by Con Warner
Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:54 pm
From: "John Koppel" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: $750 / 3br - Available Now!!! (Harlingen)
Hello,
Thanks for your interest and inquiries about my house. The house is still available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family to occupy and maintain the house. Myself and my wife just traveled to New York with Catholic HEART Workcamp (http://heartworkcamp.com). We will be away for about 5 months. The house is available for rent for at least 5 years. I was unable to find a tenant before I traveled which I why I posted an ad online. My initial plan was to sell the house but it was not successful because the Realtor raised the price which made it difficult for me to sell so never mind if you see the for sale sign in front of the house, it has already been taken off the market for sale so you will be dealing with me directly. How long do you intend to stay and how soon do you intend to move in?
Rental price: $750 per month and security deposit is $700 (security deposit is refundable). Utilities included in monthly rent
Pets are Welcome.
Below is the address to the house:
26869 S Altas Palmas Rd, Harlingen, TX 78552
Get back to me so I can forward you the rent questionnaire I would want you to fill out.
Regards.
John Koppel
This person asks for a deposit payment via Western Union, MoneyGram, pre-paid credit card 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.
Scammer wrote:For more inquiries, please feel free to reach me on (773) 598-9792.
