Rental Scammer - [email protected]

*****

From: [email protected]
To: Michelle Banks
Subject: Flat in South Kensington, London ( Homestay)
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:41:20 +0000

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your response to my ad.The flat is four bedroom apartment and here is little details about the flat before we proceed.

Flat address: Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London
Post Code: SW7 4DW
Rent: £500 per month,all bills included for a room
Rent: £125 per week, all bills included
Security deposit:£600 refundable after 4 weeks in the flat.

Flat amenities:TV ,CD - DVD - Video,Radio,High-speed Internet with WiFi,Washing Machine ,dryer, Heating, iron and Ironing board,Gas cooker,oven, Electric Kettle,Toaster,Dishwasher,Refrigerator, Microwave e.t.c

The pictures of the flat are hereby attached with this email.

Great location:
- in zone 1.
- 3 mins walk to gloucester road and earls court tube stations. bus stops nearby.
- imperial college, royal college of art, royal college of music (all about 10 mins walk away)
- sainsbury's supermarket 1 min walk (open late). other shops nearby.
- kings road
- kensington high street
- kensington gardens / hyde park
- science, natural history, and victoria & albert museums
.... all a short walk away.

The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum are both within easy reach of the complex and well worth a visit, as is the equally renowned Harrods. For a taste of the country in the heart of the city, Londoners gather in Hyde Park. South Kensington itself overflows with boutiques, cinemas, theatres and restaurants. Concerts are given at the nearby Royal Albert Hall. Buckingham Palace is just a short tube ride away, as are Oxford Street and Bond Street, both of which are a shopper's paradise.

Kind regards,
Jessica.

From: [email protected]
To: Michelle Banks
CC:
Subject: RE: Flat in South Kensington, London ( Homestay)
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:59:02 +0000

Hi Su,

There's no problem having your friend viewing the flat, I currently work and live in Manchester so I will need to take a day off from work in order to come down to arrange the viewing with your friend. It is unfortunate that my past bitter experience of inviting people to come and view my flat without any form of confirmation of their financial ability and not keeping up to time as at when scheduled, has brought about great loss to me, is either they cannot afford the rent or the security deposit required.

I have consulted my lawyer and we have resolved that any potential tenants should be able to prove in the following way in order to determine who is financially buoyant and that he or she can stick to appointment when scheduled and able to pay his/her rent as at when due.In this case, a bank-statement or guarantee from your organisation wont be accepted as we have had wayward tenants tendering fake documents.

This is what you will need to do in order to secure the room.
PROCEDURE:

1) £1100 (1 month rent and security deposit) is to be transferred to your friend via Western Union at the nearest Western Union outlet/shop close to you.

2) Scan & Send a copy of the Western Union transaction receipt as a proof of the transaction or mail me the transaction details. (The money is safe as it is only your friend that can withdraw since she need a ID card or International passport)

3) If after the viewing she decide to take the flat, we will go to any local Western Union outlet close to the flat for her to pick up the money and pay me to secure the room for you till your arrival and key will also be given to her.

4) Keys will be handed over to her after signing the contracts on your behalf.

You are doing this just to be sure of your seriousness and capability before securing the room for you because I will not want a situation whereby the room will be reserve for you and you will not turn up when you arrive that's why I want you to do the transfer and you will need to email me the scanned copy of the transfer receipt for confirmation before securing the room for you.

I do not want you to have the feeling that I am asking for money BEFORE you see what you are renting because I know that payment is meant to be done AFTER you have seen the flat and okay with it that is why I said you should make the transfer to friend so that she will be the one to receive the money and pay me in person after the viewing.

You don't need to worry about the transfer charges, I will personally refund it back to you,I'm doing this just to make sure everything is perfect before securing the room for you.

Let me know if you are ok with this arrangement so that we can proceed.

Kind regards,
Jessica.

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 a Money Transfer Service 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 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 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 other 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.

Telephone number being used

07930421401