[abimomo0909]

I need help! I have post this ad to let out a room for a month which cost 300pounds only.. this south african was then contacted me and i agreed to let the room to her.. and then she said in order to secure the room.. she would like to send me a cheque for the rental fee and her traveling expenses.. when i received the cheque its 3500pounds!! it is issued by his uncle who is her sponsor..
well, i am stupid and kind enough to trust her.. so i went to deposit the cheque and she did call me afterwards..

---------------------
Dear Pai,

Good morning,How was your weekend am very happy to hear your voice yesterday night and like i said my internet at home is not working at the moment,so i can check and reply my email in library sorry for my late response anyway.

Please make sure you deposit the cheque into your account unfailingly this morning,so that the money can be available to withdraw in your account by Friday morning because my uncle said the cheque takes 2-3 days to clear and i need the money urgently to buy my flight ticket.

Am sure you've received a sum £3,500 which is including my Traveling Expenses and Please deduct £300 for one month rent and the remain balance of £3,200 is for my flight ticket with my B.T.A (Basic Traveling Allowance) to the UK.

I have already made my flight reservation here in South Africa with a Travel Agency i just need to pay the Travel agency for my ticket and they will issue me my flight ticket immediately and i will fly down to the UK with next available flight.

Please i will need you to help me send £2,000 directly to the Travel Agency here South Africa for my flight ticket with my B.T.A (Basic Traveling Allowance) and you will help me keep the remain balance of £1,200 with you till i arrive with you in the UK.

The most grateful opportunity i have is that the Travel Agency are running a Promotional ticket sales right now which makes there ticket cheaper compare to the normal market price and the Promo sales is going to expire on Friday morning and i will like to benefit from the promo sales in order to buy cheap and open 6 month ticket to the UK.

So please Pai,i will like you to help me send £2,000 directly to the Travel Agency as soon as possible,so i can pay for my flight ticket with my B.T.A and fly down to the UK on Friday morning to arrive in the UK on the same Friday night..

You can also call me at anytime on my mobile number below for more discussion and i can not wait to be in the UK. 0027769039037

Thanks for your help and God bless you
Brenda.

-----------------------------

I am worried she is a scammer.. so i asked her to send the details of the travel agency and send me some identification documents.. passport, student visa and university admission letter (she is coming for her master study in business admin)..


Hello Pai,


Thanks for your help ,,find all the details you will send the money below and you're going to send the money at any POST OFFICE with a CASH of £2,000 you will paying an extra charges of £73 to send the money as was told by the travel agency.

Please pay the transfer charges separate at the POST OFFICE which is £73 as i was told by the Travel Agency out of my remain balance of £1,200 and Please send £2,000 Pounds CASH to the information below.

Just go to any POST OFFICE tell them you want to send money to SOUTH AFRICA through INTERNATIONAL MONEY GRAM and they will gladly help you send the money immediately


First Name : GEORGE

Last Name : SEPTEMBER

Address : 101 DEMACOURT KOTZE STREET

City : PRETORIA

State : GAUTENG

Zip Code : 0002

Country : SOUTH AFRICA


A Reference number will be given to you at POST OFFICE after sending the money and you will need to email or text me with the Reference number and with the Sender's Name & Address which you fill on the International Money Gram form as the Sender at POST OFFICE as soon as you finish sending the money to the information above and i will go straight to the Travel Agency Office with all the necessary information and pick up my flight ticket immediately.


Sender's Information

Sender's Names:

Address:

Tel:

Amount Sent after charges:

Please Note: Kindly make sure you go to POST OFFICE with your Passport as a form of identification when you're going to send the money because they will surely ask for your identification at POST OFFICE before you can send the money to information above,I will be waiting to hear back from you with all the necessary information immediately you finish sending the money at Post Office.

Thanks for your help and God bless you
Brenda.


