by snolen75
Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:31 am
The following emails are between myself & someone in this apparent house rental scam ring to/from/in Nigeria.
My initial email inquiring about the house in the listing:
I have a few questions about the 3br/2ba house in Ft. Worth you have listed on Craigslist. How much is the deposit? There isn't a refrigerator in the pictures of the kitchen so does the house come with one? How many square feet is the house? Do you know about how much the utilities run? Where in Ft. Worth is it located? This house looks like it could be perfect for my family. My husband & I would love to come look at it if possible. You can reach me by email or phone XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Hello Stacie,
Thanks for your email, I personally own the house, I want my property to be well taken good care of there are some rules and regulation. I do give out to tenant willing to rent my house please don't disrespect my order but if you are still capable of renting my house the rules and regulation goes his way.........You must keep my house clean including the surrounding, you must know how to use the stove to avoid fire outbreak, you must not disturb the neighbor. I decided to rent out the property due to our transfer to (West Africa) for Missionary Work in a church here named World Mission because formally the house was for sale but my husband advised me not to sell it anymore, now l want to rent the house because I'm looking for someone to move in asap. We are renting it out because we need someone to take good care of the property because of the distance we are not after the money. Don't be surprise if you find this house at another website with different price, I plan to rent it through Real estate before but they are not serious because they have a lot of house to lease out and they added some money to rent it and the commission is not flexible. Have this in mind you must know the kind of person I'm because am giving you this rules because of what or responded between me and my last tenant , you can drive by the house anytime to take a look at the area and surrounding. For now we are looking for 2 or 3 years lease or rather lets us know how long you wish to stay.
Let me know if you are still interested to able me forward you the Rental Questionnaire to fill out...
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION...........
Number of Bedrooms: 3 Beds
Number of baths: 2.0
Square footage: 1,176
Pets are welcome!!!
Rent: $700
Refundable security Deposit: $700
House Address: 4716 Rose Of Sharon Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76137
Thanks and God bless you.
Sandral Martin & family
+234 7044078154
BELOW IS THE FRONT PICTURE OF MY HOUSE AND THE INSIDE.....
(pictures weren't included in this email; a few pictures were in the Craigslist add)
My response
Sandra,
Yes we are very interested in the house. You can forward me any information you need us to fill out.
We look forward to gearing from you again.
Thanks again,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Hello Stacie,
Thanks for the email, I'm pleased with your response , We have been searching for the right person to occupy the home in our absent which I believe God will answer my prayer very soon towards my property. The utilities are included in the rent Washer/Dryer/heat/electricity/hot water. We planned staying here for 4years or more and I might also decide to move back to my new renovated home in MI upon my arrival.
Filling out of the Questionnaire will determined if you are the right person to occupy my house,we will send another email to let our know our final decision. I've attach some picture of myself , my family and brethren in Nigeria.
Rental Information......
Full Name?
Full Address?
Cell Phone Number?
Home phone Number?
Work Phone Number?
Date of Birth?
Are you married?
How many people will be living in the house?
picture of you and your family?
Do you have a pet?
Do you have a car?
Occupation?
What is your monthly income?
Reference Contact Name and Address if Any?
Why are you moving?
When do you intend to pay the deposit?
When do you intend Moving in?
Any Police problem?
Thanks and remain blessed..
Sandra L Martin & family
+234 7044078154
I did reply back with the questionnaire filled out & included a few photos of me & my family because I hadn't yet realized this was a scam. After I received the next email I knew it was a scam & wouldn't be sending any money or renting the house. However, I did send another email just to see if I'd get anymore responses from the scammer.
Scammers response:
Thanks for filling the Rental Questionnaire, I reviewed and prayed over it now and I saw how sincere you, this brought peace to my mind that I've found the right person we've always been praying. I and my family are extremely happy because the content of your letter was clear and frank. So we have decided to accept you as our new tenant, why i made my house so inexpensive was because i believe everybody deserves a home both the rich and the poor. I am not after the money, we just want our property to be incurred under proper monitoring and make sure you conform to your promises. We are giving you this opportunity based on trust, please do not disappoint us. We are asking for the refundable security deposit of $700 to move in, after you have moved in as soon as you are ready then you can pay for your rent.
Kindly confirm your address for the shipping of the keys/document across to you ASAP : I've removed my address for this posting.
