Scam and Fraud Contact Information

Who should I notify about fraud?

* FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
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Pingback by The Potential Resident Rental Scam « Rental Scam Information— September 12, 2008 #

Reply
- Same thing in OKlahoma. UK Guy named David wanted where to send $ for his move-in and moving from UK for MMH Insurance. He wanted info on apartment and also he was sending $ today for me to send $ back to a decorator in Calif so his apartment would be ready for him. He gave me all kinds of info on the wiring process and routing numbers.
  I did not give him any personl info, when he wanted my cell number for his decoraters I gave him office number. He also sighned last e-mail CHEERS.
  
  Comment by Bonnie— August 21, 2009 #
  
  Reply
- Thank you for this site. “Prof Bob Hoskins” also contacted me about renting my house in Wichita, Ks. same story, he was moving here from Sussex, England, and was sending me money thru UPS for the house and soon to be arriving furniture. He said I was to receive the furniture for him and he would send money for that, (which never arrived).
  Please add my story to help others to not become victims. Who can we complain to to catch this guy?
  
  Ray Davis
  Wichita, Ks.
  
  Comment by Ray Davis— August 27, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - I don,t get it. How does he get money from you and was his check good? I heard from him, too.
    
    Comment by Dave— October 16, 2009 #
- Beware of Prof Kyon Ribery. Same scam he sent me a check for rent, deposit and his furniture order. He insisted I send payment out the next day by means of Western Union for his furniture. I know better so now I’m playing with him. Gay 3 after receiving the check, I told him I mailed it since I couldn’t get to a Western Union office. I’ve contacted the FBI and they say to leave byour info at this site for them ic3.gov. Beware
  
  Comment by Brad— September 12, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - Thank you for this posting. I have just been contacted by Prof Kyon Ribery. I will not be responding.
    
    Comment by Martha— December 8, 2009 #
  - We just received an Email from Kyron Riber on an apartment we have for rent in Santa Fe. Thinking something was fishy after a couple of Emails back and forth I googled him. This led me to your warning.
    
    Thank you for the site and the warning.
    
    Bill
    
    Comment by William E. Snead— January 15, 2010 #
  - This alleged Prof Kyon Ribery, paleontologist, wishes to rent a very large and substantial house in Texas from me; he claims to be sending me a cashier’s cheque, for the security deposit, rent and furniture and from which to deduct the amount for furniture delivery when it arrives, ahead of him and his family. My question to you Dave, is did his cheque clear? My family has lived internationally, been in his position, and had no problems; however, even if his deposit and first month’s rent cheque clear, he will still owe many thousands of dollars for the lease and it will take 60 days to kick his family out of my house under TX law. It will also be an extreme incovenience in a very tightly controlled and exclusive neighbourhood, which does not care much for owner’s renting their property. So – did you receive your money? I am currently having a Harvard professor look into whether he is actually who he says he is, which of course will be another “tell sign”. Please respond ASAP for you, thank you.
    
    Comment by Heather— February 7, 2010 #
  - Thank you for alert on Prof. Kyon Ribery. He tried to pull the same scam on me. He used the same name and method for his scam as with you in Sept. He even blamed his grandmother’s funeral as an excuse for not getting the money out sooner to me. Fortunately, he only got my name and address and not my money. Thanks for the tip.
    
    Comment by Cathy— February 12, 2010 #
  - I’m in contact with the guy who calls himself Prof Kyon Ribery right now. It didn’t feel right so I googled him. Appreciate your warning. He’s supposed to be having a check delivered by courier to us today. Guess we’ll talk to the authorities about it if we receive it. He’s using the “Honesty Furniture Company” as his furniture deliverer. That name really sounded phony.
    
    Comment by David Pearson— March 1, 2010 #
- I think this website should begin with a big headline: IF SOMEONE HAS SENT YOU A CHECK AND WANTS YOU TO SEND MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION, IT’S A SCAM!!! – Coming from a different country, you do not need money sent back as “proof” that you have a place to move into. Immigration just requires a letter from your employer. That’s all! These scammers also work in elaborate multilevels, they hire people to send the checks, pick up the money, who are not involved in the scam. Just innocent people that are happy to find a job. That’s why it’s so hard to catch them. Don’t lose your time trying to catch them, instead, promote common sense and information on how these scams operate!
  
  Comment by ileana— March 2, 2010 #
  
  Reply
I have been hit by the Eli Lilly Pharm. rental scam. I unfortunalty sent my personal info. before researhing that it might be a scam. It just felt too good to be true. Now he says he’s sending the cashiers check, he has my name, address, phone #. Can he use this information to mess with my credit and so forth or is he just hoping to get me to send him cash back once I receive his check?? Should I alert the creidt comp. and do a fraud alter??

Comment by Eliza— October 6, 2008 #

Reply
- I too,have almost been scammed. I was renting an apartment on craigslist. The guy responded saying he’s from the UK, a doctor etc.. He sent me a check for too much money asking me for the difference. Luckily, I too the check to the bank as I was not going to send any $$ until the check had cleared and the money was in my account. In the meantime I sent a draft lease document with my personal information. Can he do anything with this information? Should I alert anyone about this??
  
  Comment by Catherine— November 27, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - Wow – I just got an email like this today. I have posted an
    apartment on Craiglist – and this guy Kween Bonny responded to the ad. Nearly work for word what has been described here.
    It seemed a litte strange to me, so I Googled the company,
    and up popped this site. Guess I am lucky it is here.
    
    Comment by Alain— January 15, 2010 #
- I recommend that anyone that has rental properties gets a PO Box address so when needed, you don’t provide all of your personal information. Eliza, I bet they are somewhere in Nigeria and won’t really come after you personally. I think they might use your information and create a fake rental listing to get someone else’s money.
  
  Comment by ileana— March 2, 2010 #
  
  Reply
This scammer with email davidmatins17@yahoo.com
has taken my ad on craigslist and listing as if it is his own. He changed the rental from $1795 to $900 a month. Kindly let me know who I should
contact to report this person in taking innocent
people in their rental process.
Thank you

Comment by Elvie Nisan— October 6, 2008 #

Reply
we responded to an add on craigslist for a rental property, they are Primier Properties in Whittier Ca, they are a “rental agency” that for a fee promises to deal directly witht the landlords to get you the property you like. They are a scam, they lie about everything,, I just would like to know if anyone else has been scam by this property, and how I can demand my money back?

Comment by maribel— December 10, 2008 #

Reply
has anyone ever recived anything from this email i think i may of been caught out
mitchelcrouch@ymail.com

Comment by neil— January 10, 2009 #

Reply
also on this email
oxanakodo@gmail.com

Comment by neil— January 10, 2009 #

Reply
This is my long email conversation I had with the scammer. It starts with the latest email first and the earliest email is last. This first email is from the scammer;

I´m truly sorry but I can’t tell you the full address for security reasons.There is nobody home,I hope you understand me.Anyway you`ll have 2 days to inspect the condo,decide if you keep it or not,so you don´t need to know the full address now.(I`m sure that you will love it,the full address will be written in the contract and you´ll receive the contract with the keys. )

——————————————————————————–
Subject: RE: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:13:21 -0800
From: Monica
To: goreneea@hotmail.com

Hi again,

I’m sorry for all the questions is there a unit number? Maybe I can give you a call and we can just talk about the place it maybe much easier.

Monica

——————————————————————————–

From: Julie Walsh [mailto:goreneea@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:46 AM
To: Monica
Subject: RE: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach

531 Avenue A

——————————————————————————–

Subject: RE: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:43:43 -0800
From: Monica
To: goreneea@hotmail.com

Hello again,

I am interested in the apartment but I would like to at least drive by it, so can you give me the address so that I can drive by tonight & see the area? I will contact you in the morning and then we can start the transaction. Thank you again.

Monica

——————————————————————————–

From: Julie Walsh [mailto:goreneea@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 10:38 AM
To: Monica
Subject: RE: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach

Hello ,
Thank you again for your reply . If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I must tell you how this service works and what we need to do.
You have to deposit to The Rent Service the first month of rent-$1100 and a security deposit of $1100, so they can proceed with the shipping of the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for two days delivery so you’ll receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this service work.
1 – To start this transaction i need to know your full shipping information (full name and shipping address)
2 – I will go to The Rent Service Office and leave the Keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 – The Rent Service will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal documents that come along with the Keys.
4 – After they will check the documents , The Rent Service will send you a delivery notification to let you know that they have the Keys and the documents in their custody.
5 – At this point you’ll have to go to a Western Union Office and make a money deposit on The Rent Service agent name for the amount we agreed (the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent and for the security deposit).
6 – After you’ll make the deposit you’ll have to send the info about the money deposit to The Rent Service .
7 – The Rent Service will verify the deposit information and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
8 – After you will receive the keys and the contract, you must check the apartment, decide if you keep the apartment or not. If all is in order you’ll signe the contract and The Rent Service will release the money to me. If you don`t like the apartment they will return your money, and they will ship back to me the keys (you’ll have 10 days to decide if you keep the apartment or not).
I will pay The Rent Service for the shipping and you’ll pay Western Union for the Money Transfer fee.
So if you have $2,200 cash (the rent for 1 month-$1100 and the security deposit-$1100) and if you’re ready for this transaction tell me your full name and your shipping address and I’ll start the official procedure, and The Rent Service will notify you about this matter. You’ll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them (please go through them exactly)
So:
1. As soon as I get your info I will ship the keys and the contract.
2. The Rent Service will check the contract and the keys and they will notify you about this matter(they will send you all the instructions in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both)
3. You must send the money in the next 24 hours to The Rent Service agent.
4. After you’ll confirm the payment they will start delivery at your address (the shipping will not take more then 2 days).
5. After you’ll receive the keys, you’ll have two days to decide if you keep the apartment or not.
So if you’re a serious person tell me your info and I’ll start the process.
PS: When I start the process I must pay The Rent Service fees and if you can’t send the money in the next 24 hours,they will cancel the shipping and I will loose the money paid for the transaction.

Best Regards

——————————————————————————–

Subject: RE: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:47:48 -0800
From: Monica
To: goreneea@hotmail.com

Hello Ms Walsh,

I am very interested in renting your beautiful apartment. I’m not sure what kind of personal information you would like from me but whatever you’d like to know please just ask. If you decide to let us rent from you, please send us the information on how to work with the “Rent Service”. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thanks again.

Thank you,

Monica

——————————————————————————–

From: Julie Walsh [mailto:goreneea@hotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 4:17 PM
To:Monica
Subject: Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach

Hello,

This beautifully condo (2 Bedrooms / 2 Baths) is my home and is located on Avenue A(Walk distance to beach,close to stores, main highway,residential street….)The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(it’s exactly like in the Pics). The kitchen eating area is a large piece of granite that serves as counter space in the kitchen, and as the table in the Living Room side. The counter seats 4 comfortably. The entertainment center is a beautiful credenza that is topped with a brand new 55′ High-Definition lcd tv. The stereo acts as the 5 speaker surround sound for the tv, the radio and cd player. The stereo also is a dvd player and is capable of having an i pod plugged right into a usb port.The Master Bedroom is large with high ceilings, has two windows, a walk-in closet and it has it’s own bathroom. The room has a large, very comfortable Cali-King bed. There are several dressers with an ample amount of drawers. The room also has a desk with several drawers and a file cabinet. The walls are decorated with nice artwork and floating shelves. The bathroom has a large, tiled shower stall behind a glass door. The vanity is covered with a beautiful piece of granite and between the vanity, shelves and medicine cabinet, there is plenty of space for toiletries.The Guest Bedroom is actually larger than the Master. It has high ceilings, two large closets and a dresser with two matching nightstands. There is one window, a coffee table and a brand new chair and ottoman. Just outside the door two the bedroom is the Guest Bathroom. The guest bath features a large jacuzzi tub and shower. The vanity is large and is covered with granite. There is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier,and 2-car Garage parking….Cats and dogs allowed.I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent is is very expensive here.The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the apt for max. 5 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.I`m the owner and it’s exactly like in the Pics.The rent of the apt for 1 month is $1100 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet, cable,parking,air conditioning,fireplace,dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who have the keys and I have no one in United States that could show you the apt.In order to check it,see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called
“The Rent Service” ( http://www.therentservice.gov.uk/ ) which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys .A friend of mine moved here from
California and used the company to resolve the same problem . This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the apt or not( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the apt).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.

Regards,

Comment by Monica— January 21, 2009 #

Reply
- Monica, I answered a craigslist ad for an apartment that seemed too good to be true, here is the response I got, it’s so much like yours!
  
  Thanks for taking the time to look at my property.
  
  My name is Sharon Daniels, I’m 48 years old, I’m a construction engineer and I’m the owner of this condo(2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1100 square footage) .I lived in this beautiful condo for over 5 years and loved every day of it.
  The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),Brazilian cherry floors; Luxurious kitchen with Viking appliances, large kitchen island and Poggen Pohl cabinets; master bedroom/master bath includes an oversized marble soaking tub and separate shower; California Closets walk-in closet in master bedroom; The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture
  (if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture),there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier.
  Pets allowed.I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent is very expensive here.
  The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the condo for max. 5years .I really want to find a good and responsible
  tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.
  
  The monthly rent is not negotiable, if you can pay the 3 months in advance it will be considered as 4 month’s rent.
  The monthly rent for the apartment is US $900. First month’s advance, $900 deposit. Looking for someone to rent anywhere from 3 months to 5 years.
  (water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.
  You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in
  United States that could show you the condo.In order to check it,see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract.
  Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called Move (http://www.move.com)
  which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys. A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem.
  This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not
  ( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the condo).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and
  I will send you the details step by step.
  Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.
  
  This is where the apartment is located: 1405 6th Ave Seattle WA 98101
  
  These are some pictures of the apartment, please let me know if you received the pictures.
  
  ********************
  
  It so happens that the address given is the Washington Athletic Club parking lot.
  
  Comment by A. Decarac— February 11, 2010 #
  
  Reply
  - Wow, I actually had that exact experience with ‘Sharon,’ they are getting a lot harder to detect at first. Fortunately I did not provide any personal contact information and I guess I sounded skeptical enough that they didn’t even send a second response
    
    Comment by Kristin Lambert— January 20, 2011 #
Here is an email sent to a renter by the scamer impersonating my client:

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Wayland Williams
Date: Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 8:32 AM
Subject: Re: I may wish to see this property
To: craig.yager@yahoo.com

On Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 5:55 AM, Craig Yager wrote:

Hello,

Thanks for your response regarding your interest in having my house for rent.The house is much available for now and it a 3 bedroom home.I want you to know that i am the owner of this building situated at 15 Wayne St – Worcester, MA 01603.But i am now presently in West Africa for my Hopitals Project prayer crusade with my wife and we have the keys right here with us.I will like to inform you that it was due to my transfer that makes us to leave the house and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for now,We are here in West Africa,NIGERIA our new house and also with the keys of the house,we are trying to look for an agent that we can give this document before we left but could not see and we are as well as don’t want our house to be used any how in our absent that is why we took it along with us here.We are only willing to give the house out to a lovely and caring family only, so if you know you cannot give the house the neatness it deserves please don’t contact me.But if you promise to always take good care of the house,get back to me on how you could take care of our house or perhaps experience you have in renting a home.Hope you are okay with the monthly price of $1000 with hydro,heat laundry facilities,air-condition Etc.I am looking forward to hear from you ASAP, below is the application form for you to fill and discuss on how to get the house for rent.

RENT APPLICATION FORM
Also,Pls let me get this answer.

1)Your Full Name Wayland Whitney Williams IV
2)Your Full Address & Phone Number 24 Sutton Rd Millbury MA
3)How old are you? 38
4)Are you married? Yes
5)How many people will be living in the house? 4
6)Do you have a pet? NO
7)Do you have a car?Yes, Mercedes Benz
8)Occupation? Human Resources Recruiter
9)What is your religion? Episcopalian
10)Are you born again? I am Episcopalian

We rent a house near by in Millbury that owner is paying ouyr first last security for our lease was not done until May 1, 2009. The hose closes January 29th, and we have mover coming Janaury 31st. We would need a place by Janaury 31st. The house we rent now has an inground pool, we did many improvements that helped the house sell. Hope to hear back very soon, I had left you a message yesterday on your voice mail at the house address.

