by Michelle
Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:52 am
*****
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 or similar money transfer services) 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 ! These money 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, or similar money transfer services 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.
2012/7/3 Anne Howells <[email protected]>
Hello Michelle
Thanks for the swift reply. I am willing to have you in my flat as long as you want and the utility bills per month is 30 pounds. It is unfortunate that my past experience of inviting people to come and view or reserve my flat without any form of confirmation of their seriousness and not keeping up to time as at when scheduled, has brought about great loss to me. I have traveled all the way from Coventry to take some interested candidates round my flat because that's where i work.
Some outside tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb the landlord to arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who lives close by, also some do not meet up with the appointments.
Henceforth, my solicitor and i have decided to carry out a simple test on seriousness and financial ability to pay for the rent before coming for viewing. I am not asking you to pay before the viewing but at least, one month rent together with the security deposit of £ 400 which is refundable would be required from you to transfer to someone close to you through Western Union Money Transfer agent using your name as the Sender and your friend or family member's name as the Receiver.
Once you have done this, scan the receipt to me and if you do not have scanner, you may write out the details on the receipt as i will forward it to my solicitor to verify if it's truly genuine and available, after verification, i will ask you to inform the receiver to go and pick up the transfer and i will refund the transfer charges immediately after the viewing.
Kindly let me know if my explanation is well understood. Have a wonderful time.
Best Regards
Mrs Howells
2012/7/9 Anne Howells <[email protected]>
Thanks for your update Michelle. Hope you had a lovely weekend? I would like you to know that I am a woman of my word, I am a God fearing woman and I always try to keep to my promise. I will refund all the charges without any deduction as promised.
However, I have already held other interested candidate for you and I would like you to be rest assured that I will never disappoint you. You'll like my flat because all the facilities present are new. I will not be able to pick up your calls now but you can text me anytime and I will reply back. Have a wonderful day. 07534119035
Kind Regards
Mrs Howells
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 or similar money transfer services) 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 ! These money 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, or similar money transfer services 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.
