Rental Credit Report Scam - [email protected]

From: "Pam Hatfield" <[email protected]>
Date: Jul 12, 2011 11:19 AM
Subject: RE: Re: $350 / 2br - 2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom Home
To: Michelle Banks

Hi Michelle,

First and foremost, thank you for your interest in the home. I am available to show the house this week
if that fits your schedule.

Just to give you a little more information about the home, the water, trash
and garbage are paid by us. The security deposit can be paid in 2 installments if money is tight. (I know how that can be).
The house has a fenced in backyard and we do allow pets. The deposit per pet is a one time payment.
The house includes a washer and dryer, and we pay for lawn care so the renter does not have to cut the grass.
There is NO application fee (our company policy and guarantee).

I will be happy to show the house at an agreed upon time and date but I do require that all applicants and
additional renters who will be living in the home complete a free credit report to ensure their eligibility.
I have so many people apply for homes that I have to make sure they are qualified renters before I show the property.
This ensures neither of us will be wasting our time.

It is okay if you have bad credit (trust me). We just check to make sure that you don't have several evictions on
your record. (We won't rent if you have 3 or more evictions on your record)

I also had to recently stop giving out the exact address of rental properties before I am able to show them because
last time I did that the house was vandalized (I will be glad to send you the address right after your reply) I assure
you though that this is a very safe neighborhood. I actually lived in this home for 2 years (very cozy).

As soon as you can, please click and go to the secure website link below to complete the free credit report: (takes about 30 seconds)
Once you complete, I'll call you once I receive the information from the credit company (very quickly usually).

http://cllreport.com/

*** You don't have to send me your credit report.
Once you fill out the report the credit company automatically forwards me your name, email address and whether you have
had any outstanding evictions in the past 5 years to determine your renter eligibility. This is the only information I am
interested in. This is a soft credit report so it won't touch your FICO score (which is why we work with them).

This process turns some people off, so I completely understand if you decide not to complete them. In that case, good luck
with your home search. I just want to be honest with you up front about our process, which does a good job of protecting
us from ineligible renters and scammers. Also, the site above is one the safest and most secure website for credit reports in the
world, which is good for peace of mind. I have worked with them personally for a couple years now.

If you are truly interested in proceeding, take a moment and fill out one of the reports. Let me know when this is done and
we can then work out the time and date to go see the home. Email me back once you access your fresh report. I will be forwarded
the information. (Make sure to include a valid phone number. I usually call within 6 hours of submitting your report. Then I can
forward you the address and we can set up a time to tour the home.)

If eligible you will also be sent an email with my office number so we can set up a time to go see the house and discuss any
other questions or concerns you may have.

Thanks,
Pam

This is a Rental Credit Report Scam.

Here's how the scam works. An ad goes up for a house or an apartment at an appealing rent. The ads don't change much from city to city, and are vague about where the place is located. The person who placed the ad e-mails prospective renters back with a rental application, a promise to walk them through the property soon, and a request for a copy of your credit report.

The demand for a credit report is the only part of this scam that's real. It's an affiliate link to one of the "free" credit report services. . The URL to the "free" credit report contains the scammer's affiliate code, and they receive money for every new customer referred to the credit report site.

Since the apartments often have suspiciously low rents for the area, the landlord/scammer can just pretend that someone else was approved before you. Victims of the scam continue in their apartment hunts, never the wiser until strange charges for credit monitoring services show up on their credit card bill.