Probable scam?

Hi there.

I was searching Craig's list to rent an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. This apartments ad caught my eye so I emailed. http://rio.pt.craigslist.org/vac/2784215105.html

The below email chain from the person advertising raised some suspicions. It is worth noting i am still in contact with him and that I have requested the booking form from him to confirm my suspicions and to share with others. Apologies for the long attachment but I thought it was important to see how the communications developed.

I will not be sending any pers details to him and I have flagged it on Craig's list. Is there anything else you can do when all you have is a gmail address and a Craigslist advert?

Your opinions are most welcome.

Regards,
Gerard


From: Leonard Endress <[email protected]>
Date: 9 January 2012 12:27:16 AM GMT-04:00
To: <>
Subject: Re: R$100 / 2br - Heart of Ipanema, stylish apartment in full service building (Ipanema)

Hello <>,

 Thanks for getting back at me,I do understand .. There only other way to received your payment in other to process your reservation with out further delay is through Money Transfer Using western Union  and there is air port transfer to the apartment.

Hope to hear back from you soon.

Thanks,
Leonard



--- On Sun, 1/8/12, <> wrote:

From: <>
Subject: Re: R$100 / 2br - Heart of Ipanema, stylish apartment in full service building (Ipanema)
To: "Leonard Endress" <[email protected]>
Date: Sunday, January 8, 2012, 1:44 AM

Hi Leonard,

Thanks for your information. I would like to officially request the room. Please send me the booking form. 

Please understand that setting up an international bank wire from Australia is quite expensive and very inconvenient especially while I'm overseas. Is there any other way such as credit card to secure the deposit?

Also, please confirm if airport transfer is included or should I make alternate plans to get to the property once I collect the keys.

Regards

<>

On 07/01/2012, at 12:16 AM, "Leonard Endress" <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello <>,

 Thanks for your quick responses,Our Nightly rent is $100USD .Here is our payment policy......60% of the total stay in our lovely Home + the damage deposit which will be refunded back if no damage incurred during your stay...40% will be balanced in person and there is know extra cost for electricity and water... all are inclusive in the rent.

Booking Policy
We will send you a booking form as soon as you officially requested for it..Having send you the booking form...you will fill it out and you will send it back to us with payment confirmation and your details will be entered into our database...

We will accept Bank Wire  as our mode of payment for some reasons

Reasons why we use Bank Wire 

1.It is the legal and secured way of payment

2.Money could be called back if sender(s)does not receive his or her service.

3.It is the most secure way for making payment.

4.Also easier for us to return the damage deposit which will be returned after your stay in our Property...

Keys Can be picked up at the Airport,Keys can be Mailed to you where ever you are before your arrival,Keys can be given at check in...

However if you are ready to book and  secure the property...we strongly recommend you to officially request for the booking form....

Our customers will decide which one is the best for them,Our goal is to make sure our customers are satisfied.

So we will like to hear from you then we can proceed to booking.

 will be looking forward to your arrival...

We hope to hear from you

--- On Fri, 1/6/12, <> wrote:

From: <>
Subject: Re: R$100 / 2br - Heart of Ipanema, stylish apartment in full service building (Ipanema)
To: "Leonard Endress" <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, January 6, 2012, 2:55 AM

Hi Leonard,

Thanks for getting back to me. The reservation sounds great. A couple of more questions:

Can you confirm that it is $100 US or $100 Reals per night? 

Also, we are flying into rio international airport approximately 10:30pm on 12 Jan. would this be a drama with collecting the keys etc, and is there any possibility of meeting and getting a transfer at the airport?

Is there any othe costs required for our stay? For example electricity and water.

Please let me know the bank details with deposit amount required, and any other information you may require.

Thanks.

<>

On 06/01/2012, at 4:44 AM, "Leonard Endress" <[email protected]> wrote:

Hello <>,

Thanks for contacting me,The Requested date are available on my reservation calender. Nightly rates are $100 and there is a Damage Deposit which is $400.The Damage Deposit will be returned at the end of your visit, provided that nothing in the property requires repairs as a direct result of your visit..

