Room for Rent and other rental scams
by Con Warner Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:49 pm
From: Samantha Lee - [email protected]

Hello,



Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hearing from you. I am Samantha Le, the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry .

I bought this apartment for my daughter during her studies in US, but now she's back home (London/United Kingdom) permanently, so I'm renting the place for unlimited time.

Before we go any further I would like to know a little something about you, like how many persons you intend to live in the apartment, and for how long.

The flat is exactly like in the pictures. Also, very important, the utilities (cold/hot water, electricity, wireless broadband Internet, digital TV, 1 parking spots, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator, washing machine, etc.) are INCLUDED in the price of $800 per month. The warranty is also $800 and you get it back, when you decide to leave the apartment (you will have to give me at least 30 days notice). As for me, you can rest assured that I will never ask you to leave the apartment. My daughter is building her life here, and i am too old to move to US, so we won't disturb you.

So i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own, is that taken, I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be happy to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words

Now, a little bit about myself so we can get to know each other better.

My name is Samantha Lee and I'm a 58 years old graphic designer from London/United Kingdom, planning to retire in the next 2 years.

I have a lovely husband, David and a 25 year old daughter, Linda. I am very proud to say that soon I'm going to be a grandmother.

Another member of our family is a 8 year old Labrador which we all love, so, I have no problem if you will keep pets.

Unfortunately, my health and undergoing treatment don't allow me to do any travelling for the next few months, so I will not be able to come and meet you personally for a while.

Since I'm here we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are asking for. I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days. The solution is provided by a company called Realtor.com , which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys..

But this won't affect you at all. I can make arrangements to rent the apartment from London (on my expense of course).

If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and i will send you the details step by step



All the best from London!



Samantha


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

Sounds safe. It's not!
These companies do not work this way.

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 lawyer,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.

From: "Service Realtor" <[email protected]>
Date: June 6, 2012 11:11
To: Con Warner
Subject: Welcome to Realtor.com- Invoice ID #D9590265F15





Invoice ID #D9590265F15 - Pending
Congratulations on your tenancy approval. Realtor.com® enables any business or consumer with an email address to securely and cost-effectively send and receive payments online in real-time! The Tenant checks the property before authorizing the payment, and allows the Landlord to use a safe way of accepting payment by money orders!

About Company

Realtor.com® reduces risks associated with Internet transactions by acting as a licensed neutral third party for online transactions. The package will remain in our custody until the prospective tenant will send the payment through a Money Order Service. After verifying the funds, Realtor.com is ready to deliver the parcel to the designated address.

You are receiving this e-mail because you are involved in a rental process, your landlord requested to use Realtor.com. Realtor.com offers a set of services that build protection into every step of the rental process. The Realtor.com Service is your safety net in the rare occasion that something goes wrong.

The Realtor.com process relies on email as a way to keep the prospective tenant and landlord informed at all steps of the process. Please ensure you check your email at least once a day if you are involved in a rental process.
*****************************************************************


1. Prospective Tenant and landlord agree to use Realtor.com. Landlord starts the process.
2. The prospective Tenant pays Realtor.com a security deposit. Realtor.com holds this money until the keys and contract are received by the prospective Tenant.
3. We deliver the keys and signed contract using an approved courier and we will also provide a tracking number so you can track the package.
4. The prospective Tenant receives, signs for the package and inspects the property in question.
5. Realtor.company the landlord - rental process completed.
*****************************************************************
Invoice ID: #D9590265F15
Transaction Date: Wednesday, Jun 06, 2012

Home Owner's Details:

Full name
Samantha Lee
Address
123-125, Ladbroke Road
City
London
Postal Code
W11 3PU
Country
United Kingdom



Prospective Tenant's Details:

Removed

*****************************************************************
Service:
Handled by:

Realtor.com - Online

DHL Express Shipping
Guaranteed delivery:

24 hours after Payment Confirmation
Declared Rent Value:
Commercial Value:
Days for Inspection:


$ 800

No Commercial Value

5 days
Description of Goods:

Apartment and Interphone/Digiphone Keys, Viewing Permit, Rental Contract
Additional Services:

None
Inspection:

Guaranteed by Realtors International

Delivery:

$ 0.00
* *Note: Delivery expenses are covered by the home owner.
*****************************************************************
Service Information:
Tracking Number:Pending

Package Information:
Property keys and rental contract verified by Realtor.and signed by Samantha Lee, Owner of property in question, located at this address: :
1232 W Chase Ave # 1, Chicago, IL 60626 United States.