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that i can have it in my file incase of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you.Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the document and the key to you,please we are giving you all this base on trust and again i will want you to stick to your words,you know that,we do not see yet and only putting everything into Gods hand,so please do not let us down in this our property and God bless
you more as you do this.
Regards.
Thanks

Please let me know what I can do to put a stop to this. It is the second time this has happened to one of my real estate listings.

Comment by Kathleen— January 28, 2009 #

Reply
- I received a similar email when I responded to an ad on craigslist. We went and looked at the property and a red flag immediately went off when we noticed a for sale sign in the yard. Did some investigating and came across this. The email he sent is as follows:
  
  Hello,
  
  Thanks for your response concerning my ad. The house is much available for now and it’s a 3-bedroom home. There are 2 full bathrooms and 1 partial bathroom. It is situated on 8456 Steleta Drive, West Chester OH 45069. I’m the owner of the home and I and my wife just moved out recently because we came over to Africa for my Hospital’s Project, “Doctors Without Borders”, it’s more or less a voluntary christian project, and so we would be here for a while. The keys are right here with us. The decision to give the house out for rent is because of this project.
  
  The house is in perfect condition that’s why I want someone responsible to be there in our absence. We are more interested in the state of the house in our absence than the cash. We would be very pleased if you took the house as if it were yours. So for now, we are here in Nigeria, West Africa, our new house. We tried looking for an agent to leave the keys with but we couldn’t because this project came on such short notice, so that’s why we took the keys and the documents along with us. We are only willing to give the house out to a lovely and caring family, so if you know you can’t give the house the neatness it deserves please don’t contact me. However, if the reverse is the case, get back to me on how you could take care of our house or perhaps your experience in renting homes. Hope you are okay with the monthly price of $920 and a security deposit payment of $920 with hydro, heat, laundry facilities, air-condition and a dishwasher. I am looking forward to hear from you ASAP.
  
  I’m sorry but the pictures are the best I can do concerning the tour of the house. You can also drive by the address if you wish. There is a garage that takes 2 cars, but the basement isn’t finished yet. Phone calls are always better but the time difference between us is really tricky.
  
  Kindly confirm your interest by filling the form below:
  
  TENANT RENT APPLICATION FIRST NAME:__________? MIDDLE NAME:__________? LAST NAME:__________? PROFESSION:__________? PHONE: (CELL)PHONE__________? (WORK)PHONE__________? (HOME)PHONE__________? KIDS _____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY ________ PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________ CITY: _______________ STATE:______________ ZIP CODE: ____________ HOW LONG? ___________IF RENTING WHY ARE YOU LEAVING__________? IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU, HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING? ____________? WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN? ______________? IF YOU HAVE A PET, NAME OF PET: _____________? KIND OF PETS: _____________? HABITS DO YOU SMOKE ______________ ? DO YOU DRINK ______________? DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT? ____? HOW SOON CAN YOU COME UP WITH THE DEPOSIT ?
  
  ______________________
  
  Looking forward to hear from you with these details so I could file it in case of issuing the receipt for you and contacting you and also so we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys across to you. You can reach me on +2348080619343 for more details.
  
  Thanks and we’re hoping to welcome you to our house in our absence.
  
  Regards
  
  Joseph
  
  Comment by Noelle— November 28, 2011 #
  
  Reply
Hi there I have just relized after already sending moneygram and reference number. What can I do from here?? Can I get my money back can I track the payment where it went and get the person who did this??? I need help!

Comment by Jac— January 29, 2009 #

Reply
We just rec’d a respond from a guy on the house we’re trying to rent on a variation of this scam. It seemed authentic at first as he was interested in the house and if it was furnished or not and other typical rental details. We told him it was not furnished and he said he would be sending us an $8,000.00 check with $2,000.00 for us for 1st mo. rent and deposit and $6,000.00 to give to an interior decoractor he would be sending over 2 days before he arrived from the UK. He gave references and a home address but did not include and phone numbers with his refernces only other email address. One of his refernces even had the same address as his home address. All the email address including his are from free web-based email sites. We have not yet responded to the guy or given him any personal info. Thank God for this site, but we will be giving all the info. he has given us to the Federal Trade Commission and State of FL Consumer Fraud.

Comment by Janette— January 30, 2009 #

Reply
THIS IS A WARNING FOR ANYONE WHO RENTS AT 7 WINDHAM LOOP 7TH FLOOR MY HUSBAND AND I RENTED AN APT FOR $1400 AND WERE TOLD THE ELECTRIC WLD BE ONLE 100-125 PER MONTH WE TO OUR SURPRISE OUR BILLS ARE 425-570 PER MONTH THIS IS NO LIE WE IMMED. CONTACTED CON ED AND WERE TOLD THIS BUILDING WAS ELECTRIC HEAT AND THAT WE ARE NOT THE FIRST TENANTS TO BE LIED TOO KNOW AFTER 4 MONTHS REAL ESTATE FEES 2 MONTHS SEC AND 1 MONTHS RENT AND COSMETICS MONEY WASTED WE WERE TOLD BUY THE LAND LORD U CAN MOVE WE SAID NVR MIND THE BIKKS THE DRAFTS R SO BAD WE ARE FREEZING WE WERE TOLD TO PUT BLANKETS ON THE WINDOWS WE ARE SO UPSET AND SCHOCKED I WNT TO HELP OTHERS THIS IS NO WAY FOR LANDLORDS TO TREAT PEOPLE I HOPE THIS HELPS OTHERS

Comment by PANNI— February 2, 2009 #

Reply
I responded to an ad on Craigslist for a great looking condo in La Jolla, CA at an awesome price. Thankfully, I thought it was too good to be true and googled the poster and found rentalscams.org. Here is our e-mail chain:
////
Hello ,
Thank you again for your reply .If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I must tell you how this service works and what we need to do.
You have to deposit to the RENT service the first month of rent-$1200 and a security deposit of $1200, so they can proceed with the shipping of the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for two days delivery so you’ll receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this service work.
1 – To start this transaction i need to know your full shipping information (full name and shipping address)
2 – I will go to the RENT Office and leave the Keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 – The RENT service will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal documents that come along with the Keys.
4 – After they will check the documents,RENT will send you a delivery notification to let you know that they have the Keys and the documents in their custody.
5 – At this point you’ll have to go to a Western Union Office and make a money deposit on the RENT agent name name for the amount we agreed (the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent plus the security deposit).
6 – After you’ll make the deposit you’ll have to send the info about the money deposit to RENT.
7 – RENT will verify the deposit information and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
8 – After you will receive the keys and the contract, you must check the condo, decide if you keep the condo or not. If all is in order you’ll sign the contract and RENT will release the money to me. If you don`t like the condo they will return your money, and they will ship back to me the keys (you’ll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not).I will pay RENT fees and you’ll pay Western fees-for the Money Transfer.
So if you have $2,400 cash (the rent for 1 month-$1200 and the security deposit-$1200) and if you’re ready for this transaction tell me your full name and your shipping address and I’ll start the official procedure, and RENT will notify you about this matter. You’ll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them (please go through them exactly)
So:
1. As soon as I get your info I will ship the keys and the contract.
2. RENT will check the contract and the keys and they will notify you about this matter(they will send you all the instructions in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both)
3. You must send the money in the next 24 hours to the RENT agent.
4. After they will receive the payment,they will start delivery at your address (the shipping will not take more then 2 days).
5. After you’ll receive the keys, you’ll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not.
So if you’re a serious person tell me your info and I’ll start the process.
PS: When I start the process I must pay RENT fees and if you can’t send the money in the next 24 hours,they will cancel the shipping and I will loose the money paid for the transaction.

Best Regards
——————————————————————————–

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 07:06:38 -0800
From:
Subject: Re: $1200 Beautiful condo in the Village of La Jolla
To: goreneea@hotmail.com

Julie,
We are interested in working with you and renting the Condo from you. I am Navy helicopter pilot with 20 years in the service. I am married with a 1 year old daughter. We have a clean credit history and great refrences. We are looking for a short term, 2 or 3 months, but may extend if we can’t find a home to buy. For now we would use your furnishings, but will bring in our own crib for the baby.

I will be in San Diego on Feb 24th and can move in the same day. Please let me know how you want to proceed.

Chris

——————————————————————————–
From: Julie Walsh
To:
Sent: Thursday, February 5, 2009 4:51:11 AM
Subject: $1200 Beautiful condo in the Village of La Jolla

Hello,

This beautifully condo (2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage) was my home for the last five years,and is located at :at 1039 Coast Boulevard South in La Jolla, just steps from the popular La Jolla Cove Park.The 1039 Coast combine style, space, convenience,enjoy the wonderful restaurants and shopping on Prospect Street and Girard Avenue.The building has a roof top deck with panoramic views of the Cove, ocean and surrounding area.The master bedroom and the living room area open to a private ocean view balcony where you can enjoy the sound of the surf.This building boasts one of the nicest panoramic view decks in the Village of La Jolla,360 degree views from rooftop deck of all of La Jolla,plus there are nice oceanviews from the living room, private balcony, master and second bedrooms..The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),The unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat,the condo come with two parking spots(underground),a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture), there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier.Pets allowed.I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent is is very expensive here.The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the condo for max. 6 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.The rent of the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo.In order to check it,see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called RENT
(www.rent.com) which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys .A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem . This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the condo).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.

Regards,

Comment by Chris— February 6, 2009 #

Reply
I was also almost scammed by Julie Walsh for a condo in Arlington,VA. I thought the condo for rent was to good to be true so I googled her name and it came up Julie Walsh Scam and the other emails on this page are identical to the email she or he has just sent me today. I found the condo for rent on craigslist.

The Email in order:

Hello,

This beautifully condo (2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage) was my home for the last five years.Prime location in Arlington, VA situated directly above the Ballston Metro Stop.Access the orange line metro without ever leaving the building. There is never a shortage of taxis in the area. If you wish to drive, it is only five minutes to the heart of DC and Pennsylvania Avenue. Plenty of restaurant and bar options within walking distance to satisfy all appetites. The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture),there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier.Pets allowed.
I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent is is very expensive here.The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the condo for max. 6 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.The rent of the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo.In order to check it,see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called RENT (www.rent.com) which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys .A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem . This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the condo).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.

Regards,

Comment by Crystal— February 8, 2009 #

Reply
SCAM
Same guy or girl as above..here is what they wrote: First E-mail.what tipped me off is these scam artists never sign there name..
What can we do to put a stop to them????
Hello,

This beautifully condo (2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage) was my home for the last five years,and is located on Avenue A ,Steps to Redondo Beach,Walk distance to beach,close to stores, main highway,residential street.The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics),the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, the condo come with two parking spots,a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture (if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture),there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier…………Pets allowed.I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job (i am a construction engineer) and decided to rent it because the rent is is very expensive here.The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant.I can rent you the condo for max. 6 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself.The rent of the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, Internet,cable, parking,air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account.You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo.In order to check it,see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it),you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both.The solution is provided by a company called RENT (www.rent.com) which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys .A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem . This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys,after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the condo).If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week.

Regards,
SECOND E-mail
Hello ,
Thank you again for your reply .If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I must tell you how this service works and what we need to do.
You have to deposit to the RENT service the first month of rent-$1200 and a security deposit of $1200, so they can proceed with the shipping of the keys and the contract. Like I said, I will pay for two days delivery so you’ll receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain you step by step how this service work.
1 – To start this transaction i need to know your full shipping information (full name and shipping address)
2 – I will go to the RENT Office and leave the Keys and the contract on your name as the intended receiver.
3 – The RENT service will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal documents that come along with the Keys.
4 – After they will check the documents,RENT will send you a delivery notification to let you know that they have the Keys and the documents in their custody.
5 – At this point you’ll have to go to a Western Union Office and make a money deposit on the RENT agent name name for the amount we agreed (the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent plus the security deposit).
6 – After you’ll make the deposit you’ll have to send the info about the money deposit to RENT.
7 – RENT will verify the deposit information and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you.
8 – After you will receive the keys and the contract, you must check the condo, decide if you keep the condo or not. If all is in order you’ll sign the contract and RENT will release the money to me. If you don`t like the condo they will return your money, and they will ship back to me the keys (you’ll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not).I will pay RENT fees and you’ll pay Western fees-for the Money Transfer.
So if you have $2,400 cash (the rent for 1 month-$1200 and the security deposit-$1200) and if you’re ready for this transaction tell me your full name and your shipping address and I’ll start the official procedure, and RENT will notify you about this matter. You’ll also receive important guidelines plus instructions from them (please go through them exactly)
So:
1. As soon as I get your info I will ship the keys and the contract.
2. RENT will check the contract and the keys and they will notify you about this matter(they will send you all the instructions in order to complete the deal in a safe way for both)
3. You must send the money in the next 24 hours to the RENT agent.
4. After they will receive the payment,they will start delivery at your address (the shipping will not take more then 2 days).
5. After you’ll receive the keys, you’ll have 10 days to decide if you keep the condo or not.
So if you’re a serious person tell me your info and I’ll start the process.
PS: When I start the process I must pay RENT fees and if you can’t send the money in the next 24 hours,they will cancel the shipping and I will loose the money paid for the transaction.

Best Regards

Comment by Dawn— February 10, 2009 #

Reply
Here is a response that I received for an apt that I had listed on craigs list. The sender was Andrew Cole and he refered to a Phillip Tremnell and a non exsistent company in Manchester England.I found the same phone number listed on another post on Rentscams.org

Hello,
I got your mail, i want you to know that i am really interested in renting the house from you but first i will like to introduce my self to you, my name is Andrew cole, i am a journalist from England and currently working with the Southern Haven journal company situated at site 115 BB11 5SG Reginalde building in manchester England. The company is specialized in gathering informations and making broadcasts that informs the british journal body about local, State, national and international events and presents points of view on current issues and report on the actions of public officials,corporate executives and interest groups. I will be coming to the state for the next one year to work with the United States of America journal commission and will be working with mr Phillip Trimnell the C.E.O of company. I will be arriving to the State on 03- 17- 09 and i will really like to complete the rental process with you and will be will be willing to pay 1 month rent to start with plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior to my arrival,i will be the only one occupying the house, no pet or kids and i do not smoke or drink,and from past records i have a very good rental history. i want you to get back to me with the accurate measurements of the living room and the bedroom and some Pictures and also the lease application form so that i can have it filled, signed and sent back to you on time

You can call me on phone number +(44)-7031934790 to discuss more about the lease arrangement and if you have any question please do not hesitate asking me, thank you very much and i will be looking forward to your response today

Andrew Cole
Southern Haven journal company
Manchester,England.
+(44)-7031934790
andrewcole2000@gmail.com

Comment by Ken Crane— February 21, 2009 #

Reply
In connection with my rental ad on Craigslist, I received the following inquiry from Johnson Lock . I Googled his name + contact info and found many characteristics of a rental scam.

====

Good-day
Am interested in your apartment/house for rent,it redeemed my stress of
searching around for an apartment to rent as its an international situation.I
would like to make an urgent inquiry if the apartment is still available for
rent?Are you the owner? And the duration in which you want to lease the
unit,Preferably 12months.Get back to me with the following
requirements :

1- Security deposit fee ?
2- Monthly rent fees ?
3- Electricity and Utilities if applicable ?
4- Total cost of rent and deposit fee?
5-what percentage is your broker fee?

I wait to read from you Asap
Johnson Lock{Paleontologist]
British Fossil
Sussex England PE14 8JN
United Kingdom
+447031987598

Comment by David— February 24, 2009 #

Reply
If you are posting rental property on craigslist or any other site like it, don’t reposnd to anyone calling themselves Dr. Mike Morgan. He also changes his name, but the letter is usually the same. He says he’s from Middlesex, London, England and is moving to the states for a 1 yr work project. He is a known scammer. I googled him under Dr. Mike Morgan chemist and found this site. I reported him to the FTC.

Comment by Peggy Johnson— March 2, 2009 #

Reply
- WHAT IF U DID RESPOND…TOLD HIM NEEDED TO FILL OUT APPLICATION…FIRST OR I COULD NOT EXCEPT HIS MONEY…AND A BACK GROUND CK…HE WANTED A COPY OF THE RENTAL AGREEMENT I SENT THAT…???
  
