Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: Jayme Scantlebury <[email protected]>
Date: 13 April 2011 11:11
Subject: Re: $8000 / 2br - Beautifully furnished, Spacious Apartment (Wan Chai)
To: Con Warner


Good to read from you on your interest on my apartment, which i am leasing out for rent

The apartment is still very much available for rent. Just to give you a little low down about the apartment and myself. I am a British citizen by birth, i inherited the flat from my late father, as being is his child. He was actually residing there only, until his death with heart failure. Which is why i am offering the flat for lease. I am residing here in Madrid, Spain with my fiance. Who i am about getting married to in less than two months, i am presently working at the Hospital Universitario La Paz here in Madrid.

The whole flat is up for a total of 8000HKD per month. Which i also think is fair enough considering the location. I just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the apartment for now.

The flat comprises of two bedroom. Excellent condition inside. Good sized lounge, with a sofa, DVD player, stereo, and washing machine. Can sleep a max of 4, and ideal for family, couple and friends. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils

Just to let you know, the keys are right here with me. But there wouldn't be any problem with that. As it can be posted to you, after all necessary agreement has be reached and signed into lease. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really an issue here , but your absolute maintenance of the apartment, because it is good to keep the property in good condition, just for the memories of my father. Who committed so much putting those facilities in place, so i wouldn't want an violation of my property if finally rented by you.

Address: Brilliant Court, 8 Kennedy Street, Level 3, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. And please note, Monthly Rental is only inclusive of management fee and government rate. The minimum lease term is 2 months, and a maximum of 2 years with a possibility of extension

Kind Regards,
Jayme

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union or MoneyGram with a promise that he will send the keys through a courier company.

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 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.

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.

Hello ,

Thanks so much for your warm response.

Obviously i can understand your point regarding the viewing of the flat and meeting before reaching an agreement. But unfortunately, that would not be possible for now. Like i said, i wasn't residing over there. I only came to locked up the apartment and make sure the apartment is in perfect condition, after my late father passed away. So i am actually renting it out, so my tenant can look after the flat on my behalf as well. Which was why i made the rent to lower compare to the present rental market value. And for now i am so much committed to my work and our wedding preparation for now. And there is no one over there with the keys, as i have all the keys here with me, like i told you earlier. As my plans of sending the keys, would be after reaching an agreement.

So i would suggest for now, if you don't mind. You go over and visit the building and neighborhood to determine your interest for now. So as to have an idea of the living situation around there, before making your decision. As i do know your worries and reservations at this point, since i am not presently available to meet with you in person and show your the flat. Though you can understand, i was suppose to lock up the flat since there was no one presently occupying the flat after the death of my Father. And moreover, i never had any intention of renting out the flat. It was my fiance who recently advise i should lease out the flat, which probably was a good idea for someone to occupy the place, and take up the maintenance. And often send me feed backs regarding the state of the flat,. Just to put off my worries. Since no one was occupying the place, and i don't have any intention of visiting soon or moving over there.

Let me know what to you feel. If you are still interested in renting the property off me. So we could start up with the renting process.

Cheers,
Jayme

Wow -- thanks for posting this. It seemed too good to be true. I got this email today after asking about the apartment too. Funny thing is - I googled Jayme Scantlebury and there is a actually a British citizen that lives in Hong Kong by that name. She has a facebook page and another profile page too. I'm assuming this person stole this woman's identity and is now scamming everyone...Thanks for the warning.

Damn depressing. Was so excited to think I was close to getting the flat I wanted but luckily I felt that the offer was really too good to be true and after a bit of research came across this site. Thanks for the info.

Flat hunting in Hong Kong is a nightmare.

I wonder whether anyone has actually paid the money for this? I've notified gumtree about the scammer, so hopefully they can block his/her account with them.

If I had more time right now, I'd actually try to hunt this person down and report them to the police...I was so excited at the thought of a reasonably priced, nice looking apartment!

I'm glad all three of you were able to identify the scam before you lost money. Unfortunately, odds are that someone has or will lose money to this scammer.

