Room for Rent and other rental scams
by Con Warner Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:39 pm
******
Hello,

Thanks for the interest you have in my flat. My flat is still available for rent and I can make a reservation for the said period,you can stay in my flat as long as you pay your rent at when due. Here are the necessary things you need to know about the rent and deposit .

The property comprises a lovely reception room with ample storage space, modern kitchen/dining room with integrated appliances, a well proportioned double bedroom with direct access to a smart, paved roof terrace, and a gorgeous contemporary bathroom .

Apartment address:London Street, Reading, RG1 4SQ

These fantastic apartments are ideally set in the centre of Reading. The Oracle shopping centre nearby provides a wide choice of designer shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and a multi-screen cinema as well as the well-known high street retailers. In the main shopping area, further shops, theatre, galleries and entertainment zones abound. Reading has an array of sports and fitness centres, parks and riverside ares for rowing, boating, or just taking in the atmosphere.

Rent : £ 100.00 pw
Minimum Stay : 2 weeks Security Deposit: £ 500.00 (Returnable at the end of a week stay in my flat)
Utility bills inclusive ( water, gas, council tax, TV license and wireless Internet) Utility Cost : £ 0.00 pcm

However, At this stage that you want to rent my flat, i need to know some few question about you. Can you take care of my flat as it is? How many months do you intend to rent and pay for?

Kindly reply for further information and i would like to know where you are coming from to stay in my flat and let me know if you'll like to book reservation of my flat for the said period...
.
Regards

Jennifer.

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 money (again via Western Union) 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.

Email: [email protected]

Latest updates regarding Internet Fraud: http://www.antifraudnews.com
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by Michelle Tue Jun 08, 2010 11:58 am
Follow up mail.
From: Jennifer Mogan ( [email protected] )
Sent: 07 June 2010 23:09:59
To: Michelle
Hello,

Good to read from you once again and thanks for your keen interest..

However, At this stage that you want to rent my flat, i need to know some few question about you. Can you take care of my flat as it is?Do you have references in Newcastle? It is unfortunate that my past bitter experience of inviting people to come and view or reserve my flat without any form of confirmation of their financial ability and not keeping up to time as at when scheduled, has brought about great loss to me. I have traveled all the way from Ireland to take some interested candidates round my flat because that's where i work with M. Gould (Scunthorpe) Ltd.

Some outside tenants do not have the money to pay the rent and yet they disturb the the landlord to arrange a viewing with their friend or relative who are in Newcastle, also some do not meet up with the appointments which has led to the dismissal of some landlords in office by there employees.

Henceforth my lawyer and i have decided to carry out a simple test on financial ability to pay for my rent before coming for viewing. I would not ask you to send your bank statement. At least a month rent and security deposit which is which is refundable after your first week stay in my flat, would be required from you to transfer through Western union money transfer agent. You can make the transfer with your family member or friend's name as a sender name and your name as a receiver to an address in Newcastle and you can as well use my flat address.

Once you have done this, Scan the receipt to me and if you do not have scanner, you may write out the details on the receipt as i will send it to my lawyer to verify if it's truly genuine and available in your custody, after verification, then we can proceed for the viewing or reservation and you can easily pick up the money at the nearest Western union outlet when you arrive to Newcastle and also, i will refund back to you the cost of transfer when we meet.

I look forward to reading from you soon.

+447035927882

Regards..

Jennifer
by steven beer Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:27 pm
Thanks for the warnings, these people are busy little scammers.

They are posting regularly on gumtree, found them in Plymouth page (used their email to find this website), now they're on the Bristol page, a new email address they're using is [email protected]

Their usual MO, an offer that was too good to be true, so I inquired, and as usual, they don't answer any of the questions, they just re-hash their old reply, but I recognised their line "i need to know some few question about you. Can you take care of my flat as it is? How many months do you intend to rent and pay for?", and once again, a google search for that line brought me to your website.

These people are going to ruin the Gumtree.

Keep up the good work on this website, you all make so many people aware, even if most don't join to thank you (as I didn't the first time).
by Ralph Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:14 pm
Hi Steven, Welcome to Scamwarners.

I am glad that we have been able to show you a few things about how scammers work, those lines you picked out are very common.

Thank you also for the information you have provided, it all helps to keep people from being scammed.

We are aware that most dont post to thank us, that's fine, while we do like the nice warm and fuzzy comments we get, knowing we have made a difference is enough to keep us going :wink:

You seem well sorted but if you do have any questions please dont hesitate to ask
by Con Warner Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:22 pm
Ralph beat me to it as I was typing but he lives here twenty four seven anyway. :roll:
I'll still say it...
Thanks for the thanks S.B. :)
Please continue to cross reference and feel free to post any scammers that we don't have listed.
You know what to watch out for now but please be 100% certain that it is a scam.
Any doubts, please contact one of the team here at Scamwarners before posting.

Email: [email protected]

Latest updates regarding Internet Fraud: http://www.antifraudnews.com
by Michelle Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:43 am
There is no complete list of Scammer's e-mail address because they will change their details every few days to avoid detection but it is always recommended that you 'Google' the Landlord's e-mail address and telephone number.

Any Landlord asking you to pay money in advance of viewing (this includes making a Western Union payment to yourself or a family friend, and paying for keys and documents to be couriered to you from abroad.) will be a scam.

Always avoid anyone using a telephone number that starts +44(0)70. These are 'follow me anywhere' numbers that divert to almost anywhere in the world and you pay for the entire call at a premium rate. - '070' numbers are the chosen phone service of scammers.

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