  Comment by kappy— January 2, 2010 #
  
  Reply
**Note the different variations of the emailers name between signatures, email acount names, and actual email addresses…Laurien, Laurie, Lauren..**

**A result of my posting a room for rent on craigslist, I love that site but it seems to be exceptionally rife with these scams**

Lauren to Mikki J 3:17am
Hello,
i Acknowledge the receipt of your mail,i’m ok with the Ad and the information concerning the rent but once again i will like to introduce myself,i’m straight,easy going and pretty laid back 28yrs old female….i do not smoke nor drink,am a christian but am not fanatical about my religion as i have always learnt to respect others religion/belief.,i work for educational institute here in Malaysia but coming to U.S cos the company i work for here is looking forward to open business correspondence in U.S,this is my first visit to State and i do really hope to find a good place,if you can reserve the place for me i will really appreciate that,i know there may be several people interested in renting the place from you so i’m willing to make arrangement for some sort of deposit even with the first month rent so that will show commitment from my part,And just for you to know that everything incure by me in this trip will be taking care by my company so kindly let me have the total break down of the first payment in order to forward it to my company for approval.

Regards
Laurie

— On Fri, 3/6/09, Mikki J wrote:

From: Mikki J
Subject: Re: INQUIRY CONCERNING YOUR AD ON CRAIGS LIST
To: laurienhansen@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 8:16 PM

Like ad said, it’s available now for $600 a month, all utilities included, including wireless internet. It contains a queen size bed, a full closet. You would share the bathroom with one other person and share the kitchen, laundry etc with the rest of the house. You’d be responsible for preparing your own meals and doing your own cleaning, or at least helping with the shared areas. Term of the rental is month to month but as long as our personalities mesh you would be able to rent as long as you want.

On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 7:56 AM, laurien hansen <

Hello there,
Am making enquiry as regards the place you have available for rent on craigslist.
pls let me know if the place is still available for rent and get back to me with the following details.
-Exact move in date
-Amount of rent/month
-Living conditions
-Furnished or not
-how long will i be able to rent the place?
I will wait to read from you soon
LAURIEN

Comment by Mikki— March 7, 2009 #

Reply
I am an owner of a beach house that I rent during the summer months. I advertise it on craiglist and have recently received several emails from people with gmail addresses. All of these correspondences are the same:

Good day .I am Dr Tim Nichols ,I am coming for Vacation at your location

next week Kindly check if we can use 6 nights (Date) at your place we

are two in number me and my wife . I want you to email me the

availability and cost.I don’t smoke and don’t drink neither do not have

pets.I await your swift response.

Regards

And here is another one:

Hey,Good day to you. Kindly check if we can use a week nights (march 16 to 23) at your place. I want you to email me the availability an cost.We are 2, My Wife and I.We are coming for our honeymoon. we dont smoke and we dont drink neither do we have pets.I await your swift response.

erniemaxwell

Before I figured out what was happening I corresponded back and forth with ” Dr. Nichols” and sent him a lease to an address in Albany, NY. He repeatedly asked me for my “payee name and address”. It was clear that he never read my lease. Once I realized this was a scam I terminated all correspondence with him.
I will now be on the lookout for these emails and will delete them immediately.
I am now worried that he has my name, email address and both my home and beach house address. Do I have to be concerned about him doing something with this information?

Comment by Lori— March 15, 2009 #

Reply
- Same deal here…gave out my name address ph. number and the rental location….BEFORE I received another request similar to this scammers..then I googled and found out the deal. Did you have anything more happen? Any identity theft/credit problems etc. I’m not sure what to do or look for now.
  
  Comment by Wickerman— December 18, 2009 #
  
  Reply
Saw an ad on craigslist.org similar to “Great Condo,Great Location-Steps to beach,Redondo Beach
531 Avenue A.” Same address.

Here is the response from mimsull@hotmail.com:
Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to look at my property. My name is Miriam Sullivan,I’m 48 years old, I’m a construction engineer and I’m the owner of this condo(2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage). I lived in it for over 5 years,loved every day of it. It’s located at 531 Avenue A, steps to Redondo Beach, walk distance to beach, close to stores, main highway, residential street. The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics), the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, it comes with two parking spots, a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture(if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture), there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier. Pets allowed. I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job and decided to rent it because the rent is very expensive here. The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant. I can rent you the condo for min. 1 month max. 6 years .I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself. The rent of the condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account. You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo. In order to check it, see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it), you need to receive the keys and the contract. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal in a safe and fast way for both. The solution is provided by National Association of Realtors which will handle the payment and delivery of the keys. A friend of mine moved here from California and used the company to resolve the same problem. This procedure allow you to pay the rent only after you will receive the keys, after you will see it, decide if you will stay in the condo or not( I will receive the payment after you’ll check the condo). Please click on the link bellow to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) website to see how we can complete the deal in a safe way, directly from the website of the company where the procedure is explained: http://www.realtor.com/Basics/AllAbout/Bookshelf/Escrow.asp
If you want to know more about how this deal can work please get back to me ASAP and I will send you the details step by step.
Let me know if you are interested.

Regards,
Miriam

Comment by Lauren— March 26, 2009 #

Reply
Following person just scammed me.

Email address: misslaurienhansen018@hotmail.com
laurienhansen@yahoo.com

Email from scammer:

Hello there,
Am making enquiry as regards the place you have available for rent on craigslist.
pls let me know if the place is still available for rent and get back to me with the following details.
-Exact move in date
-Amount of rent/month
-Living conditions
-Furnished or not
-how long will i be able to rent the place?
I will wait to read from you soon
LAURIEN

She will ask try to pay more and ask for a refund via western union.

Comment by Alex— March 26, 2009 #

Reply
Hi there,
My name is Martina, and I currently reside in Alberta but have family in Toronto, ON. I had plans to return there in the summer and had begun looking at ads on Kijiji.com for places to live.

I had come across this ad:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-housing-apartments-for-rent-2-bedroom-850-2br-Condo-for-rent-at-The-Bellagio-W0QQAdIdZ117625469

And proceeded to contact the poster. I got an automated reply (I know it was automated because a friend had also sent a reply via the website to this person, and gotten the exact same reply that I had the first time). We proceeded to e-mail back and forth between us for about a week.

My father took it upon himelf to look into this some more and found out for sure it was a scam by doing some research, calling the phone number that had been given to me in the e-mails, to find out it does not exact or it was busy 24/7. I can provide you with copies of those e-mails if need be. The supposed landlords do not live in Canada…the male supposedly lives in England while his wife is supposedly with the keys and documents to this condo in New Jersey and has apparently been in an accident that cost her her hearing and her legs, or something of that sort.

I thought I should report this, and let you know so that this doesn’t happen to others. The supposed condo is said to be located at the Bellagio Condos, on 300 Bloor Street. I never got a suite number or anything. I had been told I would be getting no information until they had gotten their first month’s rent ($850) and the security deposit ($1600) wired to them via Western Union.

With my father and I, he had proceeded to e-mail them as well and had told them that he needed to see the suite in question and only then would he discuss the money transactions, ie, would they like cash, or cheque. They never replied to his e-mail or they would beat around the bush.

The actual prices for this place to rent as said on the company’s website is anywhere from %2000-3000 for a one bedroom and to buy anywhere from $350K upward, so for $850, that is a little bit ridiculous. Hope this doesn’t happen to any of you!!!! I very nearly lost $2450 to this person, and I owe it to my father that I did not.

Comment by Martina— April 14, 2009 #

Reply
A response to an apt. ad from jamesgrainne@hotmail .co.uk had many elements of a rental sma. He said he worked for ythe Royal Angels modeling Agency as a photographer. His “employer” even sent him a glowing refernece. I checked out this agency’s website (www.royalangels.co.uk) and it seemed ligitimate. He asked me for my full name and address so he could mail me a cashier’s check for more than the first month’ rent and deposit so I could refund him the rest for living expenses. I got a bit suspicious when his employer e-mailed me back and assumed I had already received the check. Since asking James for a landlord reference and more background questions two days ago, I have not heard from him. I have decided not discuss my apt. to anyone, unless my verification service can run a credit, fraud, and criminal background check on them.

Comment by Elisa— April 24, 2009 #

Reply
Whew!!!! I ALMOST got scammed! Fortunately someone I know let me know before it was to late that I was being duped. Here is the email chain for this one…I am trying to sublet and this “Dorothy Holmes” from the UK is the scammer (I’m deleting my email and personal address and info for security):
_________________________
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 18:29:19 +0100
Subject: Re: Rental Inquiry
From: dor.holmes1@gmail.com
To:

Just a Quick Update
The deposit has been mailed out today,
You should recieve it in 5 days time
Do notify me when you do
Regards

On Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:18 PM, wrote:

Hi Dorothy, sounds excellent. Thank you for the references too. I will reserve the house for you and have a lease agreement drawn up to be ready for you to sign once you arrive. Here is the information for the check:

Name to issue the check on:
Address to mail the deposit to:
Phone number(cell and land): cell –
(I only use my cell…I don’t use a landline at home)
The arrangement you mentioned for the deposit and subsequent reimbursement to your decorators sounds fine. How long do you think it would take the check to arrive here from the UK? Also, are your decorators located near here? If so, I would be happy to give them a tour of the house if you like. The house does already have a nice stainless steel built-in microwave, laundry machines (washer and dryer), diswaher, refrigerator, stove, etc., so you probably don’t need much in the way of appliances. Would you also like a list of the furniture in the house? Thank you Dorothy, and I look forward to hearing back from you. Good luck with your move!

——————————————————————————–
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 10:34:16 +0100
Subject: Re: Rental Inquiry
From: dor.holmes1@gmail.com
To:

I will like to go ahead with the renting process,
I want you to reserve the house for me prior to my arrival.
As for the payment of the deposit and 1 month rent totaling $3475
also i will have an interior decorator put up the place for me prior to my arrival.
So do provide the below information for the deposit check to be processed and mailed out to you

Name to issue the check on:
Address where you want the deposit mailed to:
Phone number(cell and land):

I want the 12 month lease to start on June 15th 2009, i also want to notify you that due to the limited time that i have before my arrival and the fact that i cannot view in person, i have in the mean time arrange with an interior decorator who will be putting up the place for me and also handling the purchase of entertainment system, miscellaneous appliances that i will be needing in the property, they will as well be in charge of moving down my luggage down to the states.
Due to the time restrictions and days for a UK check to clear in the states, i have requested from my employers to issue my relocation grant in form of a cashiers check, because its easily cashed there in the US.
So the check of ($8600) will be sent over to you which is the relocation grant by my employer, and all you need to do is to clear the check and deduct the deposit($3475) and you will handle the rest to the Decorators so i can have the place all prepared for my arrival. all other document will be signed as soon as i arrive. Here are some information about me as well, My Names are Dorothy Holmes, Age: 32 yrs., Single, Non smoker, don’t keep pets.

Below are some references

Current landlord: Ashley Mead
Address: 40 Nickelby Close
Greater London, Uk
Email: ashleymead26@googlemail.com

Supervisor: Christopher Mahoney
Burhan Fabrics Ltd
Address: 18 Neptune Court
Cyclops Wharf, London
E14 3UQ
Tel : 02030117723
Fax : 02030311177
Email: c..mahoney@burhanfabrics.com

I await your response, so we can proceed
Thank You

On Sun, May 17, 2009 at 8:36 PM, wrote:

Hi Dorothy, I am not the owner of the property, I have been renting it for the past year. It is a sublet, but I have talked to the owners, and they are ok with me either finding someone to sublet or for me to end my lease (which is up in July) a bit early and you could start a new one of your own. They are very flexible. I have to move to California for the summer to teach, and then am planning to return to the Northwest in September. Thus, you can choose to sublet from me just for the summer, or you can do a full year lease with the owners and I will rent a new place when I return in September. The monthly rent is $1975 (furnished), with a $1500 security deposit. So this would make the total move-in cost $3475.00

The house was built in 2006, so it is an almost new construction (thus has never been renovated….it’s new and perfect as is). The house is fully upgraded. I sent you a lot of pictures of the interior…did you receive them? Let me know if you did or didn’t, and I can try resending them if you didn’t. So, I am looking for you to move in about June 15, and then the length of lease can be from 3-12 months depending on your preference.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing back from you. -

——————————————————————————–
Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 11:08:10 -0700
From: dor.holmes@lancmail.com
To: unemployed_in_greenland@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: Rental Inquiry

In response to the property i am inquiring about, i will like to get some more details about it.
I am Moving down to the US to do a sales Project for my Company Burhan Fabrics Ltd (UK) who intend to open up a new Office in the state.
so due to my non presence to inspect the Property, i will like you to give me the below details

1. Are you the owner of the Property?
2. How much is the Monthly rent and what deposit is Required
3. When was the property last renovated
4. The pictures of the interiors of the property

I will like to know the lease period you intend to offer.
what is the Total move in cost.
I will be waiting for your response on this.
Hope to hear from you in earnest.
Thank You
— wrote:

From:
To:
Subject: RE: Rental Inquiry
Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 09:44:44 -0700

Hi Dorothy, thanks for your inquiry. Yes, the property is still available. It will be ready for move-in June 15th (plus or minus a day if you need).
The address is I will forward you some more pictures in another email so you can get a fuller picture of what the place looks like. My phone number is if you’d like to call me to discuss in more detail. When were you interested in moving in? Were you interested in it being furnished or unfurnished (both are options). Thanks, and I hope to hear from you soon! -

> Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 07:51:16 -0700
> From: dor.holmes11@knac.com
> To: dor.holmes5@yahoo.com
> Subject: Rental Inquiry
>
>
> Hello
> Am interested in your property listed for rent on craigslist
> is it still available?
> What is the available date when the property will be ready to move in
> What is the address of the property
> Regards
>

Comment by Brie— May 20, 2009 #

Reply
- Thank you for posting this. I have just received an email from this same person, Dorothy Holmes. She listed that she worked for a company Burhan Fabrics LTD and I put that into google which led me to you. Thank you for posting. I filed a complaint with the http://www.complaint.ic3.gov/ website.
  
  Good luck to everyone. Sucks that we have to deal with this in our day and age.
  
  Comment by Gretchen Harnick— July 30, 2009 #
  
  Reply
- Thanks for this post. I have a handful of people interested in my rental, but Dorothy was ready to rent sight unseen. Since she is out of the country I decided to start doing my own background check. This was a quick and useful site to come across. Thanks you all. I’m glad I didn’t get scammed or waisted much time on Dorothy.
  
  Comment by Dan Mala— July 30, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - It seems that this scammer is still out there but calling himself David Holmes. I will not post all the emails, as they are about exactly the same as above, but here are some of the details to help someone else googling… let’s keep helping each other on this stuff. (I can send the full email chain to anyone that requests it).
    
    emails received from:
    “David Holmes”
    “David Holmes”
    tr_goldsmith33@yahoo..com
    (note the 2 dots — I thought that was cute… clearly a spoof)
    
    Some details in the email:
    
    FOR RENTAL and Work REFERENCE ,YOU MAY CONTACT the information Below :
    
    Current landlord: Derick Ashley
    Address: 132 Panfield Rd
    London SE2 9DD
    Email: j.ashley33@gmail.com
    
    Supervisor: Andy Fey
    Burley Insurance llc
    Address: 47 Bromholm Rd
    London, SE2 9NE
    Tel/Fax : 02030311177
    Email: andyfey@burleyinsurancellc.com
    
    Comment by Dylan Schickel— January 11, 2010 #
Dorothy Holmes just hit me up too. Thankfully it looked suspicious and I’ve googled and found this page. Same form letter as the one above this entry.

Comment by Linda— June 1, 2009 #

Reply
- I was also a victim of Dorothy Holmes. I also googled and found this page. I too received the same form letter. Thank goodness for this site!
  
  Comment by Darla— June 3, 2009 #
  
  Reply
Dorothy is at it here as well…Thanks for the heads up. I feel silly, having wasted my time in replys…….Any one hit by a Chris Hunt????? U.K ???

Comment by Lynn— June 5, 2009 #

Reply
- Dorothy almost got me as well, she/he/whoever is very busy these days…
  
  How does the scam work? I’m sure it has something to do with having to turn money over to the “decorator” after she sends a cashiers check for more than the security deposit and 1st mths rent. Any information you can share would be appreciated…
  
  Thanks to all those who have posted re: this scam!
  
