by Michelle
Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:27 am
From: [email protected]
To: Michelle Banks
Subject: Re: Apartment available on gumtree
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:56:42 +0200
Hello,
Thank you for your mail and the interest you have in my property. My name is Ribeiro Luiz Felipe and Michael Townsend is my step brother (he helped me set up the rental ad and this is his e-mail address). The minimum let is for 2 months and the maximum let is for 10 years. The flat is available for renting right away, no one is living there at the moment. The price for the rent is 560+100 pounds/month for the whole property (the 100 pounds are for all the bills and taxes - electricity, water, gas, internet, council tax) and you will pay for the first 2 months of rent in advance (1320 pounds).
The apartment is very clean and I want to rent it to a person who is a clean and responsible tenant. As you can see in the photos everything is new. I am working in Italy (Rome) and I am here with my family. For me it is a bit hard to travel to London because of my working place, and I want to be sure that you are really interested in my offer. Regarding the meeting, I think we could fix a date when I can come to UK for the viewing and we can reach an agreement. The property has a fully furnished kitchen and it is fully furnished with all home utilities like: electric shower, vacuum cleaner, toaster, oven and microwave, dryer, iron, washing machine , refrigerator , dishwasher, heater, cable ready tv set and dvd player, internet connection, equipped kitchen and all utilities.
I am waiting for your mail to know if you are satisfied with the details which I gave you, as well to make the necessary arrangements for the viewing. I am waiting for your response.
Ribeiro Luiz Felipe
Via Labicana
29 Rome
Italy
From: [email protected]
To: Michelle Banks
Subject: Re: Apartment available on gumtree
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:59:46 +0200
Hello,
I have attached some pictures, a floorplan, a map of the location and a copy of my passport to confirm you my identity. I work for UniCredit Italy and because of my special situation (being abroad) I need to be sure that you are a genuine interested tenant. I am willing to have you in my flat as long as you pay your rent but it is unfortunate that my past bitter experience of inviting people to come and view or reserve my property without any form of confirmation of their financial ability has brought great loss to me. Some potential tenants do not have the money to pay their rent and yet they disturb the landlord to arrange a viewing. Also some people do not meet up with the appointments which has led to the dismissal of some landlords in their place of work by their employers and I can not afford to find myself in a similar position. Henceforth, my lawyer and I have decided to carry out a simple test on financial ability to pay for my rent before coming for the viewing. I would not ask you to send your bank statement and I would not want to collect any money from you before the viewing.
This is what we can do:
You will make a money transfer from your name and address to someone you know (it can be a family member) with name and address in UK using Western Union for 2 months rent (that means 1320 pounds) and send me the scanned receipt (you can hide the transfer number from the receipt). As soon as I receive the scanned receipt I will forward it to my lawyer to verify if it is truly genuine (note that my lawyer must confirm the transfer valid before the receiver picks up the money). After my lawyer verifies the authenticity of the transfer, I will book a flight for UK and I will meet with you.
So all you have to do is to find a Western Union office and wire 1320 pounds from your name to your friend name and send me the scanned receipt. I am asking you this to be sure that I do not come in UK for nothing. Hope you can understand my situation.
Please understand that the payment will not be made to me, it will be made to a friend of yours, or family member. This money transfer by Western Union is not a pay for the flat, it will only prove to me that you are a serious and reliable person. I am waiting for your mail.
Ribeiro Luiz Felipe
Via Labicana
29 Rome
Italy
The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".
Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you
He will ask you to send him the transfer details.
Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money 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 Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union 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.