Hi Pai,

I understand your situation,i will scan a copy of my passport and send it to you but that will not be today i will do it as soon as possible,i don't need visa or student visa to study in the UK.i have spoken to my uncle and he said the money should be available in your account on Friday cause his going to speak to his bank to contact your own bank and speed up the clearance of the cheque.

In case you wish to talk to my uncle here is cell phone number in United States (+1-601-255-4137)you can call him and talk to him for more information, You will send you a copy of my passport later and hope to see you soon.

Best Regards
Brenda.



Hi Pai,

I have my study permit already am only coming to the UK for master's degree and for my career purposes i can not send you a copy of my admission letter and please why all this question am getting fed up please.

Regards
Brenda.

--------

she kept asking me to send the money to the travel agency.. even on saturday..

Hi Pai,

I understand your concern but this cheque was issued by my uncle and the money can never be claim back cause issued the cheque him self,if you don't mind i will ask my uncle to call you for more assurance and i will also send you a copy of my passport for your security purposes.

Please i will need you to help me send the money tomorrow morning if it's available in your account which am very sure it will,i won't like to miss an opportunity of buying a cheaper promotional ticket from the travel agency and the sales will expire tomorrow.

Also for more assurance you can send me only my flight ticket fare which is 1,000 Pounds tomorrow morning when the money becomes available in your account and i will collect the remaining balance from you when i arrive with you in the UK.

I believe you should be relieved with all this option and hope to see you soon in the UK.

Best Regards
Brenda.

Hello Pai,

I doubt if you will ever trust your self after all our conversation through text and call today and you still don't trust me,anyway i have done what i promised to do and i have also contacted my uncle to call you,So his going to call you him self maybe you can understand him better than me.

Am sorry i won't be able to speak further cause i hate doubting mind's,my uncle will feed me back with the outcome of your conversation.

Good day
Brenda.

Hi Pai,

I really appreciated your effort but you also need to understand that i have been trying all my possible best to satisfy you cause i have understand something similar has happened to your friend friends but does not says am going to do the same thing to you.

You should consider the fact that i have been doing everything you ask me to and am sorry like i said my uncle is in United States at the moment and he won't be able to send me my flight ticket fare because his on a business trip at the moment and he sent the cheque to you because he was having a very had time to send to the money to me.

He had also tried to contact the travel agency here to pay my flight ticket fare with his credit card but the agency only accept cash as there mode of payment,So please i will implore you to still please help me check your account same time tomorrow morning Saturday and help me send the money to travel agency if the money is available.

He won't be able to cancel the cheque because the money has already left his account to your,so am sorry you will still need to help and stop doubting me because am real,below is my uncle contact cell number in United States you can also call him your self for more assurance. (+1 601-255-4137 )

My uncle will also call you but i guess you might try to call him first maybe he still busy because he's a very busy person.

Best Regards
Brenda.

----------------------

Can someone teach me what should i do now? I am very regret that deposit the cheque where i think she is real.. the cheque i deposit on last Wednesday, 28th March.. and the bank staff told me the cheque will be cleared on this coming Thursday.. will i get into any trouble? i am so so worried now.. please help me..

[Prissy]

IVE COME ACROSS 3 OF THESE NOW 2 FROM LIVERPOOL WITH THEIR 'SICK MOTHER' AND ONE FROM SPAIN WHO IS A 'DOCTOR'.
IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A FLAT FOR 2 MONTHS NOW AND ITS GETTING RIDICULOUS.
DONT EVER WIRE MONEY.
ALSO EMAIL THEM SAYING THAT YOUR GOING TO REPORT THEM TO THE POLICE AND THEY GET SO SCARED.







Read carefully please‏
From: David Andy (topreasons2006@live.com)
Sent: 01 June 2008 17:07:17
To: priscilla power (dimonds_and_rubyz@hotmail.com)

Hello,
Thanks for your email.I have deleted the ad because i dont want any other enquires from people.I just needed to be sure i am renting the apartment to the right person who can meet up with my requirements and not a timewasters.
ABOUT ME:
I am a professional as well but presently out of the city to Liverpool due to my Mum"s Sickness.I am 32years old,the apartment is just a private one,that means it is just for you and you can bring in someone you would love to share it with.I am renting the whole apartment for 120GBP per week,all bills inclusive.