  Comment by tim— June 6, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - I just received an idential email from Dorothy Holmes who supposedly works at Burhan Fabrics Ltd in the UK. The email to me is word-for-word as listed here except that now, the 1 year Project assignment in in LA. Thank you for posting this info here. I was suspicious the minute I read that someone would be willing to send me money, and they haven’t met me yet. Thanks again for the heads-up.
    
    Comment by Candy— July 27, 2009 #
  - Dorothy almost got me too. Somehow I feel it was just too good to be true, so I search for the company she claims work for and found this is a scam. This person using the exact same wording to communicate with me.
    
    Thanks all for the postings.
    
    Comment by Mike— July 31, 2009 #
Hi,
Sadly we can add the end of the story as we feel for the scam from this devil calling herself/himself Dorothy Holmes.
Below is the email she/he sent with the instructions on how to wire her the money minus the month’s rent and security deposit. Even though we had heard of many of email scams centred around lotteries etc it just did not occur to us that it could be so cleverly done with a rental. Or maybe not so cleverly but we are dumb. Either way we were defrauded of more than $5000 which was a very tough loss for us. We wish upon this person/s every possible misery in the world.
I know there is no recourse for us geting our money back but is there a way of stopping her? after all the receiving end of the money transfers must be tied to someone that can be tracked down? any ideas?

Dear Debra
Good to hear from you and I must let you know that I really appreciate your effort at making my relocation down to the states a very smooth and less stressful one,
I am currently on site and haven’t been in office, also i will be in the States as soon as I am through down here. But I will want the keys given to the Mrs.Sharpe who will be contacting you soon about bringing in the furniture and some other personal belongings. I will be in the States come June 18th but before then please do let the furniture company have their payment so that the can release the furniture to Mrs.Sharpe to bring it down to the States by 15th of June.
Do send the furniture company’s money to this information below
The information is this for the transfer of their funds via western union money transfer the total money you will send to them after deducting your deposit of ($2600) is ($5300) you deduct the western union transfer charges from the funds you will be sending this is the breakdown:
You send $2700 to the below name:
Susan Barger and $2600 to Lynette Sharpe
DEDUCT THE WESTERN UNION TRANSFER CHARGES FROM THE MONEY YOU WILL BE SENDING
Name:- Susan Barger
Address:- 26 Austin Close
Manchester M18 7TH
England
Amount :- $2700

Send the rest to
Mrs. Lynette Sharpe who who be bringing in the furniture and getting me some personal items.
Address: 63, Haley Rd South, buttonwood
WarringtonCheshire EC5 4JE
England
Amount – $2600

You will have to deduct the western union money transfer charges from the amount you want to transfer, I want everything to get clear to you .As soon as you get transfer done ,you ill have to get back to me with the following transfer information ,
MTCN CONTROL NUMBER ( 10 DIGIT NUMBER )
SENDER’S FULL NAME & ADDRESS
AMOUNT SENT AFTER TRANSFER CHARGES
TRANSFER CHARGES

As soon as arrived on the 18th of June, I will have other arrangement perfected.
I advise you do this on time so that I will not have to pay additional money to the furniture company for keeping my goods. Send the Money via Western Union Money Transfer.
Regards

Comment by Debra— June 11, 2009 #

Reply
- Debra…I am so sorry that this dingle dork was able to scam you!!! I just got the “I’d like to go ahead with the renting process” email from dear old Dorothy Holmes. After talking with my husband…I was sure we were on the way to being scamed. Here is a copy of the email I JUST sent Dorothy:
  
  “Dorothy,
  
  In order to proceed with renting this house, I’ll need to have you fill out my rental application. I’ve attach the application via a pdf document. There is a non-refundable application fee of $48. I have a professional service screen my tenants for me and typically when the prospective tenant is in the US this process takes only 2-3 days max. I can’t imagine that it would take much longer than that for your application.
  
  Regarding the relocation check from your employer, I do not feel comfortable handling the transaction in that manner. Instead, I’d be able to proceed with the application fee and deposit via Paypal. Once your application is approved and deposit funds are deposited, I’d be happy to meet with your decorator at the property in order to allow them access.
  
  Please fill out the attached application and email it back to me. You can use the same email address to pay the app fee via Paypal.
  
  Take Care, Tanya”
  
  Comment by Tanya— July 16, 2009 #
  
  Reply
Frances Hedges is scamming for property in La Jolla, CA for $1200. Same letters, pics from for sale sites. Renter beware!!!

Comment by Johan— June 16, 2009 #

Reply
you do have recourse to reclaim funds. contact your bank about a fake cashiers check, also contact postal service re mail fraud if you still have envelope with return address. I am working with my bank to return funds to person scamed initially through bank fraud division. never cash any checks received and save all communications and paperwork. request copies of drivers license, passport, work visas before doning anything else.

Comment by dot— June 26, 2009 #

Reply
I have just been contacted by this person
To: dor.holmes1@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Rental Property
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:02:56 +0000

Name to issue the check on: Don Miner
Address where you want the deposit mailed to:
Phone number(cell and land):

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:00:48 +0100
Subject: Re: Rental Property
From: dor.holmes1@gmail.com

I will like to go ahead with the renting process,
I want you to reserve the property for me prior to my arrival.
As for the payment of the deposit and 1 month rent totaling $600
also i will have an interior decorator put up the place for me prior to my arrival.
So do provide the below information for the deposit check to be processed and mailed out to you

Name to issue the check on:
Address where you want the deposit mailed to:
Phone number(cell and land):

I want the 12 month lease to start on August 1st 2009, i also want to notify you that due to the limited time that i have before my arrival and the fact that i cannot view in person, i have in the mean time arrange with an interior decorator who will be putting up the place for me and also handling the purchase of entertainment system, miscellaneous appliances that i will be needing in the property, they will as well be in charge of moving down my luggage down to the states.
Due to the time restrictions and days for a UK check to clear in the states, i have requested from my employers to issue my relocation grant in form of a cashiers check, because its easily cashed there in the US.
So the check of ($5700) will be sent over to you which is the relocation grant by my employer, and all you need to do is to clear the check and deduct the deposit($600) and you will handle the rest to the Decorators so i can have the place all prepared for my arrival. all other document will be signed as soon as i arrive. Here are some information about me as well, My Names are Dorothy Holmes, Age: 32 yrs., Single, Non smoker, don’t keep pets.

Below are some references

Current landlord: Ashley Mead
Address: 40 Nickelby Close
Greater London, Uk
Email: ashleymead26@googlemail.com

Supervisor: Christopher Mahoney
Burhan Fabrics Ltd
Address: 18 Neptune Court
Cyclops Wharf, London
E14 3UQ
Tel : 02030117723
Fax : 02030311177
Email: c..mahoney@burhanfabrics.com

I await your response, so we can proceed
Thank You

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 11:54 PM

Thank you for your interest
in answer to your questions
1. Are you the owner of the Property? My wife and I are the owners
2. How much is the Monthly rent and what deposit is Required monthly rent is a net $300 a month ($350 minus $25 for getting the rent to me and $25 discount for getting along with other tenant and neighbors) net $300 rent Now the deposit is $300. we do offer another option $325 rent and $100 deposit your choice
3. When was the property last renovated I had sold this property and I got it back about 3 months ago and I have been working on it since. Right now I’m replacing the roof on the front and back porch on the house. We have updated the house with modern cabinets in kitchen and bath all plumbing and electric has been updated as well the property is city coded
4. The pictures of the interiors of the property I have a cell phone that is also a camera I can send you pictures if you have a cell phone that can accept pictures. I don’t know how to get the pictures on the internet yet I can also fax you pictures
I just need a cell number or a fax number
also you can see the house on the internet go to map and directions and type in 316 Warner Rd SE Canton, oh 44707 and go to bird eye view and you can look at the house and neighborhood
I also work as a fix it man for pension properties We ought to be able to help you
http://www.maximumsuccess.com thanks God Bless Daniel and Sheila Miner

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:34:27 -0700
From: dor.holmes11@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Rental Property

In response to the property i am inquiring about, i will like to get some more details about it.
I am Moving down to the US to do a sales Project for my Company Burhan Fabrics Ltd (UK) who intend to open up a new Office in the state.
so due to my non presence to inspect the Property, i will like you to give me the below details

1. Are you the owner of the Property?
2. How much is the Monthly rent and what deposit is Required
3. When was the property last renovated
4. The pictures of the interiors of the property

I will like to know the lease period you intend to offer.
what is the Total move in cost.
I will be waiting for your response on this.
Hope to hear from you in earnest.
Thank You

Subject: RE: Rental Property
To: dor.holmes@gmail.com
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009, 3:05 PM

Am interested in your property listed for rent on craigslist
is it still available? yes
What is the available date when the property will be ready to move in? now
What is the address of the property 316 Warner Rd Se apt #2 Canton oh 44707
you can call me at 330-484-1014 or my cell 330-232-3496

From: dor.holmes@googlemail.com

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:58:28 -0700
Subject: Rental Property

Hello
Am interested in your property listed for rent on craigslist
is it still available?
What is the available date when the property will be ready to move in
What is the address of the property
Regards

What do you want me to do to help you

Comment by Don Miner— July 13, 2009 #

Reply
Hey, this Dorothy Holmes is a busy woman. We received the same inquiry verbatim. I did send a tenant application and told her (him?) that no tickee no laundlee any applicant must provide a current credit report etc.I told her to send a separate check to my husband and make out one to the infamous “decorator” AFTER getting the credit check, application and a signed lease. HA. I wondered, so what happens to all these furnishings when she is done? I just googled the Burhan Fabrics, Ltd and this site popped up. My husband just sent her an e-mail thanking her for the entertainment value of a 10 on a slow weekend. Thanks much for this blog…It did seem a tad fishy alright. We had another inquiry from the UK but nothing about furnishings and decorators and such. Thanks again.

Comment by Sharon— July 13, 2009 #

Reply
Got the same e-mail, but researched the company. It got me to this site. Thanks for the site. Yes this “Dorothy is very busy.”

Comment by Dave— July 15, 2009 #

Reply
◦I just got the “I’d like to go ahead with the renting process” email from dear old Dorothy Holmes. After talking with my husband…I was sure we were on the way to being scamed. But just in case she was legit, I sent theis email to Dorothy this morning.

“Dorothy,

In order to proceed with renting this house, I’ll need to have you fill out my rental application. I’ve attach the application via a pdf document. There is a non-refundable application fee of $48. I have a professional service screen my tenants for me and typically when the prospective tenant is in the US this process takes only 2-3 days max. I can’t imagine that it would take much longer than that for your application.

Regarding the relocation check from your employer, I do not feel comfortable handling the transaction in that manner. Instead, I’d be able to proceed with the application fee and deposit via Paypal. Once your application is approved and deposit funds are deposited, I’d be happy to meet with your decorator at the property in order to allow them access.

Please fill out the attached application and email it back to me. You can use the same email address to pay the app fee via Paypal.

Take Care, Tanya”

After reading everyone elses posts here…I know for sure it’s a scam. AHHHHHH!!!! So sad, I wonder how much this person nets from this each year. I’m sure there are several aliases. Just goes to show…don’t deviate from your rental process no matter how much you want a tenant.

Comment by Tanya— July 16, 2009 #

Reply
Great site. She was working on us as well. Thanks for the info.

Comment by Joe— July 17, 2009 #

Reply
I also almost got scammed by Frances hedge. $1200 for a 2 bedrooms/2 baths condo in downtown Toronto sounds too nice. Now they are trying to use eBay instead of “rent” office to trick people. Thanks for this website. Thank you.

Comment by eva— July 21, 2009 #

Reply
Just got an email from Dorothy Holmes. Sounded suspicious so I googled. She is still at it.

Comment by Dawn— July 26, 2009 #

Reply
Prof. Ryan David from UK is a scammer – see below

Comment by RuthAnn— July 28, 2009 #

Reply
I too have received the same e-mail from this “dorothy holmes” verbatum info request as listed above–I thought this seemed a bit odd. I will be careful now that I now this person is playing games!

Comment by barbara— July 29, 2009 #

Reply
This ‘person’ will be dealt with–one way or another–vigil Arnie’s still exists!

Comment by barbara— July 29, 2009 #

Reply
We got the identical email from Dorothy Homes

Comment by Louse— July 30, 2009 #

Reply
Dorothy tried to sam us today also. Thank goodness for the internet and your website. We were able to nip in the bud.

Comment by Russell & Kathy— July 31, 2009 #

Reply
Yes! Thanks to this web-site, we know what to look for when we receive a rental prospect!

Comment by barbara— July 31, 2009 #

Reply
BECAREFUL! She is using different agency now. Also i checked out the place before looking up the name and it truely was the right address, perfect pictures as if she really lived there. Just horrible.
USING: franhed@hotmail.com

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to look at my property. My name is Frances Hedges, I’m 48 years old, I’m a construction engineer and I’m the owner of this condo(2 bedrooms,2 bathrooms,1246 square footage). I lived in it for over 5 years, loved every day of it. It’s located at 531 Avenue A, steps to Redondo Beach, walk distance to beach, close to stores, main highway, residential street. The condo is fully furnished with all necessary amenities(exactly like in the pics), the unit is equipped with recessed lighting, central air and heat, it comes with two parking spots, a storage unit where you can deposit my furniture(if you don’t like it and you want use your furniture), there is also a linen closet, and most importantly, a new front loading stacked washer and drier. Pets allowed. I’ve moved to United Kingdom with my job and decided to rent it because the rent is very expensive here. The price is so low because I’m here and is very hard to find a tenant. I can rent you the condo for min. 1 month max. 6 years(or more). I really want to find a good and responsible tenant for it, and I hope that you can send me some personal information about yourself. The rent for the whole condo for 1 month is $1200 including all utilities(water,electricity, internet, cable, parking , airconditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage) and the security deposit is 1200$(you’ll get the deposit back at your departure- or you can use it to pay your last month of rent) and I want to receive the money monthly in my bank account. You can move in the condo in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys and I have nobody in United States that could show you the condo. In order to check it, see if you like it(I’m sure that you’ll love it), you need to receive the keys and the contract.
If you want to rent the condo, please e-mail me back and I will explain you how the payment and shipping will take place!

Regards,
Frances

Comment by Alissa— August 1, 2009 #

Reply
oh brother… I can just imagine what is being said about my property!

Comment by barbara— August 1, 2009 #

Reply
Ronald Blue, a new scammer in Craig List

—
Ronald Blue” Add sender to ContactsTo: cotygh@yahoo.comGood day Sir/ Madam,

My name is Ronald Blue; I am 24 years of age and a citizen of the United Kingdom and will be relocating for a short period of two years on a research programme to the United States . As I was reviewing rental adverts, I got particularly interested in your property, I would like you to email me pictures, and I would also like to know the exact fees to be paid monthly and the security deposit in order for me to pass information to my sponsors.

Thanks for your assistance.

Cheers

Comment by cc— August 4, 2009 #

Reply
Got same e-mail – exact same wording – asking to rent duplex in Gulf Breeze. Wanting to send total amount of her relocation $ and we were to deduct amount for deposit/rent and then give rest of $ to interior decorator. How do we stop this woman??? And why has she not been prosecuted???

Comment by Jowers— August 5, 2009 #

Reply
I received a good one today:

I am looking for 9 people who want to take part in an online business and earn at least 3K a wk.

see my web site: http://www.mewebhosting.com

I replied back by saying sorry I am not in the mood to be scammed–no response.

Comment by barbara— August 5, 2009 #

Reply
Just rec’d another message like the last:

I am looking for 9 people who want to take part in an online business. I will train you in exactly how I make ever 3K each week.

same “web site” listing, The name on the first e-mail was loretta saunders, the name on this one is nancy galvan.

Comment by barbara— August 5, 2009 #

Reply
I think this is a scams; it seems to match similar reported rental scams & was flagged on a rental site:

FURNISHED 1 BEDROOM RENTAL
“Mary Johnson”

“Alan Johnson”
Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hear from you.I am Alan Johnson,the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family,presently we moved away due to my transfer from my working place,my apartment is Located in 2422 34th St Santa Monica, CA 90405 and presently my apartment is still available for rent for $680 per month including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is furnished.More so Now, I went for a Crusade in the West Africa and i will like you to get in touch with my wife in the states for more discussion as She is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words.Where are you located? let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Mary, on (maryaptinfo@gmail.com ) and she will attend to you better.