The documents to the house will be sent to you with the keys via FedEx courier service upon payment confirmation, and you will receive the package in 24 hours after shipping is done. The content of the parcel are listed below.
1) Entrance and the room keys.
2) Paper/Permanent house form(Containing your reference details).
3) The house documentary file.
4) Payment Receipt.
5) Driving direction/Full description of the house.
6) Hard copy of lease Agreement
Below is the instruction on how to make the payment,the money should be wired via Western Union Money Transfer,
HERE IS THE PAYMENT INFORMATION
RECEIVER'S NAME: SANDRA MARTIN
RECEIVER'S ADDRESS: 10 DAVIES STREET
CITY: LAGOS ISLAND
STATE: LAGOS .
COUNTRY : NIGERIA
ZIP CODE: 23401
TEXT QUESTION: WHO CREATED US
ANSWER: GOD
Get back to me with the following details as soon as the done to send the parcel asap
SENDER'S NAME:
SENDER'S ADDRESS:
AMOUNT SENT:$700
MTCN#:
Thanks and God bless you.
Sandra L Martin & family
+234 7044078154
My response:
Sandra,
Thank you for getting back to me with your decision to let us rent the house. I do still have a few questions just to make sure I'm not confused about anything. Is there a refrigerator in the house? There wasn't one in the pictures of the kitchen on Craigslist. You said the utilities ARE included in the rent price of $700/month as well as a washer & dryer? I'm a little skeptical about wiring money to Nigeria because I've heard about money scams that want money wired to different African countries. Is there anyone that lives locally to me that you could rely on to do the exchange of deposit for the keys & paperwork? We would feel better meeting someone in person in order to ensure the validity of this arrangement.
I look forward to your reply to the above questions before we can make a final decision about the house.
Thank you for your patience,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Yes there is a fridge, utilities are included to the rent.... I 've no one i can trust that is why i decided to rent the house myself.
I do want to find out if I need to be concerned about giving this scammer my name, address & phone #? I've already changed my email password just to be safe that they can't hack into my account.
I never would've thought I'd be involved in anything of this nature but it can happen to ANYONE. I'm just glad I found out when I did & happy I am smart enough to know not to send money overseas without proof of what I'm paying for.
Stacie
My initial email inquiring about the house in the listing:
I have a few questions about the 3br/2ba house in Ft. Worth you have listed on Craigslist. How much is the deposit? There isn't a refrigerator in the pictures of the kitchen so does the house come with one? How many square feet is the house? Do you know about how much the utilities run? Where in Ft. Worth is it located? This house looks like it could be perfect for my family. My husband & I would love to come look at it if possible. You can reach me by email or phone XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Hello Stacie,
Thanks for your email, I personally own the house, I want my property to be well taken good care of there are some rules and regulation. I do give out to tenant willing to rent my house please don't disrespect my order but if you are still capable of renting my house the rules and regulation goes his way.........You must keep my house clean including the surrounding, you must know how to use the stove to avoid fire outbreak, you must not disturb the neighbor. I decided to rent out the property due to our transfer to (West Africa) for Missionary Work in a church here named World Mission because formally the house was for sale but my husband advised me not to sell it anymore, now l want to rent the house because I'm looking for someone to move in asap. We are renting it out because we need someone to take good care of the property because of the distance we are not after the money. Don't be surprise if you find this house at another website with different price, I plan to rent it through Real estate before but they are not serious because they have a lot of house to lease out and they added some money to rent it and the commission is not flexible. Have this in mind you must know the kind of person I'm because am giving you this rules because of what or responded between me and my last tenant , you can drive by the house anytime to take a look at the area and surrounding. For now we are looking for 2 or 3 years lease or rather lets us know how long you wish to stay.
Let me know if you are still interested to able me forward you the Rental Questionnaire to fill out...
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION...........
Number of Bedrooms: 3 Beds
Number of baths: 2.0
Square footage: 1,176
Pets are welcome!!!
Rent: $700
Refundable security Deposit: $700
House Address: 4716 Rose Of Sharon Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76137
Thanks and God bless you.
Sandral Martin & family
+234 7044078154
BELOW IS THE FRONT PICTURE OF MY HOUSE AND THE INSIDE.....
(pictures weren't included in this email; a few pictures were in the Craigslist add)
My response
Sandra,
Yes we are very interested in the house. You can forward me any information you need us to fill out.