The Property is a 2 bedroom  furnished and Lovely upgraded property by Interior Designer,modern bedroom with QS bed , fully equipped Europe kitchen, state-of-the-art bathroom,computer and Internet Wifi, washer/dryer, ultra-equipped, washer and dryer, traditional oven and microwave.

Please note that your reservation is not fully confirmed until your Reservation Deposit has been received. Payment is through Bank Wire 

Kindly get back to me if still interested.

Best Regard,
Leonard

--- On Thu, 1/5/12, < wrote:

From: <>
Subject: R$100 / 2br - Heart of Ipanema, stylish apartment in full service building (Ipanema)
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2012, 8:49

<>
http://rio.pt.craigslist.org/vac/2784215105.html


------------------------------------------------------------------
This message was remailed to you via: [email protected]
If this email is a scam or spam please flag it now:
http://www.craigslist.org/flag/?flagCode1&smtpid 120106044929wKtO0SE44RGC2WmJg2qXVw
------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as I saw Western Union mentioned, I knew it was a scam

No legitimate rental company would use Western Union as a payment option, only West African scammers.

A legitimate company would have a bank account, or some form of secure verifiable payment method.

This is a scam

definitely stay clear of this.

What I would suggest is that you travel there on a trip, and while on the trip go to craigslist and view some rooms or apartments that are right there, without paying anything. Then you can see what apartment you like, and as you are there in person, can fill out an application, and even pay for a place in person.


Don't send any money. You will never see anything in return. Probably if you get there there will be no keys for you, and a closed house, or even a false address.

Only go in person, during daylight hours, to view apartments yourself, while you are actually there.

Thanks for your replies.

I have received the booking form from him, and sure enough, the payment details are very suspect. I googled "Frances Prokop" and this name has been flagged in a scamwarners post in Aug 10. So it goes to show copy and pasting details of scammers into this website has a very good chance of preventing future scams. So, I have copy pasted the booking form below which details a payment name and address.




 
  (N.A.R Form V.R.A Revised 1/12)              

   
                             
                                                                 
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                             

                                                                                                           
                                                          R. Barão da Torre, 315 - Ipanema Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22411-001, Brazil
The rental is between the following pa
OWNER: LEONARD L. ENDRESS
OCCUPANT: ________________ please fill

Email: ------------------------------------------------------------------

N.B; Please fill below for receipt of payment to be sent.

Address: _________________________________

City/ State / Zip :_______/________/_________)

Cell phone: _________________

Phone: (Home) _________________ (Work) ______________Extension___

1. DATE OF AGREEMENT: ------------------------------
•
i.    2. TERM: The term of this lease is for ---------------------------- commencing on (Arrival Date)   and ending on (Departure Date) ----------------------------------

The Premises will be ready for occupancy at 9:00 a.m. on the commencement.

3. RENT: The rent is $100 Per Night {Tax and utilities Fee Inclusive}
NO OF NIGHTS TO BE SPENT: 4 Night

PAYMENTS {Occupants agrees to the Following Payments condition and Charges}
4. DAMAGE DEPOSIT: $400 (Refundable on Departure where no damages were Incurred during stay at the Apartment.) and shall be given by Tenant as part of the rental Fee summing the total amount to be paid as ($400 which includes Rent and Damage deposit) 60% of $600 which is $4O0 the security damage fees $240 total rent $640 hold the requested date.

        PAYMENT TO BE MADE THROUGH WESTERN UNION TRANSFER BELOW IS THE PAYMENT DETAILS

Receives Name: Frances Prokop
Address: Address: N vine st hazleton pa 18201USA

5. RULES/ORDINANCES: TENANT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT PREMISES ARE IN A RES IDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NEIGHBORS ON EITHER SIDE. LOUD, NOISY OR OFFENSIVE PARTIES OR ACTIVITIES ARE NOT ALLOWED.