Comment by paul— August 6, 2009 #

Reply
- received the same…
  
  Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hear from you.I am Alan Johnson,the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family,presently we moved away due to my transfer from my working place,my apartment is Located in 2422 34th St Santa Monica, CA 90405 and presently my apartment is still available for rent for $500 per month including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is furnished.More so Now, I went for a Crusade in the West Africa and i will like you to get in touch with my wife in the states for more discussion as She is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words.Where are you located? let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Mary, on (mm1aptinfo@googlemail.com ) and she will attend to you better.
  
  Thanks for your interest.
  Alan Johnson
  
  Comment by jessica— September 21, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - Received the Same
    
    Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hear from you.I am Alan Johnson,the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family,presently we moved away due to my transfer from my working place,my apartment is Located in 1700 California St San Francisco, CA 94109 and presently my apartment is still available for rent for $500 per month including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is furnished.More so Now, I went for a Crusade in the West Africa and i will like you to get in touch with my wife in the states for more discussion as She is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words.Where are you located? let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Mary, on (mm1aptinfo@googlemail.com ) and she will attend to you better.
    
    Thanks for your interest.
    Alan Johnson
    
    And then further from Mary Johnson
    
    Good hearing from you that you are promising us that our apartment will be well taken care off , and I really appreciate your expression. I am after the good care of my apartment, I am willing to rent the apartment to you for as long as you want.We are willing to rent for as long as you are willing to stay. The rent includes all tax & bills included.
    
    I had an accident which affected my hearing and my legs , I am currently on a wheel chair right now, I do not use a phone that’s why I am always online, you can reach my husband on +2348084691693 OR 0112348084691693.if you are interested, you can fill out the rent application below and get back to me as soon as possible
    
    *******RENT APPLICATION FORM*******
    (Private & Confidential)
    
    Also, Please let me get these answers.
    
    1) Your Full Name
    2) Present Full Address
    3) Phone Number
    4) Are you married?
    5) How many people will be living in the house?
    6) Do you have a pet?
    7) Do you have a car?
    8) Age
    9) Occupation?
    10) Citizen of which Country?
    11) When are you ready to Move in ?
    12) When are u planning to leave the apartment ?
    13) How many months rent can you deposit upfront
    14)Occupant picture
    
    Looking forward to hear from you with all this details for approval so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt in your name and contacting you .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys to you, Please we are giving you all this transaction is based on Trust & Honesty and again I want you to stick to your words, We are putting everything into Gods hand, so please do not let us down in this property of ours and God bless you more as you do this.
    
    Thanks so much and have a nice day.
    Mary
    
    Comment by Shantanu— September 27, 2009 #
another scammer…. watch out for marywilliams678.gmail.com

followed the prior emails to a ‘t’

Subject: $725 / 4br – 4 bedroom 1 bath in Coquille (Coquille) (map)

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

–
–
Good Day,
With regards to the property I am inquiring about, I will like to get
some more details about it, I am currently in the Uk and I am
Relocating down to the US to do a survey for my employer ( MMH
Insurance Group (UK), as we are about to open an office in the state,
so due to my non presence to inspect the Property, I will like you to
give me the below details,
# I need full details including address of the property and pictures
if available for the place.
# Monthly rentals/security deposits.
# If utilities is added to monthly rent.
# When the property would be available.
# Mail me the total move in cost.

I await your response soon.
Regards

Comment by Dan— August 18, 2009 #

Reply
The Dutch rental market has it’s own scammers. One of them is operating under this adress : celi.kidz07@gmail.com ; He offers very cheep apartments in Amsterdam ( arround 300-400 euros ), and as ussual, leavs a foreign tel number where can be found ( +447024036617 ) i suppose England prefix, and askes for money in advance, afret that…surprise…you will recieve NOTHING risking to be forced to deposit more and more amounts of money for different well prepared & credible liars. Therefore…pay attention with this junk !

Comment by Cristian— September 3, 2009 #

Reply
Scammer: churchill.alicia@googlemail.com

I’m sooo happy that i found out that it’s a scam it before losing any money.

Alicia,

I’m not able to understand that how you got your employer to send me $3600 when we don’t know each other, you haven’t seen my place or met me.

Well I need to know your arrival date, your phone number and the complete information of your employer to do the reference check.

I hope you understand my position.

Vaneet

——————————————————————————–
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:08:05 +0100
Subject: $500 Nice and Bright Bedroom in a 4 Bedroom Townhouse.. I am counting on you for this..
From: churchill.alicia@googlemail.com

Vaneet,

Thanks for your e mail. Well i want you to know that the payment has already been mailed out and will be delivered to you tomorrow. So there is no way it could be stopped right now. The content of the items are just personal stuffs like clothings and wall frames. Also i mentioned to you that my car will also be coming. Anyway, since the payment has already been mailed out, i will just want you to have it, and deduct your rent and let me have the rest of the money so i could take care of things myself. I will appreciate if you could just have it sent back to me. I guess it will be better if you have it sent back to me personally. Just send it to me through western union and i will take care of things myself. I hope you understand this. I am looking forward to moving in with you. Thanks and i am counting on you to help with this.

Alicia Churchill ..

On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 3:26 PM, Vaneet Singla
Hey Alicia

After thinking a lot, I ‘m sorry to say but I’m not comfortable accepting any deliveries for you before you come here. I don’t even know the contents of the package. Carma just sent me an e-mail about the shipping but I haven’t replied to her. I can hold my place for you for another week but thats pretty much it. I apologize if i’m not being very helpful here but i won’t be accepting any payments till you are in the country.

Vaneet

——————————————————————————–
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:54:10 +0100
Subject: $500 Nice and Bright Bedroom in a 4 Bedroom Townhouse.. Payment will deliver to you by Friday.

From: churchill.alicia@googlemail.com

Hello Vaneet,

How are you ? I just want you to know that i just got a confirmation that your payment has been sent out and should be delivered to you by Friday. It was sent out through regular mail so it should take about two days. Also Vaneet, i will like to let you know that my Employer ( Matthew Makins ) who sent out the payment actually included the cost of shipping my stuffs to canada with the payment he made out to you. The total payment he made out to you like he said is ( $3600 ) so here is what i will appreciate you do for me. I will want you to kindly deduct the rent payment ( $1000 ) and have the rest funds left after deducting your rent ( $2600 ) sent to my Shipper ( Carma Massingill ). He would be shipping some of my personal stuffs and having them delivered to the house before my arrival. I have told him about this and he should be contacting you any time from now. I already gave to him your e mail so i am sure he would get back to you soonest. he would need to arrange with you concerning the delivery. I hope you would kindly help keep this stuffs safely till i arrive. Carma will e mail you and let you know the date he would be making the delivery and also he would let you know how you would have the funds sent to him. Kindly give him audience when he contacts you. I will want you to let me know as soon as he does contact you. Thanks and be on the look out for the payment.

Alicia Churchill .

On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Vaneet Singla wrote:

Hey Alicia

Good to know that you are still interested!! Just to let you know that since i’m a working professional, I don’t get home by 5-5:30p.m. So, I need to know your arrival tentative date and time atleast to make sure everything is in place. Also, I appreciate you commiting to this offer by paying first and last month’s rent. You can send a certified cheque or a demand draft payable to Vaneet Singla.

Hope to see you soon!!!!

Take care

Vaneet.

——————————————————————————–
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 14:27:17 +0100
Subject: $500 Nice and Bright Bedroom in a 4 Bedroom Townhouse.. Let me know this..

From: churchill.alicia@googlemail.com

Hello Vaneet,

Thanks for your e mail and want you to know i am still interested. I should be arriving anytime from now, and also would be staying for a long period so i am looking to rent for a long period rentage. yes i would like the place furnished, so it is ok. I will pay $550 for the place. All this being said, i will like you to know that just to show commitment and seriousness, i have decided to make a down and advance payment for the first and last month ($1100). I will make the payment available to you as soon as possible. So i will appreciate if you could send me your name and address where the payment should be mailed out to. As soon as i have this, i will make sure the payment is mailed out to you immediately. Kindly get back to me soonest. I also would appreciate you letting me have your phone number. Thanks and regards.

Alicia..

Hey Alicia

I still have the rooms available. Please let me know when would you like to see the place and also if you want the room to be furnished or not. Right now, the rooms are not furnished. If you want furnished room, the rent would be $550/month.

Thanks

——————————————————————————–

Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 10:57:30 +0100
Subject: $500 Nice and Bright Bedroom in a 4 Bedroom Townhouse..
From: churchill.alicia@googlemail.com
To: hous-bvjvu-1361822382@craigslist.org

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

Hello,
Please i will like you to let me know if you still have the Apartment available. My name is Alicia Churchill. I am an american citizen but i live in the UK. I will be moving to Canada as i just got a new appointment with a company in Canada with a good pay offer. Just to let you know, i am a neat and clean person so you do not have to worry about me having the place clean at all times. I do not smoke and will not be moving in with any pets. Kindly get back to me and let me know if i stand a chance of getting the place. Thanks and i hope to read from you as soon as possible.
Best Regards,
Alicia Churchill ..

Comment by Vaneet Singla— September 11, 2009 #

Reply
I received the typical scam email from a guy at
…is there anyway to force AOL to track him down? It is just so annoying cause less well informed people might get invlovled in the scam.

Thanks

Comment by laura— September 14, 2009 #

Reply
I was almost sucked into this scam but fortunately my non gullable roommate stopped me. I posted an ad on Craigslist.com for a room for rent in my home and got a reply from a girl in the UK who seemed pretty nice. The further I got into the rental with her the more and more it seemed fishy. She wanted to send me a money order for the security deposit and first months rent but was going to make the order for well over what was due to me. The money order was to include her flight charges and “other stuff” and I was to take the money order to the bank, cash it, take the money dues out and send the remaining balance to her travel agent. The last email she sent back to me she wanted all my info (after already calling me her “roomie”), and I told her that I needed references before I went any further. Low and behold she never wrote back. How can we fight this? It seems like everyone is a scammer in some way now. How can we find people we trust to rent our property? I don’t want to live with anyone I know so this is the only way and I can’t trust anyone!! Look out for email responces from
millisa_james@yahoo.com!!! BTW – Thanks for this amazing site – I was almost scammed!!!

Comment by Amie— September 21, 2009 #

Reply
I sas scammed by a couple along with a single male. The paid the first month rent and security deposit in April. I got nothing from them after that. Had to hire an atty and the whole bit. I finally got them out in July but the mess they left!!! Believe it or not they (the couple work in collections and the single male runs his own business. Look out for emails from ClaudiaCMFD@Yahoo.com. She is the one that does all the talking. The single males email is acrcomputer@comcast.net. Apparently they have been doing this for some time in the East Bay. They even use other names for their utilities. They also know the ropes so be carefull. You can also check with the courts in your county. It will tell you if they have been involved with unlawful detainers in the past. Learned the hard way. Thank you for this site also.

Comment by Ida— October 3, 2009 #

Reply
Here is Eric Hermain, an active scammer. Still out there!

hhermain@googlemail.com;

Thanks for the details on the Property, i am satisfied and will
like to proceed with the renting process,
i will like you to go ahead and reserve the property for me.
So i will be needing the following information so that the check
for payment of the deposit of $3375 can be processed and posted to you
soon.

Name:…………
Address:………….
Phone number(cell and land):…………

I want the 12 months lease to start on the 1st November 2009, i will also
want to notify you that i have in the mean time arrange with an
interior decorator who will be handling the purchase of furnitures,
entertainment system and other appliances that i will need in the
property,they will as well be in-charge of moving down my luggage down
to the States.So the check of $8000 will be sent over to you which is
a relocation grant by my employer, and all you need to do is deduct the
deposit $3375 and you will forward the rest to the Decorators so i can
have the place all prepared for my arrival. All applications and
lease will be signed as soon as i arrive.

Also for familiarization I Am Eric Herman , I am 32 yrs of age,a British
citizen, married to a lovely lady, with a daughter (Family staying
over in the UK ), I work with APEX INSURANCE GROUP, as a loss
adjuster agent,I am a Christian, reserved in Nature, Non smoker
also i don’t keep pets.
I look forward to meeting you and hope to have a good relationship as
a tenant with you.
I await the details.
you can reach me at this number +447024099236
Below is my present landlords information for reference :
Anthony Scott
65 Oak Hill,Woodford Green IG89NY
UNITED KINGDOM
EMAIL:cott_hony@yahoo.com
You can also call my employer at the number below to verify employment.
(Ivan Samuel +447024017745)
Cheers

From: heric hermain
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 1:01 PM
To: Kosmetyki
Subject: Re: $1350 / 2br – Aspen Drive 2BR 2BA (Aspen at Princeton Meadows, Plainsboro)

With regards to the property i am inquiring about, i will like to get
some more details about it,I am currently in the UK and i am
Relocating over to the US to do a survey for my employer (APEX
INSURANCE GROUP(UK)), as we are about to open an office in the state,
so due to the fact that i can not be present to inspect the Property,
i will like you to give me the below detail

# I need full details including address of the property and pictures
if available
# Monthly rentals/security deposits
# If utilities is added to monthly rent
# When the property would be available
# Mail me the total move in cost

I awaits your response soon.
Regards.

Comment by Joanna— October 13, 2009 #

Reply
From: Mary Johnson < mm1aptinfo@googlemail.com>
Date: October 12, 2009 2:18:13 PM
Subject: Re: Room for rent

Thanks for the email.My husband owns the apartment, also want you to know that it was due to my husband’s transfer that made us to leave the apartment and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person that can take good care of the apartment, we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean all the time.So for now,I am in Adelphi,MD in the States in our new home and also I am with the keys and documents of the apartment,we tried to look for an agent that we can give this documents before we left but could not see and we don’t want the apartment to be used any how in our absence that is why we took the keys and documents along with us here and as you know that,my husband over in the West Africa for a mission of God,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the apartment.So get back to me on how you could take care of our apartment or perhaps experience you have in renting a home.Hope you are okay with the price per month with hydro,heat laundry facilities,air condition, internet connection and so on.View pictures in the attached files.I am looking forward to hearing from you ASAP so that i can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the apartment for rent.

Hope to read from you soon
Mary

Comment by king— October 14, 2009 #

Reply
- From: Alan Johnson
  date: 11/20/2009
  Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hear from you.I am Alan Johnson,the owner of the apartment you are making inquiry of.Actually I resided in the apartment with my family,presently we moved away due to my transfer from my working place,my apartment is Located in 4077 3rd Ave. San Diego CA 92103 and presently my apartment is still available for rent for $500 per month including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is furnished.More so Now, I went for a Crusade in the West Africa and i will like you to get in touch with my wife in the states for more discussion as She is with the keys and the documents to the apartment.Please i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this apartment and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,I want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.I do that once in a while.I want have trust in you as i always stand by my words.Where are you located? let us know how soon you are willing to move in.Email my wife Mary, on (mm1infoapt@gmail.com) and she will attend to you better.
  
  Thanks for your interest.
  Alan Johnson
  
  from Mary Johnson
  date : 11/21/2009
  Thanks for the email.My husband owns the apartment, also want you to know that it was due to my husband’s transfer that made us to leave the apartment and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person that can take good care of the apartment, we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean all the time.So for now,I am in Adelphi,MD in the States in our new home and also I am with the keys and documents of the apartment,we tried to look for an agent that we can give this documents before we left but could not see and we don’t want the apartment to be used any how in our absence that is why we took the keys and documents along with us here and as you know that,my husband over in the West Africa for a mission of God,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the apartment.So get back to me on how you could take care of our apartment or perhaps experience you have in renting a home.Hope you are okay with the price per month with hydro,heat laundry facilities,air condition, internet connection and so on.View pictures in the attached files.I am looking forward to hearing from you ASAP so that i can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the apartment for rent.
  