I was discussing with my colleague about the idea on how i will be so sure that i will not be coming down to London on a futile exercise and she advised that we can work out something via Western Union Transfer.
Here is the process;
Proceed to WESTERN UNION LOCATION. You can check nearest location from
www.westernunion.co.uk
Collect a TRANSFER FORM from the location.
Transfer from: YOUR NAME
Transfer to: YOUR SPOUSE OR ANY OF YOUR RELATIVE
And complete any additional information in the form.
Submit the form and pay the money at the location.
There after, Scan the RECEIPT collected from WESTERN UNION
It must clearly state the following
SENDER'S NAME
RECIEVER'S NAME
MTCN #
You can not be the SENDER and RECIEVER at the same time
Scan the receipt collect from the WESTERN UNION to me. Once you scan the receipt, i shall contact western union and confirm if truly the transaction as taken place. Thereafter, you shall collect your money back via the receiver.
I shall be coming over the next day after you might have Scan the receipt.
You will be charged minimal fee for transfering and i promise to pay the money back to you once we meet.
I will get the contract ready for you to sign if you like to take the Flat after viewing and the keys will be handed over to you immediately after contract. Receipt of payment will be issued to you after which you have sign the lease agreement form.
REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE ONLY TRANSFER THE FUNDS TO YOUR RELATIVE AND NOT ME, PLEASE GET ME VERY CLEARLY, I NEVER ASKED YOU TO TRANSFER THE MONEY TO ME.
I only want to be sure that you have the money at your disposal and this is the only way i can be confused that you have the money at hand.INTENDING TENANTS HAVE DECEIVED ME ALOT.A copy of a bank references,payslip,references from former landlord would have been okay for me to have a guarantee that you have the funds available,but i have had a bad experiences through this so i really dont want to go through them anymore.But i am very sure the pictures of flat you saw on the website are the ones of the flat i am trying to rent out to you and also the flat you are about to view,so there is no way you wont like the flat when you love the pictures.Lol.
You don't need any assistance than the way i have explained to you.
If truely you need the flat and you are willing and able to pay for the flat,then kindly proceed to western union location and complete the transaction.You can give me a call on 07024038919 for confirmation.
Regards





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dimonds_and_rubyz@hotmail.com
To: topreasons2006@live.com
Subject: RE: 2 bed flat primrose hill
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2008 17:03:07 +0000

hi,

your gumtree ad has disapperared???
could you please send me your phone number so we can talk about this?

thankyou


Priscilla power




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: topreasons2006@live.com
To: dimonds_and_rubyz@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: 2 bed flat primrose hill
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2008 16:56:31 +0000

Hello,
How are you doing today?I just got your email.The apartment is £120 per week and you are required to pay a 1month and a 6weeks deposit,all bills inclusive.The apartment is available for long term and short term lease.Unfortunately,I am currently in Liverpool with my mum,she is very sick now and she is undergoing a surgery operation so i have to stay with her so before I can come and show you around for the viewings,I need to know how serious you are about the renting the property because I wont like to come down all the way from Liverpool to be fooled as I have been in the past.And to know if you are capable of paying the house rent.The flat comprises of bedrooms,Living Room,spacious open plan kitchen,modern bathrooms and communal garden,Only 3 minutes walk from tube station and all shopping amenities.

