Rental Scam: Steven Mageor, Kelly Hill

Hi,

Sorry for re-posting this, but thought that I should make a new post so that the names are easily searchable. I had originally posted this on "Rental Scammer - [email protected]" since the language was similar.

Similar incident with Steven Mageor ([email protected]) the name and e-mail address of the person who posted the ad on OC craigslist. This was for a one bedroom apartment in Irvine, CA way below the usual rate. The post didn't even give a location as to where in Irvine it was. When I emailed 'Steven' asking about the location, a Kelly Hill ([email protected]) responded, but didn't say anything regarding which neighborhood the apartment was in. Instead she said she needed my credit history before showing me the apartment, and included a link (where it says CLICK HERE in the e-mail, see below) that directed me to http://linkfroms.com/607f82e0932a9bf7265da67bda257458. This redirects to a website, www3.simplecreditsolution.com, purportedly from TransUnion. This made me suspicious as I thought this might be a phishing attempt. So I did some Google search and ended up on this message board. I am copying Kelly's e-mail underneath. Some of the language and setup is pretty similar to the other e-mails but the details are slightly different.

---------------------Kelly's e-mail---------------------------------

Hi,

I hope things are good. Here's some good news: the apartment's still available! We thought we had the place rented to a couple we showed it to today, but now it seems that they changed their mind, so we need to lease it as soon as possible. You were the second one to respond regarding it.

I am sure you will want to do a walkthrough of the property, but my husband doesn't want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, the empty property was broken into and vandalized. As you can imagine, we want to avoid that! You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property. The rental term is 12 month lease, but can be switched into a half year term if preferred. We require one month notice before moving out, as a courtesy.

If you would like to set up an appointment, go to the link below and request a copy of your free credit score. We use this site for all the properties we manage since it's free through Transunion. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the score. What is in the report isn't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure there are no previous property related issues. You can get your free credit score at CLICK HERE

Remember, we only need to see the page about the rental history. That will be all you will need to bring with you to the showing. We'll waive your security deposit if your score is above 560+.

Once you let me know that you have your credit history ready, then I'll personally schedule a walk through of the place. Once you see it, you'll fall in love!

Thanks again,
Kelly Hill

------------------------------ Kelly's e-mail ends ------------------------------

I didn't fill out the form or anything so hope it's all good.

This is a scam. I received an identical e-mail from an individual by a different name. Notice how it follows the same formula:

-------------------------------------------------

Hi,

How's your day going? Here's some good news: the apartment's still available! We thought we had the place rented to a couple we showed it to today, but now it seems that they changed their mind, so we need to rent it as soon as possible. You were the second one to show interest about it.

I am sure you will want to do a walkthrough of the place, but my husband doesn't want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, it was broken into and vandalized. As you can imagine, we want to avoid that! You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property. The rental term is 12 month lease, but can be switched into a half year term if preferred. We require one month notice before moving out, as a courtesy.

When you're ready to schedule an appointment to see the place, then please go to the link below to grab your free credit score. We use this site for all the properties we manage since it's free through Transunion. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the score. What is in the report isn't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure there are no previous property related issues. You can get your free credit score at CLICK HERE

Remember, we only need to see the page about the rental history. That's all we need to see at the showing. We typically waive the security deposit with a rating of 550+.

Give me a heads up when you have an updated version of your credit history. Then I'll schedule you for a showing. I know that you'll love it!

See you soon,
Melissa White

WOW this is crazy! Thanks for the heads up. I just received an email reply from Kelly Hill but, I sent an inquiry today about the apartment to [email protected]. This is the email that I received just today:

Kelly Hill <[email protected]>

9:03 AM (2 hours ago)


Hello,

How's your day going? Here's some good news: the apartment's still available! We thought we had the place leased to a couple we showed it to today, but now it seems that they changed their mind, so we need to rent it as soon as possible. You were the second one to show interest about it.

I am sure you will want to do a personal showing of the place, but my husband doesn't want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, the empty property was broken into and vandalized. We don't want that to happen again! You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property. The rental term is one year, but can be switched into a half year term if preferred. We require one month notice before moving out, as a courtesy.

When you're ready for a personal appointment, then please go to the link below and grab your free credit score. We recommend this site because all of our tenants used it and never had any problems. Just fill out the form and indicate that you want the score. What is in the report isn't important to us, it's more of a formality to have it on file, to make sure there are no previous property related issues. You can get your free credit score at CLICK HERE

Keep in mind that we are only interested in the page about the rental history. That will be all you will need to bring with you to the showing. We'll waive your security deposit if your score is above 570+.

Give me a heads up when you have an updated version of your credit history. Then I'll schedule you for a walk through. Once you see it, you'll fall in love!

Thanks again,
Kelly Hill

Glad I found this! Got the email about a place too good to be true in San Diego....

I hope you are having a wonderful day. Here's some good news: the apartment's still available! We thought we had the place rented to a couple we showed it to today, but now it seems that they changed their mind, so we need to rent it as soon as possible. You were the second one to show interest about it.

I am sure you will want to do a personal showing of the property, but my husband doesn't want me to advertise the address as a measure of safety. Last time we did that without verifying people, it was broken into and vandalized. We don't want that to happen again! You will be responsible for cable, internet, and phone, if you decide to have these services. Just to confirm, we DO allow pets at this property. The rental term is 12 month lease, but can be switched into a half year lease if preferred. We just ask that you give us fair notice if you are moving out.


From Kelly Hill, [email protected]

It goes on about the credit check and "Click Here" link...sure glad I didn't take a chance!

Welcome to Scamwarners rhelenthro,

Thank you for the update.

Please post the email address the scammer used with you.