  Hope to read from you soon
  
  from Mary Johnson
  date : 11/21/2009
  
  I had an accident which affected my hearing and my legs , I am currently on a wheel chair right now, I do not use a phone that’s why I am always online, you can reach my husband on +2348084691693 OR 0112348084691693.if you are interested, you can fill out the rent application below and get back to me as soon as possible
  
  FORM*******
  (Private & Confidential)
  
  1) Your Full Name
  2) Present Full Address
  3) Phone Number
  4) Are you married?
  5) How many people will be living in the house?
  6) Do you have a pet?
  7) Do you have a car?
  8) Age
  9) Occupation?
  10) Citizen of which Country?
  11) When are you ready to Move in ?
  12) When are u planning to leave the apartment ?
  13) How many months rent can you deposit upfront
  14)Occupant picture
  
  Looking forward to hear from you with all this details for approval so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt in your name and contacting you .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the documents and the keys to you, Please we are giving you all this transaction is based on Trust & Honesty and again I want you to stick to your words, We are putting everything into Gods hand, so please do not let us down in this property of ours and God bless you more as you do this.
  
  Thanks so much and have a nice day.
  Mary
  
  Comment by willi— November 22, 2009 #
  
  Reply
i got these numbers from a lady named mary who is in MN now but lived in an apartment with her husband in SF. they wanted to rent out the apartment and all kinds of personal information…and to call her husband at those numbers who’s in africa on a sufari and she couldn’t talk because she was just in an accident and wasn’t using the phone. anyhow…don’t reply to mary johnson at mm1aptinfo@googlemail.com or her husband Alan at aptrental65@yahoo.com

Comment by jim— October 22, 2009 #

Reply
Man, no wonder people won’t even talk to me. Stupid scammers. My hubby and I are trying to find a house to rent in PA, admittedly I have been searching thru C.L. like no tomorrow. Trying to talk to people about houses and they don’t even respond. I know it’s because I’m clear across the dang country(nevada, I don’t recommend it) and trying to stay out of motels for as long as possible. I can’t count how many have offered me great houses for way cheap but none of them was worth a dang if you get my drift. All scammers. It really ticks me off because I was actually offered a house by that Dorothy chick. Thank god I always look at the form of the email addy, that at least helps a bit. Grrr, I’m never gonna find a decent house thanks to these jerks! Anybody here heard of Rent570 ? I’m really curious to see if it’s a scam.

Comment by Angee Brooks— November 1, 2009 #

Reply
$650 WARNING!!!-room for rent in northollywood-WARNING for your safety! (north hollywood)
Date: 2009-11-03, 10:33PM PST
Reply to: see below

WARNING! do not rent from DARCY BLAINE or WAGNER RODRIGUES! their address is 8054 Lloyd Ave, North Hollywood CA 91605.

I have been living here for 2 days shy of 1 month(moved in Oct. 5th). today I was PUNCHED in the face(given a bloody nose) by WAGNER RODRIGUES who is the 49 year old son of DARCY BLAINE, a 74yr old man. i don’t care who you are, you DON’T HIT WOMEN! the police were called and a report was made. I am now leaving and I want to warn everyone who might encounter them that this house is not a place anyone would want to live in, besides it being a cluttered MESS!

AS GOD IS MY WITNESS I DID NOTHING TO DESERVE BEING PUNCHED IN THE FACE BY A MAN 2-TIMES MY SIZE, AND AN ENTIRE FOOT TALLER THAN ME! I also really hurt my wrist while fighting back, protecting my life while DARCY was attempting to pull WAGNER by the hair away from me!
WAGNER PUSHED HIS WAY INTO MY ROOM WITH NO SANE REASON! except he didn’t agree with me putting a lock on my door and he wanted to remove it! he believes he’s above the LAW!

this house if CHAOTIC! they will bully you, riffle through your stuff when you are gone and attempt to sabotage your relationships in business and friendship. They will NOT give you a receipt that you paid your rent, they will NOT take a check or money order, they only take CASH! they will NOT give you a rental agreement. they will break their verbal agreement and then kick you out after you pay your rent. They will involve you in all their personal issues. and better yet, WAGNER has never had a job, he’s lived at his dads for 6 years without paying rent and refuses to get a job! HE WILL BULLY YOU AND HIT YOU! EVEN HIS OWN FATHER SAYS WAGNER IS EVIL!!!!! there is PILES of mess EVERYWHERE! the garage is full and so is the rest of the house with WAGNER’s stuff!

THEY ARE VERY UNHAPPY PEOPLE! please trust that what I’m telling you is true!

also there is another girl living here named CHRIS aka Christina. she is a PROSTITUTE!!! and one of the RUDDIEST people I’ve ever met. SHE IS JUST MEAN TO THE CORE!

they are TWEAKERS! AND ALWAYS HIGH AND DRUNK! MEAN DRUNKS. AND SWINGERS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT FOR ANYONE!

darcy isn’t a bad guy, he just is used by his son. he doesn’t want me to leave but I won’t live with a WOMAN-BEATER!

Comment by diana lilly— November 4, 2009 #

Reply
- they use CRAIGLIST.org to find their victims. beware!
  
  Comment by diana lilly— November 4, 2009 #
  
  Reply
  - The comment this woman named, diana lilly is a hugely fabricated lie by JEANNETTE PORRAZZO, [ http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jeannette+porrazzo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 ] She’s a small time would-be writer/producer/director. She is a con-artist/liar/thief/fullof herself/sadhumanbeing/. This is what happens when decent, caring people extend a helping hand to help a person like JEANNETTE PORRAZZO, a bitterly lonely and angry at the world homeless woman. The LAPD was called to have her removed from the premises. Please remove these lies and slanderous comments of hers or we will be forced to take legal actions. Thank you for your time, sincerely, Wagner Rodrigues & Darcy Blaine. jestwag@mac.com
    
    Comment by wagner rodrigues— November 24, 2009 #
I just received this scam response to my legitimate loft rental ad on Craigslist in LA.

First, the scammer just emailed me asking if the loft was still for rent. When I replied that it was, he replied with the following email:

[my note: being suspicious, and before I googled St. Mark's Hospital, I responded to this guy and asked him to send me his St. Mark's email address, after which I would respond with further details. Obviously, I will not hear back from him. Thankfully, the scammers are sometimes too dim witted to use a different hospital name.]

“Hello Mike,

Thanks for your mail, i am indeed serious about renting this unit,and
i will be willing to offer you 2months rent ,and a year lease to start
with ,plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior
to my arrival. Could you be kind enough to let me know what the
electricity/utility cost would be ?. As i will really need to have
this unit for myself.You can send me the lease and application , to
enable me to review it ahead of time. I would eventually have it fill
it up and signed physically when i arrive. In my opinion, appending
signatories should be done properly ,and at best physically.
This is an international situation . With this arrangement, my
financier in the states will be effecting your payment deposit to you.
I believe we can work together and ensure every arrangements that we
shall both execute in line with my taking up the tenancy should be
done accordingly to ensure we have a proper understanding. In view of
my work schedule, I’d want us to finalize basic arrangements. I will
arrive the united states in 9 days time.
If you require any specific information, please let me know or you
can call me on my cell phone, please dial as presented for
international calls .
My due regards,

Dr.Arun Gupta (Department of Radiology Consultant Radiologist)
St. Mark’s Hospital
28 Northwick Park,Watford Road,
Harrow,Middlesex HA1 3UJ,
United Kingdom .
Phone: +44 7031927451
Cell;+447031955140
Fax: +44 7030403330
e mail; argupta011@gmail.com
….. ..to protect human health and the environment

Comment by Michael B— November 13, 2009 #

Reply
- Recieved this today to a craigs list posting.
  
  Thanks for your mail, i am indeed serious about renting this unit,and
  i will be willing to offer you 2 months rent,and a year lease to start
  with,plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior to
  my arrival. Could you be kind enough to let me know what the
  electricity/utility cost would be?. As i will really need to have this
  unit for myself.You can send me the lease and application,to enable me
  to review it ahead of time. I would eventually have it,fill it up and
  signed physically when i arrive. In my opinion,appending signatories
  should be done properly ,and at best physically.
  This is an international situation . With this arrangement, my
  financier in the states will be effecting your payment deposit to you.
  I believe we can work together and ensure every arrangements that we
  shall both execute in line with my taking up the tenancy should be
  done accordingly to ensure we have a proper understanding. In view of
  my work schedule, I’d want us to finalize basic arrangements. I will
  arrive the united states in 9 days time.
  If you require any specific information,please let me know or you can
  call me on my cell phone, please dial as presented for international
  calls .
  My due regards,
  
  Dr.Arun Gupta (Department of Radiology Consultant Radiologist)
  St. Mark’s Hospital 28 Northwick Park,Watford Road,
  Harrow,Middlesex HA1 3UJ,United Kingdom .
  Phone: +44 7031927451
  Cell;+447031955140
  Fax: +44 7030403330
  e mail; argupta011@gmail.com
  ….. ..to protect human health and the environment
  
  Comment by Scott— February 12, 2010 #
  
  Reply
The comment by a woman named, diana lilly is a hugely fabricated lie by JEANNETTE PORRAZZO, [ http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jeannette+porrazzo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 ] She’s a small time would-be writer/producer/directeor. She is a con-artist/liar/thief/fullof herself/sadhumanbeing/. This is what happens when decent, caring people extend a helping hand to help a person like JEANNETT PORRAZZO, a bitterly lonely and angry at the world homeless woman. Please remove these lies and slanderous comments of hers or we will be forced to take legal actions. Thank you for your time, sincerely, Wagner Rodrigues & Darcy Blaine. jestwag@mac.com

Comment by wagner rodrigues— November 24, 2009 #

Reply
The comment by a woman named, diana lilly is a hugely fabricated lie by JEANNETTE PORRAZZO, [ http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jeannette+porrazzo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 ] She’s a small time would-be writer/producer/director. She is a con-artist/liar/thief/fullof herself/sadhumanbeing/. This is what happens when decent, caring people extend a helping hand to help a person like JEANNETTE PORRAZZO, a bitterly lonely and angry at the world homeless woman. Please remove these lies and slanderous comments of hers or we will be forced to take legal actions. Thank you for your time, sincerely, Wagner Rodrigues & Darcy Blaine. jestwag@mac.com

APOLOGIES FOR THE MISSPELLED WORDS, IT’S LATE/EARLY & I’M TIRED.

Comment by wagner rodrigues— November 24, 2009 #

Reply
I was almost scammed by a Dr. Danny Mike claiming to be a chemist working for a hospital in the UK and coming to the US to work on contract for the Environmental Protection Agency. He sent me a check for $5200 (too much $) and was asking me to send him some money back. Luckily I took the check to the bank and they told me it was most certainly a scam. Luckily I had not sent him any money as I was waiting for the check to clear! However, he does have my name, address, phone number and e-mail. Is there anything I can do to protect myself? What are some steps I should take to weed out scammers when trying to rent my apartment?? Thanks for your site!

Comment by Catherine— November 27, 2009 #

Reply
- Catherine,
  
  While I can understand you being uneasy about scammers having your contact info, they can’t really do anything with it except contact you. If they had more, like your social security number, that could cause a problem. As you know, they’re not in the UK – they’re probably emailing from Nigeria. They’ve already moved on to find victims who will indeed send them money.
  
  Michael B
  
  Comment by Michael B— November 30, 2009 #
  
  Reply
fake. he’s posing for someone that the real owner isn’t aware of. scammer is using yahoo estate same way as craiglist. be careful

Comment by jojo— December 16, 2009 #

Reply
piette1984@live.com>

Piette Thomas to me
show details Jan 3 (1 day ago)

Alright I’m very happy to hear from you about the availabilities of the property,i was having some problem with my mail but its been solved now.i ought to have email you back but i need to sort of out some other things with my wife and now everything have been sorted out.We agreed to pay you the total price for 21,000$ for the rentals.

Checking Date : May 04 2010
Checking Time : ??????????
Checkout Date : 30 May 2011
Checkout Time : ?????????
2 Adults :

Its will be a great pleasure staying in your property ,I will need to add some further details in regards to the payment issue as the payment will be sent right from Spanish speaking country and its will be a Either a Pounds Cheque or Euro Cheque and its will be OK in your bank in few days,My wife and I have decided to pay you 20 % deposit at once so when we arrived we will pay the rest of the money in cash on arrival.my wife will instruct her partner to make the payment sent to your home address.Well the reason why we are moving to the US was that the problem is too much for my family so we decided to start a new business in the US and i hope its going to be alright, World economy problem is everywhere and we needs to make sure we arrange everything before the date of our arrival.Also i will need a rental contract for the date we book and also you can mail out the contract either to our home address in Gipuzkoa or send it by email attachment.

Details Needed..
Name that will be on the Cheque.
Cell Phone Number. Home Phone Number. Office Phone Number.
Address of the receiver.

Contract Details.

Piette Thomas & Wife Isabelle.
C/ Pedro Cormenzana nº 170
San Sebastian 20012
Gipuzkoa
Spain

Kindly email me back soonest today with the information and also don’t forget to include the address of the property we renting from you.Sorry for my English

Kind Regards.
Piette Thomas & Wife Isabelle.
C/ Pedro Cormenzana nº 170
San Sebastian 20012
Gipuzkoa
Spain

Comment by paulette— January 4, 2010 #

Reply
I think this is a scam attempt also. Some one saw the ad for my apartment on craigslist and inquired. I googled the place where the fellow said he worked because it all sounded kind of hokey. I’m going to report it to the FTC. Here are the emails to date.
Hi,
I got your email,thanks for responding,i will like to make a little introduction about me,my name is Dipson Pelo,i am the project supervisor of the Southern Haven construction company which is situated at Parkview Road,Radcliffe in Manchester U.K. The company is a service provider with wide experience of working in the utilities,communications,building constructions,renewable and rail markets and has been helping develop and maintain the U.K’s infrastructure since the late 1940s,to do this successfully the company calls upon a range of professional disciplines in civil engineering,construction and architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering,it has a proven track record of effectively delivering diverse projects and services to a broad base of clients with whom it works, handling projects either on a traditional contract basis or through full partnering agreements,we are specialized in taking exhibitions,holding lectures and special events for both adult and youth education activities in architectural development,i would have refered you to the company’s website for more information about us but the Website is on an extensive maintenance with our host client but it will soon be available for our valued customers.
I am coming to the United States to work with the the USAF (United States architectural foundation ) on some new projects and also for a private research and studies on construction design for the next 12 months so i will like to rent the unit from you for a year, i want you to know that the unit will be occupied by me and wife,we do not have any pet and we do not plan keeping any in our course of stay, we are non smokers and very neat. There are couple of questions i need to ask before we rent the unit from you, i’d like to know if you are the real owner of the property and if we’ll be renting through you or an agent, secondly i need to know if the unit comes furnished or not, and if the kitchen is already equipped, what are the other bills to be payed aside the rent and deposit, will the utilities be turned in my name ? i will really like to conclude the lease process before we arrive to the United State next week, please Let me know what needs to be done to complete the rental process before we move in because i want all arrangement to be solidified. I will get back to you with our flight detials once we are ready for the trip, if you have any questions you can call me on my cell phone number (+447)024071846 you are to dial as presented for international calls and if you are unable to reach me, you can email me back, i will respond as soon as i can, thank you very much and i will be waiting for your response

Dipson Pelo

At this point my husband responded with the details about first month and last month rent ect. We told him the apartment was fully furnished and that I could equip the kitchen for them and that we would need references. We also told him that the apartment was in the basement of our home and the lease agreement we used was a month to month agreement. That way if it wasn’t good for us or the renter we could terminate the agreement within one month.

Then we got this email

Hi,
I got your email,i want you to be assured that i am really interested in renting the unit from you and i will like to have the unit secured for my use,i will be arriving the United States next week and i will like to have the unit ready for my use,you can have a copy of your lease application sent to me,let me know when the lease starts and when it ends. Further more,due to the limited days that we have before our arrival to the United State and in line with my work schedule,i will like to proceed with the first month’s payment for the rent and deposit now, my financier in the United States will be handling the payment process, i want you to get back to me with a detailed payment information to help facilitate the payment process,please get back to me with the following info ;

(A) The name that is to be written on the Check
(B) Your residential/office address where the check can be sent to
(c) The State zip code and Your cell,home or office number.

Thank you,i will be waiting for your response today

I emailed back and told him that I understood his need to get it done but that we needed references first. It could be a for real renter but it sounds to much like the other posts I have seen on this site. I am waiting for a reply from him about references. I haven’t sent him any of our information. I’m not sure what could be done with our full name, address and phone number.
Shelly

Comment by Shelly S— January 14, 2010 #

Reply
I’m just not going to take any chances. When I googled the company he worked for this site came up.

