Rental Scammer - [email protected]

Here is the first email I received from Ms. Gunnel M Granberg:

Hello,

Sorry for my delay in response, I've not been around. Thanks very much for your Kind interest in my apartment, I am delighted to let you know that my apartment is presently available now even for long and short term periods. Presently, no one is occupying my apartment and it will be a great privilege renting you my nice apartment located at the city centre of Goteborg.

My apartment is located at (Vasagatan 60, 411 37 Göteborg, Sweden).

Little Introduction about myself, I am Mrs Gunnel M. Granberg, a Swedish citizen, my dad is from UK, while my mum is from Sweden. I have been taking total control of the flat, but due to the fact that I am presently working and earning my living in UK, I am putting the nice apartment for rent and it will be a great opportunity renting it to you if you love it and you can afford the price. Also, if you can be able to reason along with my terms and conditions and take this opportunity just on trust.

DETAILS ABOUT MY APARTMENT........

Address: Vasagatan 60, 411 37 Göteborg, Sweden

Size of the Whole Apartment: 48 m2

Number of bedrooms:1
Number of bathrooms:1
Max number of people:3
Long and short terms

Monthly rental price: 3,500 SEK (Including all bills)

Security Deposit: 3,500 SEK

EQUIPEMENTS AVAILABLE INSIDE MY APARTMENT..
Equiped Kitchen, washing Machine, American Kitchen Fridge & Freezer Oven, Microwave Dish Washer Crockery &
Utensils, Bath Shower Hair Dryer, Towels

Extra features /Electronics Set up..
24 hours Internet Dial Up, Internet Broadband Cable/Satelite
TV,Stereo/Radio System DVD Player, DVD/Music Collection
Landline Telephon, Central Heating Air Conditioning

Pets are Welcome.

You will be confirming these upon our meeting to view the apartment together and sign up the contract.

TERMS IN THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS WHICH WE WILL SIGN.

1. The tenant Will Pay a month Rent and Security Deposit in advance to the landlord Before Moving in to show a good sign of seriousness and the security deposit will be refunded back to the tenant and the return of funds must be completed not later than 24 hours of the termination of the Contract.

2. The Tenant must agree that they and their respective invited visitors will not :

i. Commit any act, which results in serious disruption of the rights of each to peacefully Occupy the premises
ii. Commit any act, which results in physical harm to the parties, a member of his/her household, visitors or neighbors
iii. Cause or allow invited visitors to cause a nuisance.
iv. Commit any form of harassment on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability, which may interfere with the peace and comfort of, or cause offense to, each other, a member of his/her household, visitors or neighbors.
v. Play or allowed to play any radio, television, record or tape recording or musical instrument so loudly that it causes a nuisance or annoyance to the other party.

(2) Use of Premises: The Tenant agrees to use the premises for residential purposes and not to operate a business at the premises nor to use the premises for any illegal purposes.

(3)Both the Landlord and tenants must exchange passport id for easy recognition and for both parties to have a good idea of each other.

Regarding the apartment,it will be indeed available for the required date which you have specified. The apartment is of course available for long and short term period depending on how long you wish to rent it.

Having said that, in other words, I have to let you understand that I cannot make any move of traveling from UK to meet you and hand over my properties, without confirming the security deposit. You have to pay for the security deposit as a sign of seriousness that you are willing to rent my apartment, while the one month rent fee will be paid after we meet in Goteborg when the keys will be handed over to you.

This is as a reason of past experiences with bitter and sad experiences with past tenants. A situation whereby after spending time and money traveling from United Kingdom to Goteborg, I didn't meet anyone. It was indeed a very painful experience, and it happened twice.

Due to such situation, I have vowed that before I can make any move of traveling, tenants would need to pay for the security deposit (3,500 SEK). This is to confirm that you are a serious tenant and willing to rent my apartment. Before the payment of the security deposit, we are going to sign the (Refundable Security Deposit Agreement) and (Tenancy Agreement) documents, which you have to sign and send me back copies, along with the receipt of payment of the deposit.

So if you agree with the terms and conditions above, kindly get back to me with the following details for the contract documents..

Name in Full..
Address...
Nationality...
Date of move in and out....
Phone number....
Sex..................Male or Female.

Also, get back to me with your passport id card scanned to me.

Hope to read from you soonest.

Regards,

Gunnel M. Granberg
+447024053837

---Through further conversation, she sent pictures of the place, but they looked different from the ones in the original post (she claimed a renovation had occurred) though she did also send the rental agreement and refundable security deposit to be signed and she sent a copy of her passport, to indicate her nationality. Things seem off, but sending the contract and a scanned copy of her passport seem ok. Its been hard to tell if this is a scam or not.

Thank you.

Welcome to Scamwarners acesofspades15,

It is a Rental Scam. The scammer is using phone number that makes it appear that he is in the UK. However, the phone number is a re-direct number. Meaning it could be answered anywhere in the world. Scammers typically use these numbers to convince victims that they are in the UK. In reality he is most likely in W. Africa.

