Rental scammer - [email protected]

From: Yasir Robben <[email protected]>
To: Con Warner

Hi,
Thanks for your interest in my apartment, the apartment is located at the city center of Amsterdam (Oudaen 17, 1081 BA Amsterdam) is very close to amenities like,restaurant, medical center and university....the apartment is fully equipped with modern facilities. wireless internet service, microwave, washing machine and central heating.. The rent is 550Euro monthly including all bills and the refundable security deposit is 600 Euro. I have been here in United Kingdom for past 1 month with my family due to transfer at place of work and we will be here for 4 years. So, i am renting my apartment for maximum of 4 years and minimum of 1 month.

As regards viewing, I'll suggest you to visit and view the apartment from outside since you don't have the keys. However, If you insist viewing the apartment from inside, it means my presence would be required. I have in the past had bad experience with prospective tenants such that my time and effort was wasted when I came all the way from U.K, please understand my point. Can you believe I received a lot of proof from some tenants as well, like passport, job contract showing their earnings, bank statements yet i was disappointed when I came down, they are still asking if the price could go lower and some also told me to wait for them until they get paid at the end of the month So, I'm not interested in documents.
This viewing will make you to have the information about the apartment, It's environment, the facilities the apartment has to offer which I believe it will further assist you in making your decisions. The interior is the best you can ever imagine, so don't have doubts because this apartment is cheap compare to other apartments in its category. Please let me know if you're ready to make reservation of the apartment.

Please find the attached pictures.

Regards,
Robben

This person asks for proof that you are able to pay the deposit and rent (for a property that he does not own) due to a string of time wasters.
This proof is in the form of a cash or bank transfer either to him, his lawyer, your friend or a family member.

Sounds safe. It's not!

At other times, this person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union or Moneygram with the promise that they will send the keys through a courier company.

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.

All the details such as names, addresses, pictures etc. that the scammer uses in order to back up his story, are stolen from elsewhere.

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.

Seen advertising:-

From: [email protected]

Date: Friday, May 03, 2013

Category: Apartments/Flats/Houses

Region: Brussels (Rue de la Tulipe)

Description: The property comprises reception room with ample space to dine, stylish modern kitchen with integrated appliances, bedroom with excellent fitted storage and guest.

But replying from another address:-

From: Yasir Robben <[email protected]>
Date: 2013/5/3
Subject: RE: Apartment Rue de la Tulipe
To: Michelle Banks


Hi,
Thanks for your interest in my apartment, the apartment is located at the city center of brussels (76 Rue de la Tulipe,1050 Brussels ) is very close to amenities like,restaurant, medical center and university....the apartment is fully equipped with modern facilities. wireless internet service, microwave, washing machine and central heating.. The rent is 500Euro monthly including all bills and the refundable security deposit is 600 Euro. I have been here in United Kingdom for past 1 month with my family due to transfer at place of work and we will be here for 4 years. So, i am renting my apartment for maximum of 4 years and minimum of 1 month.

As regards viewing, I'll suggest you to visit and view the apartment from outside since you don't have the keys. However, If you insist viewing the apartment from inside, it means my presence would be required. I have in the past had bad experience with prospective tenants such that my time and effort was wasted when I came all the way from U.K, please understand my point. Can you believe I received a lot of proof from some tenants as well, like passport, job contract showing their earnings, bank statements yet i was disappointed when I came down, they are still asking if the price could go lower and some also told me to wait for them until they get paid at the end of the month So, I'm not interested in documents.
This viewing will make you to have the information about the apartment, It's environment, the facilities the apartment has to offer which I believe it will further assist you in making your decisions. The interior is the best you can ever imagine, so don't have doubts because this apartment is cheap compare to other apartments in its category. Please let me know if you're ready to make reservation of the apartment.

Please find the attached pictures.

Regards,
Robben

It was pretty easy to smell that this was a scam from the beginning. Anyone willing to transfer money to another person without meeting them/seeing the place first, needs to get their head checked!
However, that being said, I still feel it is my duty to contribute to this post and warn others that indeed, whoever is posing as "Robben Yasir" is indeed trying scam you. Fortunately, he's not very good at it. By googling the location you wish to rent and seeing pictures, it is quite obvious he has been unintelligent enough to even match up the photo's of the place he is attempting to scam for. I received an e-mail like this:

"Hi,
Thanks for your interest in my apartment, the apartment is located at the city center of Utrecht (Biltstraat 32 ,3572 BC Utrecht ) is very close to amenities like,restaurant, medical center and university....the apartment is fully equipped with modern facilities. wireless internet service, microwave, washing machine and central heating.. you can register with the apartment. The rent is 480Euro monthly including all bills and the refundable security deposit is 580 Euro. I have been here in United Kingdom for past 1 month with my family due to transfer at place of work and we will be here for 4 years. So, i am renting my apartment for maximum of 4 years and minimum of 1 month.

As regards viewing, I'll suggest you to visit and view the apartment from outside since you don't have the keys. However, If you insist viewing the apartment from inside, it means my presence would be required. I have in the past had bad experience with prospective tenants such that my time and effort was wasted when I came all the way from U.K, please understand my point. Can you believe I received a lot of proof from some tenants as well, like passport, job contract showing their earnings, bank statements yet i was disappointed when I came down, they are still asking if the price could go lower and some also told me to wait for them until they get paid at the end of the month So, I'm not interested in documents.
This viewing will make you to have the information about the apartment, It's environment, the facilities the apartment has to offer which I believe it will further assist you in making your decisions. The interior is the best you can ever imagine, so don't have doubts because this apartment is cheap compare to other apartments in its category. Please let me know if you're ready to make reservation of the apartment.

Please find the attached pictures.

Regards,
Robben"

After further inquiry, he tried to send me his passport and wrote this.

"Hi,
I really appreciate your interest in my flat, the flat is fully furnished for your needs, i have all the keys with me and there's nobody to show you the inside. So In renting the apartment and order to reserved the flat for you,we will both sign a rental agreement contract form then i will post the keys of the apartment plus other necessary documents to you or i should come back to Utrecht and hand over the keys to you in person. I was in Utrecht few days ago for viewing and i was very disappointed as the prospective tenant just wasted my time.
I wouldn't like this to happen to me again that's why i gave you the address of the flat to make exterior viewing before i come back, therefore advance rental fee 480euro and security deposit 580euro in total 1060euro will convince me to come over within 24hrs/48hours of the receipt of payment to hand over the keys to you. I'm not after your money this just has to be done, Do get back to me with the below information so that we can proceed further:

Your full name:
Your full address:
Nationality:
Move in date and out:

With those information,i shall prepare the rental agreement which will be signed by you and me. When you have the contract, you will have to print it out, sign it and scan it back to me along side with the payment receipt (to be transferred to me into my bank account).
The address you provide in the mail is where keys and other necessary documents will be posted.

Attached to this email is my passport page just to proof to you that i am not after your money and your money is very safe and secured this just has to be done before i come back.

Regards.
Robben"

If it wasn't obvious by the first e-mail, it was staring me in the face with this second one.
Do not give this scammer any money!!!!!!

-Evan