For instance,I organized a viewing for some professionals last week and they refused showing up and I came all the way from Liverpool.Hope you understand my reasons for saying all this?So I just need to know how serious you are.I have the pictures of the flat on the site so you can view pictures there.I also require you to email me more informations and details about yourself and also your phone number for me to call you when i get to London for the viewings.
Do email me back as soon as possible so we can do the viewings as soon as possible.
Thanks
Note:I have more than one flats for rent.Could you tell me the one yolu are making enquires for as i have flats for rent in the following areas
Primrose Hill, NW1
North kensington
West hampstead
south kensington
marylebone



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dimonds_and_rubyz@hotmail.com
To: dra351@gmail.com
Subject: 2 bed flat primrose hill
Date: Sun, 1 Jun 2008 13:37:34 +0000

Hi i called you early and you were at church im sorry about that!
I WOULD LIKE to rent your flat from you as soon as possible, please call me on 02075038981 to discuss details etc!

thankyou

Priscilla powerjgh

[jombag16]

when you receive the money, do not touch it.
get the papers available. the transaction papers from the bank.

you will see where it was sent. tell the bank you believe its a scam and tell them to send it back. i believe that this person maybe trying to get into the country and stay illegally. ask your bank on what to do.

they may be true or not but the best way is to stay away from it.
of course they ain't giving you money. nobody will. you cannot open a bank account in the UK unless you've personally arrived in the country or perhaps you have a relative then you deposit some amount to them for your expenses.

[Marissa25]

I was going through the accomodation ads yesterday, and I saw something that really sounded like it could be a scam: a HUGE flat (the ad had pics) in Hammersmith for 120 per week!!! It was so obvious it had to be fake. So I decided to ask how come it was so cheap, to see what he would say.

He ignored my question, and proceeded to send me this email:

How are you doing today?I just got your email.The apartment is £120 per week and you are required to pay a 1month and a 6weeks deposit,all bills inclusive.The apartment is available for long term and short term lease.Unfortunately,I am currently in Liverpool with my mum,she is very sick now and she is undergoing a surgery operation so i have to stay with her so before I can come and show you around for the viewings,I need to know how serious you are about the renting the property because I wont like to come down all the way from Liverpool to be fooled as I have been in the past.And to know if you are capable of paying the house rent.The flat comprises of bedrooms,Living Room,spacious open plan kitchen,modern bathrooms and communal garden,Only 3 minutes walk from tube station and all shopping amenities.

For instance,I organized a viewing for some professionals last week and they refused showing up and I came all the way from Liverpool.Hope you understand my reasons for saying all this?So I just need to know how serious you are.I have the pictures of the flat on the site so you can view pictures there.I also require you to email me more informations and details about yourself and also your phone number for me to call you when i get to London for the viewings.
Do email me back as soon as possible so we can do the viewings as soon as possible.
Thanks
Note:I have more than one flats for rent.Could you tell me the one yolu are making enquires for as i have flats for rent in the following areas
Primrose Hill, NW1
North kensington
West hampstead
south kensington
marylebone

then he said he needed me to really "proof" to him (jeez this people should at least learn English first!!) that I really was going to rent the flat. How? This is his email:

I was discussing with my colleague about the idea on how i will be so sure that i will not be coming down to London on a futile exercise and she advised that we can work out something via MONEYGRAM. Here is the process;
Proceed to MONEYGRAM LOCATION. You can check nearest location from
www.moneygram
Collect a TRANSFER FORM from the location.
Transfer from: YOUR NAME
Transfer to: YOUR SPOUSE OR ANY OF YOUR RELATIVE
And complete any additional information in the form.
Submit the form and pay the money at the location.
There after, Scan the RECEIPT collected from MONEYGRAM
It must clearly state the following
SENDER'S NAME
RECIEVER'S NAME
REFERENCE #
You can not be the SENDER and RECIEVER at the same time
Scan the receipt collect from the MONEYGRAM to me. Once you scan the receipt, i shall contact MONEYGRAM and confirm if truly the transaction as taken place. Thereafter, you shall collect your money back via the receiver.
I shall be coming over the next day after you might have Scan the receipt.
You will be charged minimal fee for transfering and i promise to pay the money back to you once we meet.
I will get the contract ready for you to sign if you like to take the Flat after viewing and the keys will be handed over to you immediately after contract. Receipt of payment will be issued to you after which you have sign the lease agreement form.
REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE ONLY TRANSFER THE FUNDS TO YOUR RELATIVE AND NOT ME, PLEASE GET ME VERY CLEARLY, I NEVER ASKED YOU TO TRANSFER THE MONEY TO ME.
I only want to be sure that you have the money at your disposal and this is the only way i can be confused that you have the money at hand.INTENDING TENANTS HAVE DECEIVED ME ALOT.A copy of a bank references,payslip,references from former landlord would have been okay for me to have a guarantee that you have the funds available,but i have had a bad experiences through this so i really dont want to go through them anymore.But i am very sure the pictures of flat you saw on the website are the ones of the flat i am trying to rent out to you and also the flat you are about to view,so there is no way you wont like the flat when you love the pictures.Lol.
You don't need any assistance than the way i have explained to you.
If truely you need the flat and you are willing and able to pay for the flat,then kindly proceed to MONEYGRAM location and complete the transaction.You can give me a call on 07024038919 for confirmation.
Regards