Tenant agrees to comply with all covenants, conditions and Restrictions, rules, regulations, and decisions of Landlord, which are at any time posted on Premises or delivered to Tenant. Tenant shall pay any fines or charges imposed by local authorities, due to Violations by Tenant, or the guests or licensees of Tenant. Tenant shall not, and shall ensure that guests and licensees of Tenant shall Not disturb, endanger, or interfere with neighbors, or use the Premises for unlawful purposes, including, but not limited to, using, Manufacturing, selling, storing, or transporting illicit drugs or Other contraband, or violate any law or ordinance, or commit waste or A nuisance upon or about the Premises.

6. MAXIMUM OCCUPANTS: The Premises are for the sole use as a personal Residence by the following named persons only:

List below: Names; Occupation/ age (if child)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Resident is to be responsible for insect, rodent, and pest control.

8. Resident agrees not to assign this Agreement, nor to sublet any Part of the property, nor to allow another person to live therein Other than as named in paragraph #7 above, without first receiving WRITTEN permission from the Owner/Agent and paying the appropriate Surcharge.

9. Resident will not be responsible for payment of the following: Electricity, water and sewer, garbage pick-up, telephone, cable TV, And other bills incurred during residency. Resident specifically Authorizes Owner/Agent to deduct amounts of any unpaid bills from the Security Deposit upon termination of this Agreement.

10. No rights of storage are given by this Agreement. The Owner/Agent Shall not be liable for any loss of property by fire, theft, breakage, Burglary, or otherwise, nor for any accidental damage to persons or Property in or about the leased premises resulting from.

11. Any removal of Owner/Agent's property without express WRITTEN Permission from the Owner/Agent shall constitute abandonment and Surrender of the premises and termination by the Resident of this Agreement. Owner/Agent may take immediate possession, exclude resident from property, and store all Resident's possessions at Resident's Expense pending reimbursement in full for Owner/Agent's loss and Damage.

12. Owner/Agent has the right to emergency access at any time and Access during reasonable hours to inspect property or to show property to prospective residents.

13. Rental keys, receipt and signed part of this lease form shall be mailed to address given upon Tenant of deposit to enable tenant move In the event Resident takes the apartment, deposit shall be refunded at the end of Lease Term under the condition the apartment is damage Free.

14. NOTICES: Notices to the parties may be served at the Above-referenced addresses.

15. TENANT REPRESENTATIONS: Tenant warrants that all statements made By Tenant in this Agreement and in Tenant's application rental Application is accurate. Landlord may cancel this Agreement, at any Time, upon discovering that the information provided by Tenant is False.

16. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS: Time is of the essence. All prior Agreements whether written or oral are incorporated in this Agreement which constitutes the entire contract? It may not be contradicted by Evidence of any prior agreement or contemporaneous oral statements or Agreement.

17. OTHER TERMS: PETS AUTHORIZED BY OWNER OR OWNER'S AGENT THAT WILL INCLUDE AN INCREASED CLEANING AND SECURITY CHARGE.

18. FACSIMILE: The parties agree to accept facsimile transmission of this contract bearing their respective signatures in lieu of Originals.

19. FINAL & BINDING: Accepts from Tenant the SECURITY DEPOSIT of the Rent asprovided.



Tenant: ___________________________________ Dated ____________________sign

Hi Gerardk, thanks for posting the extra information, it all helps.

I almost booked with the same dude in Maui today. His name, Leonard L. Endressm and had banking information in the rental agreement form. Is this obviously a scam too.

Bank Name: Bank of America
Account Name: Leonard L. Endress
Account #: 375008077579
Routing # 026009593
SWIFT Code: BOFAUS3N
Bank Address: 17540 Grand River Avenue
Detroit MI 48227
Payment confirmation slip must be provided $2045.34

Welcome to Scamearners, tycliff!

Thanks for posting the bank account. Would you please post the email that you received it in, including the headers? We can have the account looked into and probably get it closed.