Comment by Shelly S— January 14, 2010 #

Reply
Hy!!!!
Vigyázat!!!!Holland flat,Haus swindler!!!!!
Pseudonym:Helien Nadoie
Email:nhelien@yahoo.com
The name of new used this name in a September:kellhagi@yahoo.com
Tel:+447024036617
Until all of them the tel races himself with a number with it though.in Amsterdam offers a flat the in Willhelminastraat
Western Union asks the money and Messanger is.
Let him not believe him!!!
sad, but rejected!!!!!!!
Denunciation I made it in my own country what was rejected.To travel into England my money was not left after the case already,that personally denunciation tegyek!!!! I turned to the embassy , but they were not able to help.Sad but right: The money dominates.
If he is not you are your money you are not somebody they do not pay attention to you.
Like this nyilt ground the swindlers were given a free hand!!!!
And their business blooms increasingly better, and nobody makes nothing against them!!!!!!Let them trust nobody!!!Thanks

Comment by bogggie— January 30, 2010 #

Reply
Just got a response from the infamous Dr. Arun Gupta to my Craigslist Apartment for Rent in Honolulu. Thanks for the heads up.

Comment by Irwin— February 16, 2010 #

Reply
hello everyone i just want to ask you if this email is a scam? thank you & god bless.

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS TO KIERSTINE C. GONZALES
…
Wed, 3 February, 2010 8:40:42 PM
From:
Apex Recruitment Agency [Chat now]
…
View Contact
To: toizkie_treize@yahoo.com
APEX RECRUITMENT AGENCY
#52 Streatham Hill, Streatham Hill
London, SW2 4RD,
United Kingdom.

Dear KIERSTINE C. GONZALES
1175 ” I Julio Nakpil Street
Paco, Manila Philippines
EMPLOYMENT LETTER
After evaluation of your CV and work experience(s), one of our database hotel in Italy found you qualified to work with their team.
Hence, COMFORT INN HOTEL ITALY seeks to employ your services for the provision of expatriate services as stipulated in the following acts and conditions herein. This document embodies the approved terms for the purpose of this contract.

JOB LOCATION:
The work location will be at COMFORT INN HOTEL ITALY, Via 20 roma Milan ITALY.
be sure to report to the HR Manager upon arrival to conclude prospects of submitting soft copies of this contract appointment letter and other logistics.
POSITION:RECEIPTIONIST.

SALARY INDICATION/ ALLOWANCES & BENEFITS

BASIC MONTHLY SALARY: 2,900 Euro (Two Thousand nine Hundred Euro)Kindly log on to http://www.xe.com to convert your mentioned monthly salary (EURO) to your local currency, Travel Insurance,Medical Insurance, A Bedroom flat for single and two bedroom flat for family in COMFORT INN HOTEL ITALY housing estate here in
Milan ITALY, company car and 10 Days Break / Leave after every 90 Business Working Days.

HAZARD/ INCONVENIENCES: Euro 210 (MONTHLY)

CAR MAINTENANCE: Euro 200 (MONTHLY)

HOUSING & FURNISHINGS: Euro 2,000 (Yearly)

JOB PROCEEDING/REQUIREMENT:

You will be expected to resume your job at COMFORT INN HOTEL ITALY After your one month training program in COMFORT INN Hotel ITALY . to enable you meet up to our standard of services here in COMFORT INN HOTEL ITALY where your main job will commence; you are also entitle to receive monthly salary during your
training program, Work time shall be 42 hours a week (6hrs a day) for the two (2) years contract term. Employee shall also be entitled to over-time allowance if their work time exceeds the official stipulated hours. Salary shall be liable to Increments with time and employees’ official promotions and position in service.

All employees successfully screened and recruited shall be required to furnish us with their valid ITALY residence and work permits papers on or before the date as a proof of readiness to join our team in the due time as stipulated above for your job resumption. (For applicants residing in ITALY.)ITALY residence and work permit must be valid for the next two years. If not valid employee are advices to do the necessary
process/renew. Employee shall be duly reimbursed after their expense has been substantiated with receipts not later than fourteen
(14) working days after submission of employee’s expense report and receipts.

However, for expatriate who do not have valid ITALY visa and work permits papers, are to furnish us with the following

requirements for the processing of their entry clearance and work permit visa.
• Scan copy of valid international passport details.
• Police clearance letter
• Employment certificate
• Hand written employment acceptance letter.
• Residence visa (IF NOT CURRENTLY AT HIS/HER COUNTRY)
• 245.EURO for processing/courier delivery fee.
The hotel management will apply for the entry visa here in ITALY to ensure immediate development and immediate approval by the embassy in your country. And all the supporting documents relating to your entry clearance processing will be address to you via courier service. (Provide active address).

The entry flight ticket of the employee to ITALY and the returning flight ticket to residence country are under the care of the HOTEL management.

Note: All ITALY based employees’ are to report personally to our office in ITALY with their documents (including this contract document) for identification, signing, and collection of hard copy of their contract documents.

This is in line with the expatriate statuary law of the ITALY in compliance with the U.N. Terrorism Act.

LEAVE PERIOD:

Employees are entitled to 2 months aid leave period, which can be taken once at a time or 2 weeks apart one different leave period. Employee will receive 4,000 EURO take home for each leave period.

FEEDING & ACCOMMODATION:

Employee is expected to reside at the Staff Quarter at Milan if they so wish. There are double bedroom and flat options for employee to choose from. Family package status is available for employee that wishes to Re-locate with Family.Employee is entitled to take meals free of charge at the general staff
canteens. Dietary options, customized cooks and dietitians are available options.

MEDICAL EXPENSES:

Employer will provide the employee with comprehensive health care for the term of contract, and follow-on care for injuries suffered during the term of contract for employee and family

OFFICE GADGETS TO BE PROVIDED:

Laptop Computer, 1.6 GHz Processor, 512 MB RAM (Pentium M), 24XCD-RW,60GB Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, Integrated Network Adapter, Internal 56K Modem, Spare Battery and necessary software shall be provided for workers in the administrative,secretarial, architectural, layouts and designing departments. Full
time Internet access is available for all workers.

SAFETY & SECURITY:

Safety and security of personnel (local/foreign) and facilities on job locations and communities are no small issues, and have been seriously considered to ensure and assure hitch free operations.All operations on job location are designed to adhere strictly to the standards of Italy Health and Safety Department (IHSD) and ITALY Environmental Health Authority (IEHA) as applicable in HOTEL industries.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES:
Recreational/Sports facilities shall be made available at the disposal of all employees with no expenses to be incurred.Laundry and dry cleaning service will be made available to employee by the hotel’s laundry and dry cleaning unit on request ACCEPTANCE: Please print and sign this employment letter. You are
advice to return it back via email and keep the hard copy.

NOTE:Hence, below is your employer contact details.
Name: Mr. Maluzi Joseph.
ADDRESS: Via 20 roma Milan ITALY.
TEL:+393452712928

Congratulation to your appointment..

NB: ENSURE YOU UPDATE THIS EMPLOYMENT LETTER AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE IT
TO AVOID DISPLACEMENT.

Best regards.
Mr. Innocent Eric.
APEX RECRUITMENT AGENCY
#52 Streatham Hill, Streatham Hill
London, SW2 4RD,
United Kingdom

Comment by kierstine Gonzales— February 23, 2010 #

Reply
I was the latest victim of this phony , here is my posting.–
Posting date 2/23/2010

I come across your house for rent advertised on the internet and i am interested in renting it,please let me know if it is still available.I will be signing one year lease for this unit and will be staying with my wife and daughter,and will be willing to offer you 2 months rent plus the security deposit in order to secure this unit prior to our arrival.Could you be kind enough to let me know what the electricity/utility cost would be?as i will really need to have this unit to myself.

You can send me the lease application,to enable be review it ahead of time. i would eventually have it signed physically when i arrive in person.

Please do get back to me in time because i will really appreciate a quick response.

Regards

Dr.Cole Morgan

Comment by Al Pinilla— February 24, 2010 #

Reply
Thank you for all the stories you have provided in this website, like it has always been said, when it is too good to be true it is not true. These stories have save me from being a victim from this rent scam. I google this guy’s name “Dipson Pelo” and this website pops up, what I read was unbilieveable I was speachless for a few days, because I searched his name at the very last minute am about to seen him the infomation he requested about the rental property. Most of the stories I read sound the same as the email response I got from him trying to rent my house.

These are his actual emails(2)he sent me in response to house rental ad on graigslist:–

Hi,
I am interested in renting the property that you posted on the Craig’s list so i need to know if the unit is still available and when it will be ready for move in and please get back to me with some pictures of the unit,total Square Footage of each floor plan,the Mapquest for the area and the rent and deposit that is required to be payed in securing the unit. Thanks
Here is his email he sent:
Dipson Pelo

Hi,
I got your email,thanks for responding in such a timely manner,i want you to know that i am very interested in renting the property from you, but first I’d like to make a little introduction about my self, my name is Dipson Pelo,i am an engineer working with Balfour Beatty Plc in London U.K . Balfour Beatty was founded by George Balfour, a Scots mechanical engineer,and Andrew Beatty, an English chartered accountant. The company described itself as general and electrical engineers, contractors, operating managers for tramways, railways and lighting properties and for the promoting of new enterprises. The company is ranked 19th in the international league table of contractors in the world and first in the U.K,the group is the largest fixed rail infrastructure contracting company in the world, a UK leader in roads, support services, electrical and mechanical engineering and other disciplines for further information you can visit the company website at http://www.balfourbeattyconstructions.com
I will be arriving to the United State next week to work with the Bechtel (BEK tl) on some new projects and also for a private research on engineering and project management for a year. i will like to rent the unit that you posted on C.L for the period of 12 months. The unit will be solely occupied by me and wife,we do not have any pet and we don’t smoke. There are couple of questions I’d like to ask before proceeding with the lease contract, (A) I’d like to know if you are the real owner of the property and if I’ll be renting through you or an agent, (B) I’d like to know if the unit comes furnished or not, and if furnished what are the existing items in the unit (C) I’d also like to know if the kitchen is already equipped (D) what are the other bills to be payed aside the rent and deposit and will the utilities be turned in my name ? i need answers to the question. I’d like to complete the lease contract prior to my arrival,please Let me know what needs to be done to complete the rental process before we move in because i want all arrangement to be solidified, if you have any questions you can call me i will be very glad to speak with you. Thank you very much

180 Wilton Road, London, SW3V 2LQ
+44 (0)70 2403 3803

Comment by A.N.— March 13, 2010 #

Reply
IT’S A BIG THIEF HE MADE A BIG FRAUD,

DR. FRANK MOORE (PALEOTOLOGYST)
BRITISH FOSSIL
SUSSEX ENGLAND PPE14 8JN
UNITED KINGDOM
CELL PHONE 44-70 31931691

IT’S A BIF FRAUD, BE AWARE, DON’T BELIEVE IN THIS FRAUDULENT PEOPLE LIKE DR. FRANK MOORE, AND HIS WIFE KATTY, THEY ARE LIARS, IT’S A FALSE NAME,
0

Comment by Rosemary— August 17, 2010 #

Reply
IT’S A BIG FRAUD

DR, FRANK MOORE (PALEOTOLOGYST0
BRITISH FOSSIL
SUSSEX ENGLAND PE14 8JN
UNITED KINGDOM
CELL PHONE 44-70- 31931691
BE AWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 THE SAME STORY TO RENT A HOUSE, HE WANTS 1 YEAR LEASE, HE WANTS THE MEASURES OF THE HOUSE, PICTURES, AND HE REQUEST PHYSICAL NAME AND ADDRESS, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO CONTINUE A FRAUD, BUT HE DIDN’T KNOW, HE GOT THE WRONG INFORMATION ABOTH HE REQUIREMENT BECAUSE HE WAS SANNED ALREADY AS A THIEF, THE PEOPLE WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH HIS CRIMINAL ACTION REPORTED TO THE AMERICAN AUTHORITIES ABOUT THIS FRAUD, AND IS NOTHING HE CAN DO, BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOW THAT DR, FRANK MOORE IS A BIG LIAR, PLESE DON’T BELIEVE IN THIS KIND OF STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENTS NAMES BUT WITH THE SAME INTEREST TO MAKE A FRAUD WANTS TO STEAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PRKVACY.

Comment by Rosemary— August 17, 2010 #

Reply
BEWARE of these two emails: trideela@gmail.com and susancaste32@gmail.com. THIS IS A SCAM found on craigslist.com.
================================================================
Read the exact letter I received below:

Thanks for your email and it is my gladness to hearing from you.I am Rev Dennis Dela ,the owner of the house you are making inquiry of.Actually I resided in the house with my family,such as my wife and my only daughter before and recently we had packed due to my transfer from my working place and now situated in the United Kingdom,and presently my house is still available for rent for $889 per month including the utilities like hydro,washer and security,it is furnished.More so Now, i went for a Crusade in the Ukraine and i will like you to get in touch with my wife in the state for more discussion as She is with the keys and the document to the house.Pl i want you to note that,i am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property that i want to give you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this house and want you to treat it as your own,is that taken,it is not the money the main problem but want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i will be glad to see it neat when i came for a check up.i do that once in a while.I also want you to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.Where are you located and where do you see our advert also let us know if you need more pictures.

Email my wife Trish on ( trideela@gmail.com) and she will attends to you better.
Rev Rev Dennis Dela.
God Bless You

Comment by Ama— August 19, 2010 #

Reply
I just got this today about a house that sounded to good to be true on craigslist.

Thanks for your Keen and obvious interest in our beautiful home,Before now its been an issue putting out our home for rent due to the bond we have developed with the house,Listening to advises from friends and since there are no family member around to take care of the house we decided to do this.

Firstly i will like to share with you about my little family, I am a civil Engineer working with a construction firm and partially with my own private practice,and my wife has a private practice as an attorney originally i am from Tallahassee FL. I and my wife acquired our house few years ago and have lived happily’

As we are approaching retirement,we have decided as JEHOVAH WITNESSES to spend the rest of our lives in voluntary services.To spread with gospel of Jehovah and reach out to the less privilege.This has given us so much joy and fulfillment.Presently we have been assigned to West Africa (Nigeria) to help build the Church of God and assist in spreading the living word.

As it has been a tough decision for us,we require a very nice,experienced and genuine family to help keep the bond that we have with our home.Our house is intact with all amenities intact and working in perfect conditions,I would like to emphasize that you will find your new home enjoyable and you will definitely feel at home.Also the neighborhood is quite at peace and welcoming.

We have a cordial relationship with the neighborhood as it is a neighborhood where,everyone keep to themselves go about their business without interference from anybody and we expect that as you move in.Please keep to yourselves as this Our (home) that will become yours will provide all the warmth and joy that you require

Endeavor as much as you can to keep the home tidy,the amenities in perfect working conditions and treat this home just like you would treat your own house.

we will appreciate if you could take your time to fill out the Rent/Lease application form below as we would like to keep proper documentation.

RENTAL APPLICATION

The undersigned hereby makes an application to rent the following property: 4009 W FRIAR DR, MUNCIE, IN 47304

Anticipated move in date of ___________________at a monthly rent of $610 and the term of tenancy will be renewed automatically every year or monthly.

TENANT INFORMATION

Applicant (A) Full Name__________________________
_______
Phone (_____) _____________________
Other Phone (_____) ________________________
Age_________________________ _
Marital status___________________
Do you have a pet___________________________ ________

Do you have a car___________________________ ___________
How many people will be living in the house_________________________ __

PREVIOUS RESIDENCE INFORMATION

1) Previous Address ______________________________ ________________________
City: ____________________________ State :______________ Zip:________________
Length of occupancy _____________________
Landlord’s Name: ______________________________ ________
Phone (_____) _______________________
Reason for leaving ______________________________ _________________________
Rent Payment $_______________

Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that we can have it in our file for record purposes. We are waiting your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the house documents and the keys to you. NOTE:The keys and documents of our house are here with us in west Africa, please we are giving you the house based on trust.

You will only be able to drive by the house for now but you will not have access into the house until we have sent the keys and documents of the house to you

Please note that your rent starts counting from move in date so you need not to worry about making the deposit payment now and not moving in immediately because all you’re doing is securing the house in your favor in order not to loose it to other interested applicants.