[/i]

I replied telling him that I knew that was a scam and that I reported his ad, he even emailed me back saying, "ok"!!!! HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT?!He even emailed me back!!!!

The guy's email address is topreasons2006@live.com, his "name" is DAVID ANDY.

Please BE AWARE!!!!! and be especially wary of people who reply to your emails telling a lot of personal stuff about themselves that you have not requested.

[Marissa25]

I am not trying to find out if the following could be a scam too...
the woman is advertising a very very nice flat in Marylebone for 200 a week.
Her first email was



Good to read from you on your interest on my apartment, which i am leasing out for rent

Presently the apartment is still very much available for rent.Just to give you a little low down about the apartment. I resided in the apartment with my only daughter melissa and my late husband whom i inherented the apartment from, before we relocated my country in United State. Due to my new job offer at the Valley Medical Center - Renton, Washington.And also i am about to get married to my fiance in less than three months from now.

The full Accomodation is available 800 pounds per month, which i also think is not too much, i just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the apartment for now. Since i am not residing there for now. As i told you earlier in the apartment listing.

The accomodation comprises of 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, living room. These are some of the measurement of the apartment.Reception room 17'0" 16'0" ( 5.18m x 4.88m , Kitchen 13'0" x 11'0" ( 3.96m x 3.35m ), Bedroom 1 13'0"x 11'7" ( 3.96m x 3.53m ), Bedroom 2 12'10" x 10'5" ( 3.91m x 3.18m ), Bathroom 6'10" x 5'10" ( 2.08m x 1.78m ), Guest WC 5'0" x 2'10" ( 1.52m x 0.86m .Facilities and electonics like satellite TV and internet connection, and a sony DVD player, air conditioning, alarm system. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils, a refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and oven, microwave, dishwasher and washing machine.

Also the keys to the apartment are right here with me, and the lease document. Which i can send to you after all necessary agreement has be accepted. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really the issue , but your absolute maintenance of the apartment, because that is the only valuable property my late husband left behind, and it also took him so much time and money to put all those facilities in place, so i wouldn't want an violation of my property if finally rented by you.

The Apartment is situated at Clarewood Court 1st floor flat 4,Seymour Place, Marylebone, London W1 UK.And also note that unltilities bills and council tax are not inclusive, As you will have to settle the bills at your convenient time. Which shouldn't be a problem if we later reach an agreement.And presently for now, i have no outstanding bills. So you would be starting the lease with a clean slate

The minimum lease term is three months, but a maximum of two year with a possibility of extension.

She told me since she is not in the country she s unable to show me the flat at the moment. She asked me to fill in a renting application form with details and references.

Good to read from you. I just got through your email. Regarding the renting process, agreement and references.

First you have to print out the attached application form and fill your detail to the best of your knowledge, and send it back to my email address. so i could screen it and get it save to my files in case all this goes well with us.

Then let me know how long you intend to rent the apartment, so i can estimate the amount of deposit you need to pay upfront.