I am currently attempting to rent a house in Key West, Florida, and this is the same person that I am dealing with. He has sent me the same rental form as in the previous post. Either this guy has a lot of houses around the world, or he is a fraud... He will only except bank wire because PayPal might hold up the reservation, but my reservation is four months away and my experience with PayPal has always been prompt. I appreciate this post, it confirms my fears. Stay away from this Leonanard Endress..... I am going to go to Bank of America tomorrow and investigate his account a little, that is my bank as well. If anything sends up a red flag, I will add to post.

donc, you're completely correct, except there is no "either/or." He is a fraud. Thanks for posting. The more ways that possible victims can find this thread, the better.

I just got back from Bank of Amnerica. They are acting on it, at least it appeared so. Just got an email from our Leonard. He has changed his bank information, because B.O.A. is having technical difficulties. If this wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny. Now the bank account holders name is Melvin J. Holliday JR. Attached the latest and greatest below.

Hello DON,


How you doing,I just got a mail from my bank of america that due some payment that have been show up in my account that incoming payment to be stop for some time in other to clarify the situation of the problem .. Sorry for the inconvenience of having to change the bank details..


Payment to be made to my property accountant below is the bank details once your payment have been confirm by our bank am going to issue you the rental receipt in other to finalize your reservation.


Bank name:First Federal S&L


Account Holder: Melvin J. Holliday, Jr <--- Account reported - CW
Account #: 0050322517


Routing #: 253271945


Bank Address 2440 Mall Drive P. O. Box 118068
Charleston, SC 29423


Hope to hear back from you soon.


Thanks,
Leonard,

Just got off the phone with that bank, if anyone has same response send it to [email protected]. She is the Fraud manager for that bank.

this guy is also scamming in Israel. very quick to answer too..
.thanks for your post warning. I almost rent the flat to him..

tamar



Hello Margareth,

Thanks for contacting me,The Requested date are available on my reservation calender. Nightly rates are $100 and there is a Damage Deposit which is $400.The Damage Deposit will be returned at the end of your visit, provided that nothing in the property requires repairs as a direct result of your visit..

The Property is a 2 bedroom furnished and Lovely upgraded property by Interior Designer,modern bedroom with QS bed , fully equipped Europe kitchen, state-of-the-art bathroom,computer and Internet Wifi, washer/dryer, ultra-equipped, washer and dryer, traditional oven and microwave.

Please note that your reservation is not fully confirmed until your Reservation Deposit has been received. Payment is through Bank Wire

Kindly get back to me if still interested.

Best Regard,
Leonard

--- On Wed, 2/1/12, Margareth FRACAS <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Margareth FRACAS <[email protected]>
Subject: 2br - Designer Apartment, In the heart of Tel Aviv, minutes walk from the(B) (Tel Aviv)
To: [email protected]
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 1:09 PM



hi,
hi,

We are looking for a flat between the 1st to the 11th of April..is it free? what's the price?

looking forward to reading you soon,


http://telaviv.craigslist.org/vac/2802161035.html


Margareth Fracas / rue Verboeckhaven 89 / 1030 Bruxelles / 0498/12 74 80 / [email protected]





This message was remailed to you via: [email protected]
If this email is a scam or spam please flag it now:
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i am talking to this guy today and he tells me he takes paypal...Do we have confirmation this is def a scam???

Using PayPal doesn't mean he's a scammer by itself. Plenty of honest people use PayPal (me, for instance). But scammers set up phoney email addresses and send out fake "confirmations" of payments that were never sent. Then they ask for money back.

Is this the same scammer as in the posts above, or a different case entirely? We'd like to help.

The same exact script has been used under multiple names, with rentals supposedly in multiple countries, yet none are connected to any official rental agency.

Bank accounts under different names have been used. They attempted to get money sent by WU. The writing in some of the initially posted emails is consistent with an African author.

If you found this thread, you are presumably dealing with yet another supposed rental, likely in yet another country.

All of that screams scammer.

Some scammers do get hold of paypal accounts; still others will claim to accept paypal, then at the last minute some kind of emergency/problem will come up, and they suddenly will need the money another way.

Either way, I wouldn't touch this with a 10 foot pole.