YOU CAN CONTACT US ON +234-7043138861 or 011 2347043138861

Thanks And God Bless You

Remain blessed

Mr J R and Mrs Renee Gee

Comment by Audra— January 12, 2011 #

Reply
A guy named George Wilton is doing classic rental scamming. Posting on craigslist below market value and then saying he’s away on business, promising to “send keys when you wire the money”. REALLY??? He even included a FAMILY PHOTO that can be found in the first page of google images for “family photo”. REALLY??? He’s an imbecile, and talks about how he is a “man of God” and would never prey on people’s “hard earned money”. REALLY???

Watch out for these …. people.

I’m including a copy of the final email (after I suggested I would prefer to see some documentation) below:

Thanks for your reply and i want you to know that this is legit..i want you to know i have to be carefully this days,You sound skeptic from your last email, and thats very wrong, if you are thinking that I just wanted to take your money for nothing. When I known how people worked and earn their money, I will never think of taking some advantages over you and your money, please take that out of your mind, that is really awful thing on the earth that I will never think about doing. Please understand me better, I was not trying to lure you into this, everything about me is 100% real ok, i will like you to know one thing i am a Man of God and i so much believe in his words and i can never tarnish my name and image all because of money and i wouldn’t do such a thing when i have blood running through my vein,So as I shall be shipping out the keys and the document to you as soon as you make the payment With your Age I know you would be able to take good care of my house well for me,( so you can make the deposit payment and i will get the keys and the document Ship down to you. Am a True Man Of God, and if you don’t get get the keys and the document your money will be refundable back to you, but i don’t pray such thing will ever happen ) pls again take care of my house for me and i will like you to know that have make all the necessary arrangement on how the keys and the documents will be send to you and i promise you that if you make the deposit payment today you will receive the keys and the documents first thing tomorrow morning around 9:30am to the address you filled out in the application so let me know if i can forward you the payment information.and i hace attach the picture of me and my family so that you can be rest assured

Thanks

Comment by Shoshana— February 1, 2011 #

Reply
I have received fraud email from Danniel Tailer, Email addresses are danniel.tailer@hotmail.com and “danniel tailer”

Hello,

Thank you for your interest. The Apartment located in 23 Cox Blvd, Markham, ON is still available. It has 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom. I am looking for someone to live in it, as soon as possible, because my company has won the auction for a project, in construction, for a building that will rise up in London, United Kingdom. I am a civil engineer, so my accommodation period in England will be about 4 years. The renting period is from 1 month up to 4-6 years. As a result of this I want to rent, for this period, at this price and also to find the perfect person for my apartment. I`m the owner of the apt and it’s like in the pics.The apartment is unfurnished but if you want you can use my furniture from the storage unit. The rent for 1 month is 680CAD$ (for the whole apartment) including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator). You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.
Any further questions please contact me back by e-mail.

Thank you for your interest and i`m waiting for your answer

Comment by pmk— February 8, 2011 #

Reply
My mum wanted to sell her house, so we published it on internet http://www.mundoanuncio.com.ar and we got this…

hello
thanks for the mail … actually am just about to relocate to this
country due to the nature of my job (Construction Supervisor) But i
don’t have an idea about the house stuff so i have contacted a
housing& estate agent which their head quarter is located here in UK
but they have agent all over the world so before once the payment is
cleared they will come for the inspection … and the mode of payment
i can make is via paypal or bank transfer ,…. but i think paypal
will be easiest way to pay the fund, because i have already link my
bank account with my paypal account so once i send the money through
paypal the fund will go straight to your bank account that why i
insisted on paypal because of the nature of my job ..so kindly send
me your paypal id so i can proceed with the payment now and the agent
can come for the inspection of the house immediately so if you don’t
have a paypal account kindly log on to the account
has been created get back to me so i can send the money through or
bank transfer thanks.
regards

Comment by Sergio— February 9, 2011 #

Reply
This is to report of an Economic Offence incident occurred in the Malad / Kandivli / Borvili (Western suburbs) Mumbai, India.
Company Name: TEAM ASSOCIATE INDIA PVT LTD
Founders / Directors / Owners / Promoters:
1) Mr Sagar Sunder Basavaraj – absconded / missing, (Name changed from Raj to Sagar in 2005 similarly his 2 younger brothers too changed their name in 2005)
2) Mrs Priya Sagar Basavaraj (Wife of Mrs Sagar S B was arrested and is now out on bail)
Both use to reside at Gorai in Borivli West, Mumbai India
The Incident!
M/s Team Associate (Prop.: Mr Sagar S B) was incorporated in 2005 to provide manpower services to Companies in the BPO, Insurance and service sectors. He was involved into many other ventures, M/s Radicals – a design firm, providing accommodation to people employed by him, supplied Laptops & LCD TV’s on rentals to companies by getting investments or supplies from individuals, by offering them huge returns on rent under an agreement. People invested their hard-earned money into the same, and have now learnt that those Laptops & LCD TV’s were never rented, rather they were sold in the market. The investors did get their rents on time for a period, but after a certain period it stopped. He had made a forged agreement showcasing he had contracts of rentals with large company to gain & build the trust of those investors.
Further, TEAM ASSOCIATE INDIA PVT LTD was incorporated to launch a lucrative offer under the brand name CARVERTIZE. A car showroom was inaugurated at Kandivli to sell Chevy Spark Car @ Rs 123000.00, published in leading newspapers in Mumbai, buy the Car through TAIPL on MRP and get into an advertisement space agreement, wherein the TAIPL will pay Rs 6000.00 each month towards the space utilized on the Car guaranteed for 30 months.
A Rs 4 lac product sold within returns (benefits) worth Rs 3.60 lac over a period of 5 years, who would not get attracted to it? loads of people started buying under the offer, almost 1350 cars were sold in a span of 15 months, the space rent was paid to the car owners, some on time some delayed. Finally, when 3 months space rent was not paid to individual car owners, it started piling up, on January 4, 2011 Mr Sagar S B & his brother Mr Suraj S Basavaraj were reported missing / absconding.
Before absconding the duo has collected a lot of money from individuals / companies & their associates, again with huge returns commitment.
Statements have been submitted by victims at Kandivli Police Station. But since that day everyone associated is been questioned, but has no trace of the duo till date.
Surprising facts;
1. TAIPL & TEAM ASSOCIATE both are companies registered at Malad Office address, though the showroom was at Kandivli, the reports have been accepted at Kandivli Police Station.
2. Apart from newspapers mentioning about the scam, nobody has published the pictures of the absconding duo.
3. It has been more than 45 days but the Case towards the complaints is yet to be registered.
While investigating on this incident, it has been understood that Mr Sagar S B had defaulted earlier and had run away twice (some cyber café scam) once to Bangalore and once to Australia.
I hope that the system in place, acts early to prevent another such incidents.
Beaware of such incidents, await your comments.
Best regards
defaultsreporter

Comment by defaultsreporter— February 22, 2011 #

Reply
Hello,
Thanks so much for the reply

I am interested in the place..My name is Chloe Gomez a Mexican but was born in UK .am 24 . I am doing my internship and research work in Belem in Brazil at the moment. I am originally from Mexico,but my Mom and Dad grew up in Newcastle England..My parents are In Europe working..My Mom as Government worker,while my Dad is a Captain.

Please I will like to rent the place you posted on the listing because i will be coming over in few weeks and more over my dad want me to get a place in a week time because he will be traveling in order to make the payments on my behalf. I will be schooling and doing some kind of available hot jobs around to take care of my lil need, I will like to discuss few things concerning the apartment now in hopes that we could go ahead and agree on a few things before my move in. Now on to smoking, I do not smoke or like being around smoke,if however i have a roommate who smokes we can make an agreement that he or she is to not smoke outside the apartment…this is only being my suggestion.

I love pets but I don’t have one,and the things I enjoy doing is reading my books,shopping, and traveling. I’m pretty adventurous and am up to try new things and love meeting new people. I love watching watching movies also.. I know this is getting really long, but I just want you to feel comfortable with me lol I would have loved to see it but since am very far away i will like you to send me some pics and if you can email me with some little descriptions of the place then and i think that would just do then

* I will like to have the description of the place, size, and pictures.
* Also I will like to know if there is any garage or parking space cos I am already making arrangement for a car.
*. I will also like to know if I can make an advance payment ahead my arrival that will be stand as a kind of commitment that I am truly coming over to rent the place which will also serve as a collateral for you to hold the place for me, upon my arrival to move in.
*. If the #4 questions am gonna ask is YES, I will like to know the total cost for me to pay for a month or 2months rent including utilities, before i move in, something like a deposit or something to guarantee me the place prior to me arrival.
*. I will like to know the major intersection nearest to your neighborhood like shopping mall, bus line etc

Hope to hear from you soonest

Regards
Chloe Gomez

After emails going back and forth whereas she got my address, phone number etc. but I did not send any money thank god, I received this letter:

Hello thanks for your reply..Can you assist me just a little…I am
cut up with some problems here and i need to get them solved..I ran
into some financial problems now and i am looking for a way to
resolve it..I actually lost my Dad and things has been disorganized
for me…I will like to ask for just 800$ if you can assist me with
then i will pay you back as soon as the check gets to you..you will
cash and deduct your money back..Pls this is an urgent situation and i
will like you to assist me with this..Thanks alot…

Comment by Phyllis Adams— October 22, 2011 #

Reply
I inquired about a property and this was the email I received back. I responded to them but didn’t list my personal info or answer the questions within the text. They do have my name, email, and workplace I hope no one else gets scammed:

Hello,

We are pleased that you have an interest in our house,
Our lovely home is still available for Rent and we want responsible
adults/family who are neat and also believe that they have what it
takes to take care of our house as if it were theirs. My wife and I
initially had it up for sale but had a change of mind in leasing it out
ourselves because we may need the house when we return and the agent
that was in charge of our house was asking for more than what we asked
them to take thereby making it difficult for people.So we decide to
rent it by ourselves.

The reason our house is up for rent is
due to my recent transfer from our company and now situated in the
united kingdom.I am a welder under ship building,I worked with Nassco
ship building Company,but I have a job appointment with BVT Surface
Fleet Limited you can view site at http://www.bvtsurfacefleet.com . And presently we want to give out our house for rent to a clean and tidy person.

I will start by telling you more about my family.. I have a daughter named Leslie (20yrs) who attends University of Glasgowas
a medical student, she has a lot going for her and she is also down to
earth in all that she does to keep us happy and when she is back home
on vacation, she also assist her mom in the house work when am at work.
I got married to a lovely wife who is a member of Joyce Meyer
Ministries . We will be very pleased if we can find the right tenant to
rent our home, a person who is a clean freak and does not tolerate
anything that has to do with dirt… we also would like to know more
about you and your family, your renting experience and how long and
when you plan moving into our home.

Below is the rental property address:
17464 Kentucky Derby Dr Moreno Valley, CA 92555

You can go and see the house from the out side and get back to me.

Rent:1000
Deposit:1000

Pets
allowed: Yes

The utilities included in the rent are electricity and internet.My home available as at this moment.

TENANT RENT APPLICATION

FIRST NAME:__________________
MIDDLE NAME: __________________
LAST NAME:__________________
PROFESSION:________________
PHONE (____)__________ (CELL)
PHONE (____)__________ (WORK)
PHONE (____)__________ (HOME)
MARITAL STATUS:_________
KIDS_____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY________
PRESENT ADDRESS:___________________________
CITY:_______________
STATE:______________
ZIPCODE:____________
HOW LONG?___________IF RENTING
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING?______________________________
______________________________
___________
CURRENT RENT:_______
PREVIOUS ADDRESS:___________________________
CITY:________________
STATE:_______________
ZIPCODE:_____________
HOW LONG?____________ IF RENTING,HOUSE.
WHY DID YOU
LEAVE?
______________________________
______________________________
___________
PREVIOUS RENT:_______
IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU,
HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING?____________
WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?______________
PERSONAL REFERENCES
(LIST 3 PERSONS, OTHER THAN YOUR RELATIVES, THAT WE CAN CONTACT TO
VERIFY YOUR CHARACTER.)
FIRST PERSON
FIRST NAME:_______________
MIDDLE NAME:______________
LAST NAME:________________
RELATIONSHIP______________
PHONE (___)________________
SECOND PERSON
FIRST NAME:_______________
MIDDLE NAME:______________
LAST NAME:________________
RELATIONSHIP______________
PHONE (___)________________
THIRD PERSON
FIRST NAME:_______________
MIDDLE NAME:______________
LAST NAME:________________
RELATIONSHIP______________
PHONE (___)________________
EMERGENCY
(IN AN EMERGENCY, LIST 2 PERSONS THAT CAN BE CONTACTED STARTING WITH
NEAREST
RELATIVES)

Hope to read from you soon.

Thanks and Remain Blessed

Comment by Lisa— November 16, 2011 #

Reply
Wow! I knew right away, but I got almost the same inquiry on my rental unit. Here is the email that I received and all the information he provided.

Thanks for the details on the Property, i am satisfied and will
like to proceed with the renting process,
i would like you to go ahead and reserve the property for me.
I would also be needing the following information so that the cashier’s check
for payment of the deposit of $3100 can be processed and posted to you
soon.

Name:…………
Address:………….
Phone number(cell and land):…………

I want the 12 months lease to start on the 15th December 2011, i also
want to notify you that i have in the mean time arrange with an
interior decorator who will be handling the purchase of furniture,
entertainment system and other appliances that i will need in the
property,they will as well be in-charge of moving down my luggage down
to the States.So the cashier’s check of $7200 will be sent over to you
which is a relocation grant by my employer, and all you need to do is
deduct the deposit $3100 and you will forward the rest to the Decorators
so i can have the place all prepared for my arrival. All applications and
lease will be signed on arrival.

Also for familiarization I Am Andrew Wright, 35 yrs old,a British
citizen, I work with Apex insurance, as a loss adjuster agent,
I am a Christian, reserved in Nature and i do not keep pets.
I look forward to meeting you and hope to have a good relationship as
a tenant with you.
I await the details.
you can reach me at this number +447045780240
Below is my present landlords information for reference :
Mark Lebon
19 Godstow Road, London, , SE2 9AT
UNITED KINGDOM
EMAIL:arklebonmet@yahoo.com
You can also call my employer at the number below to verify employment.
(Richard Shwe +447573833225)
Thanks a bunch.

Comment by Judy Choisser— December 1, 2011 #

Reply
I just ran across a scammer from Europe, and only discovered him by accicent when I tried to google the employer he said he would be working for (an electronics firm called “Ad Store”). He has used his scam repeatedly for over a year and operates under various names. He trolls craigslist for potential victims. Currently he is operating under the name Johnson Brown. He says his mother is sick and is going in for an operation. As the scam unfolds his mother winds up dying, and he calls and starts to sob uncontollably on the phone.

Here’s a copy of his opening email to me (sent on Dec. 24, 2011):

Hello,
I am very interested in renting your place.
I was born in and raised in the Spain 26 yrs ago. I’m a matured,
Vivacious, career driven individual, I don’t smoke and drink on very
sparse occasions (probably won’t even consume up to 5 liters in year)
which might be buoyed something very special like a job promotion or
maybe a best friend’s wedding (lol).
I am also not opinionated and will never condemn anyone for their
sexual, religious inclinations or what so ever primordial variables. I
think the day we perceive ourselves beyond such clouts, there would be
world peace and visceral love.
I plan on staying for at least 3 years minimum because my
work contract is for two years and I will be working for Ad store consumer
electronics as a Data Base Administrator.
Kindly respond as soon as possible
Have a spectacular day!
johnson brown

Here’s a link with more details about this scammer:
http://www.canadarentals.net/rentalblog/?p=83

DO NOT SEND THIS GUY ANY MONEY!!! As a general rule DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY VIA WESTERN UNION, as they do not require any id to be shown, and are a favorite of scammers.

Comment by Gary Koett— December 26, 2011 #

Reply
STAY AWAY FROM ANYONE NAMED RAYNER CONTRERAS OR DEALING WITH RAY VACATION RENTALS.. GIANT SCAM ARTIST AND LIAR.

Comment by rebecca— December 27, 2011 #

Reply

Rental Scam Information – Protecting the Public from Rental Scammers

Scam and Fraud Contact Information

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