Rental scammer - [email protected]

From: John Hawkins <[email protected]>
To: Con Warner
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 11:11
Subject: Re: $580 Gorgeous, Cute 1 Br 1 Ba apartment w/study (Pasadena)

Hello,
Thanks for your email . I'm John Hawkins the owner of the Apartment you are in renting.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family for some months and we moved away due to my transfer from my working place, my apartment is still available for rent for $580 per month including the utilities like washer and security,it is furnished.Right now I'm in West Africa for a crusade and i would like you to get in touch with my wife in the United states for more discussion as she is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please I want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also I spent a lot on my property,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and I want you to treat it as your own.I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that I will be glad to see it neat when I come for a check up,I do that once in a while.I want to have trust in you as I always stand by my words.Let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Mary ,on ( [email protected] ) and she will attend to you better.
ADDRESS TO THE APARTMENT : 373 S Marengo Ave Pasadena, CA 91101
Thanks for your interest.
John Hawkins

You can call my husband on +234-814-773-6889 OR 011- 234-814-773-6889

This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram or bank transfer with a promise that you can have the keys to a property that does not belong to him.

Sounds safe. It's not!

At other times, he will ask for proof that you are able to pay the deposit and rent due to a string of time wasters.
This proof is in the form of a Western Union or MoneyGram payment to a lawyer,a friend or family member.

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.

I just recieved this email from Her/Him/Them (John and Mary Kennedy this time) this morning. If they'd asked for my social security number, that would have sent up a huge red flag, but I'm glad that you posted this and I googled the phone number they sent me in this email:

Thanks for your response once again, I really appreciate your expression. We don't have any friend or relative to show you inside the apartment because I'm with the keys and documents.I want you to stick to your words. I want you to fill out the questions below, you must answer those questions to qualify for the rental of our apartment. In fact my husband would like to meet you when coming to visit you soonest. We would offer a long term and short term rental anytime you wish to leave the apartment will be grateful and we are ready to rent for as long as you want. Note that you will not be allowed to view inside the apartment until everything is being finalize as the keys/document are with me in Portland, Oregon.You can only view the apartment from the outside. The rent per month includes all UTILITIES with PARKING available.


*******RENT APPLICATION FORM*********
(Private & Confidential)

Also, Please let me get these answers.
1) Your Full Name
2) Present Full Address (where you reside now) & Phone Number to Reach You
3) Age
4) Are you married?
5) How many people will be living in the apartment?
6) Do you have a pet?
7) Do you have a car?
8) Occupation?
9) Citizen of which Country?
10) When are you ready to Move in ?
11) When are u planning to leave the apartment ?
12) How many months rent can you deposit upfront (plus security deposit)
13) Picture of the Occupant?

Looking forward to read from you with all this details for approval so that we can have it in our file in case of issuing the receipt in your name and contacting you .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys to you, Please we're doing this transaction based on Trust & Honesty and again I want you to stick to your words,we're putting everything into Gods hand, so please do not let us down in this property of ours.

N:B : We're doing this because of God & as good Christians, If you can pay two months, you will get one month free.I had an accident which affected my hearing and my legs , I am currently on a wheel chair right now, I do not use a phone that's why I am always online, if you are interested, you can fill out the rent application above and get back to me as soon as possible. You can call my husband on +234-814-773-6889 OR 011- 234-814-773-6889 . Note:- We're looking for someone who is ready to move in as soon as possible since our apartment is free right now and we will be giving out a month free.God bless you as you do this.

Regards

Mary Kennedy