We look forward to gearing from you again.
Thanks again,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Hello Stacie,
Thanks for the email, I'm pleased with your response , We have been searching for the right person to occupy the home in our absent which I believe God will answer my prayer very soon towards my property. The utilities are included in the rent Washer/Dryer/heat/electricity/hot water. We planned staying here for 4years or more and I might also decide to move back to my new renovated home in MI upon my arrival.
Filling out of the Questionnaire will determined if you are the right person to occupy my house,we will send another email to let our know our final decision. I've attach some picture of myself , my family and brethren in Nigeria.
Rental Information......
Full Name?
Full Address?
Cell Phone Number?
Home phone Number?
Work Phone Number?
Date of Birth?
Are you married?
How many people will be living in the house?
picture of you and your family?
Do you have a pet?
Do you have a car?
Occupation?
What is your monthly income?
Reference Contact Name and Address if Any?
Why are you moving?
When do you intend to pay the deposit?
When do you intend Moving in?
Any Police problem?
Thanks and remain blessed..
Sandra L Martin & family
+234 7044078154
I did reply back with the questionnaire filled out & included a few photos of me & my family because I hadn't yet realized this was a scam. After I received the next email I knew it was a scam & wouldn't be sending any money or renting the house. However, I did send another email just to see if I'd get anymore responses from the scammer.
Scammers response:
Thanks for filling the Rental Questionnaire, I reviewed and prayed over it now and I saw how sincere you, this brought peace to my mind that I've found the right person we've always been praying. I and my family are extremely happy because the content of your letter was clear and frank. So we have decided to accept you as our new tenant, why i made my house so inexpensive was because i believe everybody deserves a home both the rich and the poor. I am not after the money, we just want our property to be incurred under proper monitoring and make sure you conform to your promises. We are giving you this opportunity based on trust, please do not disappoint us. We are asking for the refundable security deposit of $700 to move in, after you have moved in as soon as you are ready then you can pay for your rent.
Kindly confirm your address for the shipping of the keys/document across to you ASAP : I've removed my address for this posting.
The documents to the house will be sent to you with the keys via FedEx courier service upon payment confirmation, and you will receive the package in 24 hours after shipping is done. The content of the parcel are listed below.
1) Entrance and the room keys.
2) Paper/Permanent house form(Containing your reference details).
3) The house documentary file.
4) Payment Receipt.
5) Driving direction/Full description of the house.
6) Hard copy of lease Agreement
Below is the instruction on how to make the payment,the money should be wired via Western Union Money Transfer,
HERE IS THE PAYMENT INFORMATION
RECEIVER'S NAME: SANDRA MARTIN
RECEIVER'S ADDRESS: 10 DAVIES STREET
CITY: LAGOS ISLAND
STATE: LAGOS .
COUNTRY : NIGERIA
ZIP CODE: 23401
TEXT QUESTION: WHO CREATED US
ANSWER: GOD
Get back to me with the following details as soon as the done to send the parcel asap
SENDER'S NAME:
SENDER'S ADDRESS:
AMOUNT SENT:$700
MTCN#:
Thanks and God bless you.
Sandra L Martin & family
+234 7044078154
My response:
Sandra,
Thank you for getting back to me with your decision to let us rent the house. I do still have a few questions just to make sure I'm not confused about anything. Is there a refrigerator in the house? There wasn't one in the pictures of the kitchen on Craigslist. You said the utilities ARE included in the rent price of $700/month as well as a washer & dryer? I'm a little skeptical about wiring money to Nigeria because I've heard about money scams that want money wired to different African countries. Is there anyone that lives locally to me that you could rely on to do the exchange of deposit for the keys & paperwork? We would feel better meeting someone in person in order to ensure the validity of this arrangement.
I look forward to your reply to the above questions before we can make a final decision about the house.
Thank you for your patience,
Stacie
Scammers response:
Yes there is a fridge, utilities are included to the rent.... I 've no one i can trust that is why i decided to rent the house myself.
I do want to find out if I need to be concerned about giving this scammer my name, address & phone #? I've already changed my email password just to be safe that they can't hack into my account.
I never would've thought I'd be involved in anything of this nature but it can happen to ANYONE. I'm just glad I found out when I did & happy I am smart enough to know not to send money overseas without proof of what I'm paying for.
Stacie