Declared Monthly Rent Value: $ 800
Bond Value: $ 800
Total Amount To Pay: $ 1`600.- Representing Rent Payment For 1 Month(s) + Bond
Delivery Costs: $ 0.00
*****************************************************************

Payment Information and Instructions
How to make the payment to our agent?

Western Union®
You can pay with cash at any Western Union Office and have payment sent to the Realtor.com Agent. That frees the seller to confidently send you the keys and documents - saving you days of waiting

It`s Easy:
Visit any one of Western Union nearly 45,000 Agent locations and fill out the appropriate Western Union form to send your payment in cash.
Your payment is typically sent within minutes . usually faster than paying with Money Orders or COD.

It`s Convenient:
There are nearly 45,000 Western Union Agent locations nationwide. Many are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Several IDs and utility bills are required before the funds are paid. Therefore, no one else only the agent Realtor.com can pick up the money. Your payments cannot be lost in the mail, like money orders or check

Make the payment using money transfer to our Realtor.com Agent name listed below and send the total amount of $1,600

Full name
Jerremy Koccby
Address
21-24 Cockspur St
City
London
Postal Code
SW1Y 5BN
Country
United Kingdom

E-mail us the transfer details for the verification with the following information from the Western Union receipt by replying to this message:

* 10 digit, MTCN number
* Sender's, full name and address
* Receiver's full name
* The total amount you've sent
* Total amount received in pounds ( GBP)

* *We strongly recommend that you confirm the payment by both e-mail and fax.

Once you've completed the payment, please send us the payment details for verification as soon as possible to email address: [email protected].

Note: To avoid Western Union fees you will have to declare at the Western Union office that the money will be sent for a relative or friend (the transfer commission will be smaller 3~5%). For online payments, you could pay 10~12% transfer commission. The payment must be made at a Western Union Agency, in person, with cash by the Tenant. We can't confirm any payments made online.
*****************************************************************
Important notice:
Once the payment is done and the verification is complete, we will proceed with the delivery of the package. We will inform the Home Owner that the payment was sent and that the package was delivered as soon as we get the payment confirmation. Just follow the instructions above.
Realtor.com goal is for every online transaction to go as planned – safely and without surprises. We have verified the Landlord’s identity, financial stability, and ability to honor their rent terms and conditions.
If the Landlord does not meet the terms of transaction, you will get a full refund. Guaranteed. Best of all, the Realtor.com. Service is completely free to you. The refund is sent to your bank account, or by check or money order. The way you receive the refund is your choice. Refund requests are processed within 24 hours .
The Landlord delivers the package to Realtor.com for full evaluation of content. Realtor.com offer you a 3 days inspection period, so if by the reason you refuse the property, Realtor.com will return the money to you.
The payment details are confidential and will not be released under any circumstances.

Help
If you have an additional question about this transaction, email us at Customer Support or just reply to this email.

* Keep this email for your records

Sincerely,
Tim McBrayer
Realtor.com Financial Department

REALTORS® and REALTOR.com® are registered trademarks of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and are used with its permission. These and all other trademarks used in this work are the property of their respective owners. The information in this work is believed reliable but is not warranted or guaranteed, is general in nature and not based on knowledge of specific circumstances, and should be independently verified in concert with your tax, technical, legal, real estate, investment, accounting and/or other professional advisors prior to use. Individual results may vary. ©2011 Move Inc. All rights reserved.


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by Noodles Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:29 pm
This exact same thing just happened to me. I saw an Apartment for rent, in Astoria, and responded to the [email protected] sent the identical Letter to me. I responded and then, received the e-mail, from realtor.com, asking for a Western Union Transaction of $1400...cash being sent "to a friend of relative". The agent I was given, is at the same address, only the name was Jansen Kenedy.
I did send messages to Realtor.com via their Facebook Page, and also sent e-mails to their address. I wanted to send protected money, but the only response came from Samantha Lee at the listed e-mail, saying that there was only one way to so this. I told her I was out...and started searching for any past history of her dealings.
I found it right here...Anyone checking on her..DO NOT SEND THIS WOMAN 2 cents! Register with a realtor or see if any three family homes have Apts. with the owners on-site.

Kathleen Hayes-LoVoi

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