by Michelle
Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:31 am
On Jan 25, 2012, at 11:12 AM, Chris Tinsley [email protected] wrote:
Hello,
Thank you for your mail and the interest you have in my flat. My name is
Ribeiro Luiz Felipe and Chris Tinsley 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 in the flat at the moment. The price
for the rent is 400+100 pounds/month for the whole flat (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 (1000
pounds).
The flat is very clean and I want to leave the flat to a person who is a
clean and responsible tenant. As you can see in the photos everything is new
in the flat. 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 about the flat. 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 of
my flat 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: Chris Tinsley <[email protected]>
Date: January 28, 2012 1:29:38 PM PST
To:
Subject: RE: / 1br - 1 bedroom flat for rent in St Georges Wharf, Vauxhall, SW8 (Vauxhall)
Hello,
I have attached the photos, the 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 flat 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 1000 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 1000 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.
