[email protected]

i am worried ive been scammed.
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/apa/2295543633.html
this is the listing i responded to.
and unfortunately and now embarrassingly i sent $ via Western Union.
i can add emails too, i have about 10 with this person.
please help!

Sorry but if you sent money by Western Union, it is certainly a scam. I expect you were promised the keys via a courier. Can you post the scammer's first email please. Less your personal details of course.

Thanks for your much interest in my Apartment and the quick
respond to
my mails , I hope we would eventually becomes my tenant,I will be glad
to have a perfect person like you as my next tenant ,for you sound
nice and interesting to have as tenant .Am doing Gods works.(A
Missionary Works) so they transfer me to Manchester united ,i will be there
for about 3 or 4Years .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, since i am not residing there
for now.I left behind some Facilities and electronics which you have
to pay for the subscription, and a DVD player, air conditioning, alarm
system. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking
utensils, a refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and
ovenmicrowave,dishwasher and washing machine, My Computer Connected
with Internet Access Also the keys to the condo are right here with
me, and the lease document. Which i can send to you after all
necessary agreement has be accepted. Also i will like you to know that
the rent charges is not really the issue , but your absolute
maintenance of my apartment.

45 Newman Ave Bayonne, NJ 07002

3 BEDROOM APARTMENT :
Private Location
Newer Carpet
Marble Floors in Kitchen and Bath
New Paint
Complex Amenities Include
Laundry
Laundry room
Parking
Assigned
Terms:
Lease Terms: month to month
Ready for move-in now!
Property Information Type: Apartments for Bedroom
1 Bedrooms 6th floor, very sunny and quiet, with wooden floor. Large
living room (leather sofa, glass table + 4 chairs and plasma TV). One
medium-sized rooms with double bed. There is a small one room that is
connected to the kitchen and it has an individual bed (good for
guests, however it does not have enough privacy for permanent use).
Kitchen of origin (not reformed), but fully equipped and with vitro
ceramic. Large bathroom of origin (not reformed) with washing machine.
The living room has a small balcony facing an indoor patio. Lease
Availability:
Immediate Lease Terms: How Long
Application Fee:
Rent: $700 per month
Policies Pets:
Call for details Smoking:
Exterior Outdoor: Parking:
-1 Dedicated Parking Spaces Community:
Handicap Accessible
Access Gate
So if you are interested in the apartment you get back to me by
filling the Rent Application Form below okay,

RENT APPLICATION FORM
1)Your Full Name:
2)Your Full Address & Phone Number:
3)How old are you?:
4)Are you married?:
5)How many people will be living in the house?:
6)Do you have a pet?:
7)Do you have a car?:
Occupation?:
9)How many months contract?:
10)your picture and your wife picture?
11)western union & pay pal account ?
image 2298039523-0 image 2298039523-1
image 2298039523-2 image 2298039523-3

i am such an idiot. in the rush of moving, i didnt even see how bad this really is.
so is there any chance whatsoever of me getting any money back at all??
eff... this sucks.
can i contact authorities or something? is there anything i can do at all?

Assuming the money was picked up from Western Union already, you have no chance to get it back (if it wasn't picked up, you need to cancel the transaction immediately--but scammers are generally pretty quick to grab the money.) Western Union is meant for sending money to family and friends, and is not a service for sending money to strangers--and they have no way to take the money back once it has been collected.

Unfortunately, your local police won't be able to do anything about this crime, as it is out of their jurisdiction. The writing style/mistakes in English tell me that the scammer is African (not surprising as this particular format is generally used by African scammers). Once collected, the money ends up in the hands of an African scammer, most likely based in Africa or Malaysia--and since all he gave you is fake names and information, you have no real information on the person who scammed you. You can certainly report the crime to ic3 (responsible for investigating internet based advance fee fraud and related crimes) but the amount you lost won't be enough to launch a full investigation. We generally encourage reporting to IC3, though, simply because our government needs to understand the depth of the problem if we want them to dedicate resources to addressing it.