Is http://www.myhomereservationcity.com a scam? Help!

Hi everyone,

Really need help with this one. Seems like a deal that is too good to be true and when I inquired about an apartment they said they only accept money transfer or bank transfer, which I don't feel comfortable about. Here is the site: http://www.myhomereservationcity.com/index.html. Seems legit at first, even though it is very DIY, but the payment method raised some eyebrows. Also, I started doing some research, and although I couldn't find any spam related information for this site, I want to bring it to someone's attention to see what they think and if someone can give me a verification. Thanks for your help!!!

-Elena

Hi elc4!
I just took a very fast look, but it's certainly suspicious. For one thing, they use a free gmail address. Also the phone # given on the website: Receptionist Phone Number: +44 703 598 2360, is a re-direct number. That's a phone # that seems like a UK one but it is actually being picked up somewhere else in the world, likely Nigeria.

Please don't do anything until one of our website site specialists can take a look...

Thank you for your help Helen! I appreciate it.

You're welcome and no problem, that's what we're here for!
If you read around the forum a bit you'll learn what to look out for. Here's a quick overview:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15223

I was looking at this same site today for a listing in Washington DC. The price seemed too good to be true! I also did not like the payment arrangement or the international phone number. Further, I noticed on Google maps that the property was at the same address as Oakmark, which is a well-known housing manager (properties all over the U.S., and I've worked with them previously) - so I called Oakmark and asked them about it. They had me look at some pictures on their website, which exactly matched pictures on the "My Home..." site - the Oakmark guy said they'd had this problem before, where this scam has operated - he said it's more typical in NYC, but has happened to them a couple of places. It's *possible* that the site is legit, because Oakmark does NOT own the entire building at the DC address I was interested in - but (1) the price is less than 1/2 of what Oakmark is asking, and (2) the whole payment/international contact info is sketchy. I'm not going to do it - but I cannot say 100% that it's a scam. But I really think it is. And once you think it's a scam, go back and read the testimonials, and the rest of the website, and the whole grammar/word choices/etc. start to look a bit off.
Jon Abraham

Jon,

Thanks for doing that extra work and researching the place. I'm moving to DC and this is my first apartment, so I don't want to make a giant mistake and fall into a scam. I don't feel comfortable with the company either and the website is sketchy, so I think I will be passing on this one. Thanks for your help; good luck apartment hunting!

Elena

Website is most definately fake. I lost count how many of their websites I've closed down in the past, I think I'm reaching the #100 mark. Site will be reported soon.

exactly the same thing but new adress

http://www.thereservationpalacehomecity.com/

its fake no doubt

It has been a while I've seen that gang of scammers.. Yes, you are completely correct, it is a scam. Contact details:

© 2007-2011, thereservationpalacehomecity.com serviced apartments, all rights reserved - email: [email protected] | +44 (0)703 598 2360

Thanks for reporting! We'll make sure someone gets it offline soon