Room for Rent Scammer - [email protected]

From: [email protected]
To: Michelle
Subject: RE: Reply to your ad: Fully furnished two bed apartment to rent in Queen Sq, Bristol City Centre
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010

Hi,
My name is Sarah and I have the flat for rent. The flat is situated in Queen Sq, Bristol City Centre. The rent is £460 per month including all bills and council tax. I moved in Milan,Italy because I got a new job. I work in a hospital. You can rent the flat as long as you need to stay even for 2 or 3 years. The first payment will be for first 3 months £1380. In case you want it, let me know so we can arrange the transaction. For me is very hard to come in UK and if I will come i must be 100% sure that I will not come for nothing. As you can see in the photos everything it's new in the flat and the flat is fully furnished. You have internet connection, phone, washing machine with dryer, cable TV and most important parking place.

If you are interested I wait your response.

Respectfully!
Sarah.

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) 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 ! Western Union 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 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.

Follow up mail

from Sarah Blackmore < [email protected] >
to Michelle
date 6 March 2010 22:32
subject RE: Reply to your ad: Fully furnished two bed apartment to rent in Queen Sq, Bristol City Centre



Hi,
The flat has 2 bed and the price is per the whole flat.
I work in a hospital and is very hard for me to come in UK. I can't take the risk to leave my new job for days and when I arrive in UK to see that I come for nothing. I want to be 100% sure that when I will meet you, we do the rent papers then i can come back in Italy.
So i can be sure of that look how we can do:
You make the payment from your name and address to your best friend name and address or reverse (from your friend name or a member from your family onto your name) in UK using Western Union for 3 months rent that means £1380 and send me the scanned receipt. As soon as I see the scanned receipt that you have made the payment, I will come in UK and you will see the flat and rent it. After that, we will go together at the Western Union office and you will take the money back and pay me.So all you have to do is to find a Western Union office and wire £1380 from your name to your friend name or reverse and send the scanned receipt.I am asking you this to be sure that I do not come in UK for nothing. I hope you understand.
P.S : As I told you,I have a lot of customers interested to rent the apartment. I will reserve the apartment to the first one that provides me the scanned paper from Western Union. As soon as I have the confirmation from Western Union that the money are available on his name I stop the transactions with all the other customers!
In case that you don`t know how to use Western Union, all you have to do is to go at the nearest Western Union office in your city and you talk with an agent to send some money to a friend. When you will make the transfer you will have to pay a small fee at Western Union which is around 40-50 £ that I will deduct it from the total rent. The money will stay in the Western Union system till we will sign the rent papers and both we will go to a Western Union office and you will pick up the money and pay me.
If you accept my conditions I wait your e-mail. I don't want you to feel offended if i'll not answer you in case of a negative answer,because I don't see the reason why we should continue to write eachother,since I will not accept any other way to close the deal.

Respectfully!
Sarah.