by Michelle
Sun Jul 04, 2010 1:37 pm
From: viena watson [mailto: [email protected] ]
Sent: 04 July 2010
To: Michelle
Subject: Re: Reply to your ad: A presentable 1 Bedroom Flat for rent in
London.
Dear Michelle
Thanks for the interest in my flat, my flat is fully finished and furnished
to a high standard. Below are the things you should know about my flat.
Rent
The rent is 130 pounds per week bills are inclusive in the rent,such as
Electricity, water,TV license broadband wireless internet and gas.
Security deposit 400pounds
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 London?
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 an intending tenant can pay for his or her 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 a
transfer of 2 weeks rent plus 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 she 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 and if you do not have access to a scanner you can
as-well write out the details on 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 schedule a convenient time 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 Watson
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.
