by Michelle
Wed May 12, 2010 6:31 am
> From: venusgreg < [email protected] >
> Subject: Re: Reply to your ad: Immaculate Purpose Built 1 Bedroom apartment for rent in Brighton. BN1 3BB
> To: Michelle
> Date: Monday, 10 May, 2010, 20:41
> Dear Michelle
>
> Thanks for your reply, Sorry for the late reply,Yes
> still available,
> my flat is finished and furnished with the necessary
> amenities needed
> in an ideal flat, Below are the things you should know
> about my flat.
>
>
> Rent
> The rent is 80 pounds per week, All bills are inclusive in
> the rent.
>
> The security deposit is 400 pounds
>
> At this point that you want to rent my flat, i have a few
> questions for you:
> 1. Can you take good care of my flat?
> 2. How long do you intend to rent my flat for?
> 3. Can you provide a reference in Brighton?
> 4. Where are you coming from to rent my flat?.
>
> I require answers to my questions before we can proceed
> with the
> reservation processes.
>
> However, owing to my past unpleasant experience of inviting
> intending
> tenant to view my flat without confirming if they are
> actually able
> to pay their rent at the right time has caused me a great
> discomfort
> and as such do not want to experience it anymore, because i
> have to
> travel all the way from Scotland to take interested
> candidate round my
> flat. I do hope you understand my point of view. In view of
> the
> previous occurrences, I do not want to collect any money
> from you as i
> have not taken you round my flat and signed your
> contract with my
> lawyer, but my lawyer have strongly advised me to
> confirm that you
> can pay your rent as at when due, so before we can proceed
> for the
> viewing, I will like to confirm if you can afford my rent.
> All you
> need to do now is to make transfer of a 2 weeks rent
> and security
> deposit of £400 to your friend or partner
> within the UK through
> western union transfer. The reason for using western union
> is that it
> is faster and my lawyer can easily confirm the transfer
> almost
> immediately he receives the scanned copy of the transfer
> receipt or
> the details of the transfer.
>
> Once you are done with the transfer, get back to me with
> the scanned
> copy of the transfer receipt as i forward it to my
> lawyer to confirm
> if the transfer is valid and available for pick-up by your
> friend or
> partner. Once my lawyer confirms the transaction valid, i
> will then
> ask you to tell your friend to go and pick up the money for
> you, then
> we can immediately proceed for the viewing. I shall refund
> the cost of
> transfer to you when we meet for the viewing. After the
> viewing, if
> you like my flat, you can proceed to signing the contract
> and then pay
> your rent and security deposit to me directly.
>
> I look forward to reading from you soon.
>
> Do not hesitate to ask anymore question.
>
> Best Regards.
>
> Mrs Greg
The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".
Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you
He will ask you to send him the transfer details.
Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money again.
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 Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union 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.
