Rental Scams - [email protected]

Hi all

Just posting my first to advise you about this person. He has already been registered on here too under Rental scams - [email protected]

This person/group are actively scamming in Brighton. If you are looking at a property in the Brighton area, or any area for that fact and the 'landlord' is asking you to make a transfer via Western Union - DO NOT DO THIS!

The 'landlord' will ask you to make the transfer to a friend or relative and then ask you to forward a scan of the receipt to them. Despite the fact that you have transferred it to a friend/family memeber - the scammer only needs the receipt with the transaction code on it to access this money and can therefore intercept this before it clears.

The latest dealing comes from Brighton on weekend just gone. A flat was advertised on a website called DSSSECURE.COM (no affiliation to this website) and was then removed upon interest being registered. The victim (did not lose any money in this instance by the way) was alerted to this as she googled the email address and got this website where she was alerted to the bogus email address and the scam. This was the second time in as many months that this has happened, with 2 different email address' and 2 different properties, both in Brighton, East Sussex. The first property was advertised on Gumtree.

If you have any dialogue or emails from this email address - DO NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENTS/TRANSFERS and instead I urge you to please pass the infomration on to the Police as this person/group is committing a criminal offence of Fraud and deception.

If i hear of any more, I will post them here.

Thanks for reading and protecting yourself

From: PAUL HART <[email protected]>;
To: Michelle Banks
Subject: Re: Central London one bedroom flat to rent
Sent: Sat, Aug 10, 2013 7:32:31 PM

Thanks for your interest in the flat.Yes,viewing is strictly by appointment but only if you can meet up with my solicitors requirements.
My solicitor and i had some past bitter experience of booking a viewing and reserving accommodation for tenants without any form of confirmation of their financial ability and not keeping up to time as at when scheduled has made me loss time and money for travelling as I currently work and Live in Bradford(BD1 5DN).

I will not collect any deposit from you not until i take you round my flat and you are satisfied with it, i just need to confirm your financial ability before i can come and i will also need to seek two days off from work because some tenants do not meet up with the appointments which has led to the dismissal of some landlords in office by their employees, I hope you understand this.

Therefore my Solicitor has acknowledge a protocol by which you can confirm your financial ability to me before i can make arrangement for viewing,In this case, a bank-statement wont be accepted as we have had wayward tenants tendering fake documents,also you don't need to pay any upfront or reservation yet,all we require is,You transferred at least 1month rent payment(£800) and the security deposit(£800) to your friend,partner or family member living within the UK premises.

You re to make the transfer via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER to any relative or friend of yours been the receiver and you get back to me with scan copy of the receipt which will be given to you by WESTERN UNION agent and if you don't have scanner you may write out the details as it is stated on the receipt which am to forward to my solicitor to confirm if truly the funds is in your receiver's custody for pickup and genuine,After the verification has been done,i will call or email you to have your receiver pick it up.Note that the transfer charges will be refund as soon as we meet in my flat for viewing.This procedure is strictly meant for assurance,if you are capable of paying my rent as of when it is due.If this can be done as soon as possible,i will reserve the flat for you and schedule a viewing with you at your own earliest and convinient time..


Kindly reply or feel free to call me if you have questions to ask. +447031843889.


Regards

PAUL.

Please be aware that this scammer has also listed the following property on Church Street on getmypropertyrented.com:

http://www.getmypropertyrented.com/ipm/ ... s=&branch=