Other signs are very low prices. Scammer out of Country. You will get the keys after wire money via Western Union/Money Gram or Bank Transfer.

Scammers steal photo off the internet. When you confronted the scammer about the differences he made up the story about renovations.

The passport that was sent to you is not of the scammer. He sent you a passport that he obtained from another victim.

If you can not actually go into and view the apartment then consider it a scam.

What email address did the scammer use with you? Posting the email address will help others avoid him.

[email protected]

Thank you for your help.

Hey everybody,

I found the same ad at studentlya.nu and I got this answer as well

Hello --------,

Thanks very much for your Kind interest in my apartment, I am delighted to let you know that my apartment is presently available now even for long and short term periods. Presently, no one is occupying my apartment and it will be a great privilege renting you my nice apartment located at the city centre of Goteborg.

My apartment is located at (Vasagatan 60, 411 37 Göteborg, Sweden).

Little Introduction about myself, I am Mrs Gunnel M. Granberg, a Swedish citizen, my dad is from UK, while my mum is from Sweden. I have been taking total control of the flat, but due to the fact that I am presently working and earning my living in UK, I am putting the nice apartment for rent and it will be a great opportunity renting it to you if you love it and you can afford the price. Also, if you can be able to reason along with my terms and conditions and take this opportunity just on trust.

DETAILS ABOUT MY APARTMENT........

Address: Vasagatan 60, 411 37 Göteborg, Sweden

Size of the Whole Apartment: 48 m2

Number of bedrooms:1
Number of bathrooms:1
Max number of people:3
Long and short terms

Monthly rental price: 3,500 SEK (Including all bills)

Security Deposit: 3,500 SEK

EQUIPEMENTS AVAILABLE INSIDE MY APARTMENT..
Equiped Kitchen, washing Machine, American Kitchen Fridge & Freezer Oven, Microwave Dish Washer Crockery &
Utensils, Bath Shower Hair Dryer, Towels

Extra features /Electronics Set up..
24 hours Internet Dial Up, Internet Broadband Cable/Satelite
TV,Stereo/Radio System DVD Player, DVD/Music Collection
Landline Telephon, Central Heating Air Conditioning

Pets are Welcome.

You will be confirming these upon our meeting to view the apartment together and sign up the contract.

TERMS IN THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS WHICH WE WILL SIGN.

1. The tenant Will Pay a month Rent and Security Deposit in advance to the landlord Before Moving in to show a good sign of seriousness and the security deposit will be refunded back to the tenant and the return of funds must be completed not later than 24 hours of the termination of the Contract.

2. The Tenant must agree that they and their respective invited visitors will not :

i. Commit any act, which results in serious disruption of the rights of each to peacefully Occupy the premises
ii. Commit any act, which results in physical harm to the parties, a member of his/her household, visitors or neighbors
iii. Cause or allow invited visitors to cause a nuisance.
iv. Commit any form of harassment on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability, which may interfere with the peace and comfort of, or cause offense to, each other, a member of his/her household, visitors or neighbors.
v. Play or allowed to play any radio, television, record or tape recording or musical instrument so loudly that it causes a nuisance or annoyance to the other party.

(2) Use of Premises: The Tenant agrees to use the premises for residential purposes and not to operate a business at the premises nor to use the premises for any illegal purposes.

(3)Both the Landlord and tenants must exchange passport id for easy recognition and for both parties to have a good idea of each other.

Regarding the apartment,it will be indeed available for the required date which you have specified. The apartment is of course available for long and short term period depending on how long you wish to rent it.

Having said that, in other words, I have to let you understand that I cannot make any move of traveling from UK to meet you and hand over my properties, without confirming the security deposit. You have to pay for the security deposit as a sign of seriousness that you are willing to rent my apartment, while the one month rent fee will be paid after we meet in Goteborg when the keys will be handed over to you.

This is as a reason of past experiences with bitter and sad experiences with past tenants. A situation whereby after spending time and money traveling from United Kingdom to Goteborg, I didn't meet anyone. It was indeed a very painful experience, and it happened twice.

Due to such situation, I have vowed that before I can make any move of traveling, tenants would need to pay for the security deposit (3,500 SEK). This is to confirm that you are a serious tenant and willing to rent my apartment. Before the payment of the security deposit, we are going to sign the (Refundable Security Deposit Agreement) and (Tenancy Agreement) documents, which you have to sign and send me back copies, along with the receipt of payment of the deposit.

So if you agree with the terms and conditions above, kindly get back to me with the following details for the contract documents..

Name in Full..
Address...
Nationality...
Date of move in and out....
Phone number....
Sex..................Male or Female.

Also, get back to me with your passport id card scanned to me.

Hope to read from you soonest.

Regards,

Gunnel M. Granberg
+447024053837

Thanks for establishing that this is a scam, truth is it looks too good to be true, that's a good enough warning. I looked up the ad on the site today to report the scam and protect other students, because there's no way someone is not interested in that house, but it must have been taken down.

Also, the I checked the IP, it's located near Seattle.

Is there anything else I could do?