Then i can send you the Lease agreement for the contract. Before i can be guarantee to accept and form of deposit from and also send you the keys with a deposit receipt .Then as soon as the keys get to you, i will give you some time to settled down, so we can make other arrangeement for the next payment
And please let me know what you feel asap, so there wouldn't be any mis up between us, due to late response.

And please note that is not all about sending the rent deposit or monthly rent that matters in this realtionship and agreement, but your absolute maintenace and promise to keep my apartment save and clean.

And also i will need you to often send me some update pics of the apartment from time to time at your own convenient time if rented by you. As i will be trusting and counting on you.

I haven't done any of this, as I feel it's TOTALLY unsafe to send so many personal details to someone you don't know and could even not exist at all.
I am trying to find out if this is a scam, in which case I would report it. The ad is WEIRDLY disappeared from gumtree listing.

What do you think?

[Marissa25]

Sorry, don't mean to spam, but in my previous post I meant "I am NOW tying to find out.."

sorry.

[Bren80]

I'm so glad that this forum excists.

I got the same email like Prizzy from dra351@gmail.com or better Andy David topreasons2006@live.com.

I was interested in a flat in west hampstead and wondering if this was just a typing error. The price was really cheap 120GBP/week.

But instead of a proper answer, I just got the same email.

[abimomo0909]

regarding my previous mail.. the south african girl confirmed is a scammer! cos the cheque turned out to be bounced/unpaid... and she still keep asking me to send her money!
her email address: brenda_harrison001@yahoo.com
her mobile phone number: +27741828296, +27769039037..
watch out!

[Marissa25]

yeh I would have thought it was a scammer...the scheme was really familiar.

[abbothompson]

Hi, look out for thomson george, who signs his name thomson, very african i think.
Anyway, this is the 3rd time i've received these message, whilst looking for a place to rent- the rent is either too much, or too little, but the best way to find them for me, was to google the guys phone number (+447024016639)

This is not a UK landline or mobile, its a personal number, assigned to the UK, they can run upto £2.50 / min from a landline, and even more from a mobile, so please don't call them, and definitely do not give out your bank and personal details.

Happy house hunting.
Abbo

[tfn]

said she had a great apartment, told me to do the money transfere.................... i did it.............then i had an email from her asking me for all of my details and where the money was being sent from and by whom............................... i just laughed at her and told her there was no way i was giving all of my details

she then called me........couldnt speak a word of english, yet had been chatting to me on MSN and talking about legal things....... she let me talk to her bf..still couldnt understand him......... i ended up telling him my aunty was a lawyer and he hung up!

her name is Meri and her email is:

MAYSIM200@live.com

PLEASE WATCH OUT!!

[elahiya]

wow, i think i´ve almost been trapped.

a few weeks ago i als answered to an ad with a flat in islington, 650 per month...

this ist what i got:

[seakrieg]

It seemed too good to be true and sure enough it was. But I've got this scumbag's phone number too
(Which is 07031871923 and he was MIGHTY suprised when I phoned him!)

"Lawrence,
You would be able to view my property at any point in time However, I would need you to know that I live and work in South York and if I have to arrange a viewing for you, I would have to travel all the way from South York and I am sure you know that is quite a Journey for me I have made this journey several times which has eventually turned out to be a total waste of time for me. I had to travel to meet people who wants to view my property. Most of them either give some strange reasons for not being able to rent the property, some wants me to give them an offer for the to stay at the property for one month before paying, Some of them are DSS Tenants which I do not accept and they would not tell me they are not DSS until after the viewing (I don't accept DSS). Most of them would not even turn out for the viewing and I am sure you know how irritating this can be. This has been an experience that I have been going through with Tenants over the years that I have been renting out my property.
You would need to Locate a Western Union Outlet anywhere close to you. You would have to Send the Security Deposit and 1Month Rent to your Family Member, Friend Or Partner (NOT ME) Then get back to me with the Western Union Receipt which I would run for a confirmation that the transaction really occurred and after the Confirmation I can arrange a viewing for you after I have confirmed the transaction was really made and you have the Money to rent my Property, Your Partner or who you might have sent the money to can go back to Western Union to pick your money either on the day of the viewing or after the day of the viewing.
You need to understand that I have not asked you to make a Security Deposit Payment before viewing and I have not asked you to Pay the Rent before the viewing. You only need to show me that you are Capable of renting my property and that you are not a DSS Tenant. The Western Union Charges would be refunded to you or deducted from the cost of the Property depending on our agreement.
Hope to hear from you asap
Desmond"
whitedesmond10@gmail.com