As far as tracking him down goes, the truth is that this scammer is sitting in Africa or Malaysia, hidden behind fake identities and public computers. Even if you knew his true identity, there is nothing that police in your country can do.

More to add for people's reference:
Told this woman, [email protected] (used all the above EXACT wordings of Rental Scammer - [email protected] for the initial communication as well) The thing is, I knew something is doggy so told her tat i would only transfer money when she send key for my chance to access the property for inspection)


Hello,
I have received the signed lease and scan passport I'd. I would be going to about the shipping process, during my lunch break. I have also read through your email. And I wish to tell you, i am noit happy with the process. As i would be including the first month receipt and deposit along with the keys and hard copy of the agreement. So I advise, you comply with the rent and deposit to avoid any misunderstanding between us. As I intend having a good relationship with you in furure. You would read from me soon, with the shipping information. So you could know when to wait the delivery

Regards,
Sandra.



Hi ,
I have posted out the keys and the hard copy of the tenancy lease agreement as promised, with the property inspection and inventories checklist form, for your moving in and out. I also included receipts for the rent and deposit. Which is inside a separate sealed white envelop in the package. As you can see for now, there is no ref no for the package. There was a system failure at the DHL post office, and i requested they still go about the delivery. As i have promised to go about the delivery today. I was also assured the ref no, won't delay the shipping and delivery process. So i will send you the ref no as soon as i receive it, as i was told i would be receiving a text message alert in respect to the ref no within the next 48hrs. The present status of the package is in transit scan for departure in Madrid. And according to the DHL post man the delivery will be in next 3 days. So do let me know as soon as you receive the parcel. So you could inspect the flat and take down the list of inventories, before your moving in date. As i would be looking forward to your commitment in respect to keeping the flat in good shape, clean and well looked after.

I await tomorrow your final compliance with the rent and deposit. And do attach the scan receipt for the western union transfer for my reference

Warm Regards,
Sandra

(didn't reply)

Hi ,
I am really very worried as i haven't read from you. I have sent out the keys and hard copy of the agreement in good faith. Please understand, you would leave me with no option, but to place the package on hold when it arrives for delivery, prior to your compliance with the rent and deposit. I am sorry, if i sound rude. I look forward to hearing from you, so we could resolve this. I have only send the package, so your mind could be at peace and also for you to move into the flat earlier enough. I am really disappointed, you are still yet to comply with the rent and deposit as you promised.

Regards,
Sandra

The same person but this time she used the name Sandra Biesinger, which I believe she previously used.

Good to read from you on your interest on my apartment, which i am leasing out for rent

The apartment is still very much available for rent. Just to give you a little low down about the apartment and myself. I am a German citizen. I inherited the flat from my late father, as his only child. He was actually residing there only. Until his death with heart failure. This is why i decided to put up the apartment for lease. I am living in Madrid, Spain with my fiance. Who i am about getting married to in less than two months. And i am presently working at The international School of Madrid.

The whole flat is up for a total of 9000HKD per month. Which i also think is fair enough considering the location. I just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the apartment for now.

The flat comprises of two bedroom. Excellent condition inside. Good sized lounge, with a sofa, DVD player, stereo, and washing machine. Can sleep a max of 4, and ideal for family, couple and friends. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils.

Just to let you know, the keys are right here with me. But there wouldn't be any problem with that. As it can be posted to you, after all necessary agreement has be reached and signed into lease. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really an issue here , but your absolute maintenance of the apartment, because it is good to keep the property in good condition, just for the memories of my father. Who committed so much putting those facilities in place, so i wouldn't want an violation of my property if finally rented by you.

Address: Yan Yee Court, 28 Wan Chai Road, 2nd floor, Hong Kong Island, Wan Chai. Walking distance to shops, cafes & restaurants. And please note, Monthly Rent is only inclusive of of management fee and government rate. As for the utility bills, there are no outstanding bills. So you be paying the bills and starting the lease with a clean slate. The minimum lease term is 2 months, and a maximum of 2 years with a possibility of extension.

