aspiegell2010, if people drop any rental where the landlord asks for payment by Western Union or MoneyGram it'll cut down rental frauds substantially. I can't imagine how anyone who owns property could do so without a bank account and, if they won't trust you with their bank account details, why should you trust them with your money ?

A few scammers use bank accounts, but they're taking a risk, and they aren't useful for more than one scam because they can be Googled, and then become useless.

Anyone looking to go online to rent a flat needs to learn about scammers, otherwise they're going to lose a lot of money. Certain sites holding rental listings are completely overrun by scammers and if you're looking for the best deal - it's the quickest way to find a scammer.

Hi Ashley.
Is it possible that you could post the initial response from the scammer in order that we can investigate.
Thanks.

Hello,
I am glad that I found this website. I was getting ready to close a deal with a supposed landlord in Sevilla, Spain who I was planning to rent an apartment with while visiting my girlfriend for a month who is studying abroad over there. He offered me a great deal, so I was eager to make it happen.
His email was [email protected] and when he flat out refused to take a paypal payment or any other type of secure payment and would only accept moneygram, I started to sense something fishy.

Below is a chat conversation I had with him if it of any interest to someone:
William: hello
me: hello
how have you rented this apartment out in the past?
William: how are you doing ?
me: I am fine
William: yes
were presently are you now?
me: in Eugene, Oregon, USA
and you?
William: okay
Sent at 9:25 PM on Saturday
William: am presently in London now
do you really like the apartment
me: yeah, it is nice
William: Hi
me: it is my top choice right now
William: so how will you like to proceed?
me: do you have a paypal account?
William: No
I don`t deal with Paypal
me: okay
would you like me to pay you when I am there?
I might even be in London towards the end of my trip
William: You will need to make payment before your arrival to hold the apartment
me: how do you suggest I do that?
western union?
William: No
Moneygram
me: and how will I get the keys and access to the apartment when I get there?
William: I will be available to give you the keys
Sent at 9:30 PM on Saturday
William: Are you there
?
me: yes
I have never done moneygram before
I just want to make sure that I can trust this deal
William: Well i am a God fearing man
The payment will be made to my financial secretary in the US
rECEIPT WILL BE ISSUED UPON CONFIRMATION OF YOUR PAYMENT
me: okay
what are the instructions that I need
if the place is open tomorrow morning I can make the payment then
William: where are you located?
me: in Eugene, Oregon
William: Do you have a credit card ?
me: yes
William: You can do the moneygram online with your credit card
Sent at 9:37 PM on Saturday
me: okay
William: I have to go to the toilet and restart my computer will you wait me online for 10minutes ?
Sent at 9:38 PM on Saturday
William: will you wait me online for 10minutes ?
Sent at 9:40 PM on Saturday
me: yes
William: ok
give me your cell number
me: +15059275335
Sent at 9:42 PM on Saturday
me: I am on the phone with moneygram now
they advise not to make transactions with people who you do not know
Sent at 9:53 PM on Saturday
me: would you be willing to make a payment over paypal? it is very easy
William: no
Well i am a God fearing man
I will never cheat on you
Just give and try
me: can you scan a copy of your passport and send it to me?
William: Oh i don`t do that
Well if you have a doubt in you then we can end this deal
What will be my gain if i cheat on you and looses the Kingdom of God
me: I understand that, but there are still people in this world that would only say that to falsely gain my trust
I am a man of God as well
and I trust in Him
William: Likewise me
i trust in Him aswell
So put your trust on God and give a try with this deal
me: why are you unwilling to use paypal?
William: I don`t know anything about this
me: if you are on the internet now it is very easy to set up
and very secure
William: Well i`m not ready for that
To make things easier for you
Make a half payment now and pay the remainging half on your arrival
me: do you have other offers for your apartment in the month of March?
William: Yes
that is why you will need to make a down payment to secure the apartment for your arrival
me: but since I only need it for part of the month, why do you prefer me as a customer?
you could get the full month's worth with another renter
William: hi
Well not that i`m choosing you as a customer but i`m renting it to whoever make the reservation
me: how often are you in Sevilla?
William: I live in Sevilla
Sent at 10:06 PM on Saturday
William: So are you ready to proceed ?
me: could you please send me your Nota Simple Informativa?
I think that would be a simple way to insure a secure payment
William: I will be giving you my secretary information for the payment
So you will be paying 100Euros and the rest balance on your arrival
Do you agree with that
?
Sent at 10:11 PM on Saturday
me: one minute
William: ok
Sent at 10:12 PM on Saturday
me: how have you done rentals in the past?
do you have any positive referrals that I can speak with
William: Same way as this
Contact Mr. Michael his email is [email protected]
Sent at 10:15 PM on Saturday
me: do you only have an apartment in Sevilla that you rent out?
or do you have other rentals?
William: Sevilla only
Sent at 10:16 PM on Saturday
me: I don't think I fell comfortable doing business with you on the terms you have suggested.
best of luck to you in the future
Sent at 10:18 PM on Saturday

PS the way I concluded that he was lying to me was toward the end of the confirmation when I asked him if he has other rentals that he offers. After checking this website I saw that Ashley had been offered an apartment in Tel Aviv and so I asked him if his only rental is in Sevilla and he said yes. At this point I figured that it was sufficiently sketchy for me to turn down the almost irresistible offer.

Thanks himmat. Put two and two together and there's the evidence

I would still like to see his initial email(s) as we may be able to link his script to other email addresses if someone would like to post it. Ideally with headers
If you're not confident, myself or one of the team members are available via PM.