And another one....
"Thanks for your interest in my apartment.The apartment is available
for a period of 12months and you can move in asap

Definitely,we can arrange a meeting of viewing the apartment as soon
as possible.

But i have seen people who promise to rent the apartment but after
meeting with them but at the end of the day,they do not have the money
for the apartment.

However I may not be able to assure you of a viewing of the apartment
until I have seen a proof of your ability to rent the apartment. I
need to see that you have the Money to pay for my apartment and also
take care of it while you are there.It would not be necessary for you
to send me your Bank Statement. What you need to do is for you to
locate a Western Union Outlet and Send 1Month Rent and the Security
Deposit to your friend,Partner or any of your family member within the
UK and get back to me with the Western Union Receipt.

I need to see the Western Union Receipt to confirm from western union
if the money was truly transfered and after i confirm it,i will email
you to tell the receiver to pick it up then i will be sure that you
have the money to get the apartment and arrange a viewing for you
thereafter, who so ever you might have sent the Money to would go to
Western Union to collect the Money to pay me in cash in my apartment.
You would not be sharing the apartment with anyone, . But I need to
see the Western Union Receipt to confirm you have the Money before
going ahead

Best Regards

Christina"
annsixteen6@googlemail.com

[Quatermass]

I'm very glad I came here now because I've had very similar emails in relation to a flat in Brixton going for £650pcm, inclusive of everything.

This is from a "Cathy Edwards".

"Thanks for your response and Enquiry. The apartment is still vacant.
A bit about me: I am 26years old, Female professional. I have just
moved to Leicester to work with a Media outfit as a Radio Presenter. I
have 24 months renewable contract so i'd be away for close 3 years.

The Flat is Located on Bellefields Road, Brixton, London SW9
, and it
is fully furnished with follwoing facilities:
- One Huge Bedroom for double Bed
- Huge living room,
- One Toilet and Bathroom with Shower
- Kitchen with modern fittings
- Dish washer/Dryer
- Washing Machine
- Cable TV
- Wired Internet connection
- Garden and off street Parking space available
- Few minutes to Brixton Station.

The Monthly rent is £650per month and it includes All Bills. Bills
like Council Electricity, Cable T.V, Water,T.V License and Gas all
Covered.
A Refundable deposit of £650 which will deposited with Tenant Security
Deposit Ltd {TSDL},will received along with the Rent before Moving in.
Could you tell me a bit about yourself and where you are presently located now?

Please i have just 2 questions. They are:
Will you be able to take good care of my Flat like your own?
Are you capable of funding the rent and refundable deposit before moving in?

I have attached some images of some parts of the Apartment.
Hope to get your response soon."


A journalist who uses inappropriate capital letters all the way through? Suspicious. This is the follow-up:


"Good to read again from you and for expressing your genuine interest in renting my flat. You seem to be a good personality and I am sure you'll be a great tenant.

I'd have actually loved to keep it vacant but a friend advised i get some one who can take good care of it.I hope i can take your word to take good care of my apartment like your own.

However as i said before viewing will not be a problem, anyday during the week in the evening would be a good date for our meeting. but i need a proof you have the funds on you before i can commit to viewing as i have been dissapointed several times after scheduling viewings in the past few days. My job had suffered and i have also wasted my funds coming over to london before thats why im a little skeptical.

As it is not a wise decision to send your bank statements via the internet that would have been a better option. So may be you want to suggest how else you can prove to me you have the funds on you right now so we can go on to meet for viewing if that is okay by you."