Kind Regards,
Sandra

The woman again sounds convincing until she demands the money while claiming she has sent the keys. I attempted several times, asking her to talk on skype but she completely avoided the question. I'm sure if I continued to ask, she would have told me an excuse, such as the webcam is broken.

Hi Michelle,

So good to read from you again. I have just gone through your email. You can add me up on yahoo messenger [email protected]

In respect to the lease agreement. Kindly Print out the attached application form and fill it to the best of your knowledge and information available to you, with a scan personal photograph (Passport size). Indicate as well, on the form. How long do you intend to lease the flat and your desire move in date. This is all i require for now. I will get back to you as soon as possible with further instructions with the tenancy document, if i am satisfied with your application.

And Like i said, my main primary concern is the up keep of the flat. And also with the rents to assist me with some of my futures needs.I would also require, some update photographs of the property at your most convenient time. So i would be rest assured things are really going on well.

Regards
Sandra

She would attach the rental application form. This woman was very weird. Claimed she was German, is living in Spain but was using a UK phone card. I assume the UK phone card is a pre-paid so she won't get tracked down. Therefore indicating she is actually located in the UK. Please report this to the British Police fraud department but don't disclose to the scammer you know she is a scammer so she will continue using the same generic emails to send out everyone. Therefore, she will be more easily searchable and identified on the scam websites. This is how I found out she was a scam too - by finding that the emails that she wrote closely resembled her emails. I even spoke to her on the phone. The times I told her I would call her, she could be reached. Other times I tried to call her, the phone was dead indicating that she would remove the sim card from her phone so as not to be tracked down. Good luck everyoe!

From [email protected]

Hi ,

So good to read from you again.I have just gone through your email. In respect to the lease agreement. Firstly, you have to comply with the application process. Then we can move forward with the lease agreement

Kindly Print out the attached application form and fill it to the best of your knowledge and information available to you, with a scan personal photograph (Passport size) to be attached on the lease agreement, and also to put a face to your name. Indicate as well, on the form. How long do you intend to lease the flat and your desire move in date. This is all i require for now. I will get back to you as soon as possible with further instructions with the tenancy document, if i am satisfied with your application.

And Like i said, my main primary concern is the up keep of the flat. And also with the rents to assist me with some of my futures needs.I would also require, some update photographs of the property at your most convenient time. So i would be rest assured things are really going on well.

Sincerely
Sandra

RENTAL APPLICATION
Neatly complete all information below. All applicants over the age of 18 must complete and sign their own application.
And also attached a small size passport photograph long with it. I also require a separate application for each adult.

Applicants full name___________________________________ DOB__________

Current Address________________________________City___________________State________Zip_________

Current Landlords Name__________________________________

How long at this address__________Reason for leaving______________________________________________

Previous Address________________________________City___________________State_______Zip_________

Previous Landlords Name__________________________________________
How long at this address__________Reason for leaving______________________________________________

Auto Yr______Make____________Model_____________________State/License Plate #___________________

Present Employer_____________________________Position__________________Mo. Income______________

Phone #__________________How long at job_________Other income/source____________________________

Employers Address_________________________________________City___________________State________

Have you ever been party to an eviction? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Personal References
Name______________________________Yrs. Known____Relationship____________

Name______________________________Yrs. Known____Relationship____________

Name______________________________Yrs. Known____Relationship____________

Are you Married_________________________________________________________

Spouse's Name: __________

Children? __________ How Many? __________ Ages? __________

Pets? __________ What Kind? __________ How Many? __________


Total number of adults___________Total number of children living with you under the age of 18_____________

Names and relations of all other applicants_________________________________________________________

How long do you intend to rent the apartment ________________________________________________________________

I CERTIFY that answers given herein are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize investigation of all statements contained in this application for tenant screening as may be necessary in arriving at a tenant decision, I understand that the landlord may terminate any rental agreement entered into for any misrepresentations made above.

Signature________________________________________________________________Date________________

Sandra Biesinger

I received similar emails and an application form. Something didn't sit right and I tried to google her and sure enough I found her in this site.

Glad to read from you. I am the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of. Actually i resided in the apartment with my family, such as my wife and my only daughter before and presently we had packed due to my transfer from my place of work on a Christian Missionary Journey and now situated in the Africa and presently my apartment is still available for rent.Including the utilities like hydro, washer and security,it is furnished but if you which to move in with your furnishes no problem.

Please i want you to note that i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent, i will want you to take absolute maintenance of my apartment and want you to treat it as your own, money is not the most important thing but i want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.


SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENTAL APPLICATION FORM BELOW..

Also, Please let me get this answer.
FIRST NAME:__________________
MIDDLE NAME:_________________
LAST NAME:__________________
PROFESSION:________________ POSITION:__________
HOME PHONE (____)__________
(CELL)PHONE (____)__________
(WORK)PHONE (____)__________
KIDS_____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________
PRESENT ADDRESS:_____________________
CITY:_______________
STATE:______________
ZIPCODE:____________
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING?____________
CURRENT RENT PAYMENT:____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?______________
DO YOU HAVE A PET:_____________
NAME OF PET:_____________
IS THE RENT FEE AVAILABLE NOW?______________
REASON FOR MOVING OUT?______________
KIND OF PETS:_____________
DO YOU SMOKE?______________
DO YOU DRINK?______________

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt to you and contacting you.Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys to you. Note that the keys and documents of my apartment is with me here in Africa. Please we are giving you the apartment base on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words, you know that we do not see yet and only putting everything into Gods hand, so please do not let me down in this my property and God bless you more as you do this.

Note:You will have 1 month rent free after you might have make payment for the first month rent deposit.

APARTMENT INFORMATION
Bedrooms: 1 Bedroom
Bathrooms: 1 Bathroom
Rent per month: 6000HKD(First Month Rent Fee)
Deposit Req'd: First month(3000HKD)
Application Fee: 0.00HKD
Parking: Reserved.
Available: Now
Smoking: Allowed
Lease terms: As long as you wish

Flat address:

482 Hennessy Rd, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Awaiting your reply soon.

Joshua

Another scammer email:

Thanks for the email and it is my gladness hearing from you. I am the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of. Actually i resided in the apartment with my family, such as my wife and my only daughter before and presently we had packed due to my transfer from my working place on a Christian missionary work and now situated in the (MALAYSIA)and presently my apartment is still available for rent.Including the utilities like hydro, washer and security, it is furnished but if you which to move in with your furnishes no problem.


Pls i want you to note that i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent, i will want you to take absolute maintenance of my apartment and want you to treat it as your own, money is not the most important thing but i want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.


SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENTAL APPLICATION FORM BELOW..


Also, Pls let me get this answer.
FIRST NAME:__________________
MIDDLE NAME:_________________
LAST NAME:__________________
PROFESSION:________________POSITION:__________
HOME PHONE (____)__________
(CELL)PHONE (____)__________
(WORK)PHONE (____)__________
KIDS_____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________
PRESENT ADDRESS:_____________________
CITY:_______________
STATE:______________
SEX ____________
OCCUPANT PICTURE____________
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING?____________
CURRENT RENT PAYMENT:____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?______________
DO YOU HAVE A PET:_____________
NAME OF PET:_____________
IS THE RENT FEE AVAILABLE NOW?______________
REASON FOR MOVING OUT?______________
KIND OF PETS:_____________
DO YOU SMOKE?______________
DO YOU DRINK?______________


Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt to you and contacting you.Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the keys to you. Note that the keys and documents of my apartment is with me here in (MALAYSIA) Please we are giving you the apartment base on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words, you know that we do not see yet and only putting everything into Gods hand, so please do not let us down in this our property and God bless you more as you do this.




APARTMENT INFORMATION
Bedrooms: 1 Bedroom
Bathrooms: 1 Bathroom
Rent per month: $ 1,200 (First Month Rent Fee)
Deposit Req'd: First month($ 1,200)
Application Fee: 0.00
Parking: Reserved.
Available: Now
Smoking: Allowed
Lease terms: As long as you wish




Awaiting your reply soon.
Thank you.

Hello,

Thanks for the response, here is the apartment address : 219 Wing Lok St, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, the apartment as been empty for just 3months only. the price is just 1,200usd only and which as been included with the bills, water, utilities and facilities so you will not be paying for them anymore, so i want you to get back to me if you are still willing to proceed by filling the rent application form for me to know the type and kind of person I'm giving out my apartment to..


Hope to read back from you soon,


Thanks.

Rental Scammers include:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

The above are not real names or they are stolen identity names used to create email addresses.

All scammers. All will ask you to fill in a pathetically-designed application form. All will ask you to send money through wireless money transfers/Western Union. All scammers will NOT be able to provide you with a Hong Kong number because they are not based in Hong Kong but claim they are owners of apartments in Hong Kong. If they were really the owners, they would have gone through the agent instead of risking renting it to a random person UNLESS of course, it was a scam, which IT IS.

Be careful and good luck!

Welcome ScamFounder, and thank you for these reports. They will certainly help others who are targeted by these criminals.

All these rental scammers should be the same organisation if not similar.

Everybody please note that the following emails are operating under the same loser:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected] - This is a recent scammer email

Remember that they will ask you to send money through Moneybookers Escrow/Western Union etc.

Anything but a bank account basically. Don't worry, when you ask them if you should transfer through a bank account, they will provide you with lots of excuses. The only way to confirm that you are you and they are them is to transfer money through a bank account. If you do wireless money transfers, they can obtain the money without passport identity but with a receipt number or something similar. They can't use the passport identity that they originally provide you with because it's a stolen identity.

Best of luck.

http://forum.escrow-fraud.com/viewtopic ... 6&start=20

Re: Is this a fraud using moneybookers escrow?
by lightfair » Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:51 pm

Yes, it's a pretty wide-spread scam.

To prevent any misunderstanding: habitamos.com is a legit site; it's just that the scammers place their own ads there as well.lightfair
Master

Posts: 604
Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 12:54 pmTop
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: Is this a fraud using moneybookers escrow?
by abtomat » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:11 am

and this almost happened to me also

The apartment will be ready for you (already
furnished, new duvets, covers, blankets and everything), you will need
only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you
like it.
Obviously we need a way to complete this deal, that will
allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. In order to do that I
have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast. I left
the keys and contract of the apartment, already signed by me, at a
escrow company called MoneyBookers http://www.moneybookers.com
They
will handle the transaction (payment and delivery for us).
We will
use this company just for this time so we can trust each other.
Please
let me know if you are still interested to rent my apartment and if so,
i will be in contact with Moneybookers to initiate
the exchange procedure (keys and legal documents / security deposit).
Just
so you understand, this is the procedure:

-You give me your name
and address and I will contact moneybookers, and make all the
arrangements for the transaction to be set up.
-Moneybookers contacts
you and gives you instructions
-You pay moneybookers agent assigned
with our transaction the amount of EUR 450
-Monkeybookers sends you
keys and contract
-You have 14 days to inspect apartment since the
arrival date.
-If you want to keep the apartment, they give me the
money, and we go on from there
-If you do not keep the apartment, you
give the keys/contract back to moneybookers and you get your money
back.

This will be in writing in the moneybookers contract i will
sign.
The MoneyBookers fees will be paid by me when i will initiate
the procedure, you will have to pay for the money transfer fees when you
will have to pay the moneybookers
agent.
I will wait your soon reply and if you agree, i will need
your full name, shipping address and your daytime phone number and i
will initiate the moneybookers transaction.

Sara Holdson

email: [email protected]]

Moneybookers Verified Agent Details:

Name: Carlos Berttodi

Street: via Frainelli 43
City: Milan
Zip Code: 20180
Country: Italy

and "moneybookers" mail came from [email protected]tomat
NewBorn

Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:52 am