My reply? I'll come over to Leicester tomorrow and show you. I haven't heard back.

[Quatermass]

Ah, here it comes now.

"Thanks for your assurances. But, I actually had same understanding with someone who conned me in making the trip even without having the funds on Him

Mind you, I am not asking you to bring money to viewing neither am i asking you to pay for the Flat you have not viewed.

I am only asking to you show me you are really willing to rent my flat as i cant just come over from leicester for nothing

I got in touch with my lawyer about it and infact He gave an advise and i think that is the best option for us...so what i will like you to do is that you should go to any Post Office close to you to send the first month rent and the refundable deposit, in your name to any of your friend's name in your present address or your friend to send the money to you in your present address.

Scan and send the transfer receipt via email for confirmation if the money is available for any of you to pick up. we will both go and pick up the money together then you pay me up after signing the lease and contract. Whatever cost you incurred would be returned back to you at the meeting even if you dont like the flat which i'm sure you would. You will not be loosing anything after all.

If you can get the Money Gram Transfer done on Monday, I will gladly ensure that we meet for viewing on Tuesday in the evening from 4pm.

Hope to read again from you soon.

Regards
Cathy"

[Yara]

Hi there,
there seems to be a guy around trying to rent fake flats in Clapham Junction. He posts ads with pictures that seem to be shot in the Queen's summer residence and claims he rents out a 2 bed flat with Garden, pool, balcony, etc etc in Clapham Junction for less than 1000 pounds a month!!! He uses a yahoo account that keeps changing, and does not give out his name nor telephone number - but still talks about TRUST!!!!

Well...at first I genuinly thought the amount (800pcm) it was a typing mistake of the advertiser (maybe he meant 800pw!), but after the first e-mail I smelled something dodgy...here my correspondence: I did not hear from him again, his ad was deleted but I noticed another one just came out, so beware!!!!!!!!!

ME:

Hi…

With regards to the property you are advertising on gumtree

http://www.gumtree.com/london/14/24757814.html
…I guess you might have missed a zero on the rent (!!!), but if you haven’t, and it is really up for 800 pounds per month, we’d love to sign for it tomorrow!!!

Let me know…

HIM: (automated reply i guess!)


Hello,
I so much appreciate the fact that you have interest in my flat.

ABOUT ME:
I am a professional, a stockbroker presently in birmingham for seminar on UK stock

exchange. I would love to rent out my flat to a
neat, friendly person, even when i feel meeting Him/Her and also the rooms can be

occupied by single or couples.
However, my Flat is very comfortable fully furnished.

LOCATION:
The Flat is situated on the corner of Illminster Road, just moments from the bars, boutiques

and specialist shops of Northcote Road. The green open spaces of Clapham Common are

also within easy reach.Ilminster Gardens, Clapham Junction, SW11


TRANSPORTATION:
The nearest stations are Clapham Junction (National Rail) and Clapham Common

Underground Station (Northern Line), while the nearby A3036 and A3 provide the

motorist with fast and easy access to routes in and out of London.

FACILITIES:
The property comprises generous reception room, fantastic eat-in kitchen, master

bedroom with fitted wardrobes, second good-sized
bedroom and contemporary bathroom.

The Flat will be rented out for £800pcm utilities, security and bills all inclusive and 1month

payment for the security deposit.

I await to read from you soon, so that we can arrange for the viewing of the properties if

necessary.

Regards

ME AGAIN:

Hi,

Thanks for your kind reply.

Please could we arrange a viewing for this property at your earliest convenience?

Many thanks

HIM (interesting reply!!!):

Hi,
Thanks for the prompt reply, you can come for viewing anytime as i am free to show you the property anytime you want and more so i will need to know how serious you are in renting the house because i have been fooled alot by people who pretended to be serious at first.

I have waisted alot of money on boarding train from Birmingham to come over here to

show people the flat but not for them to show up, so i have contacted my colleague

who has also gone through similar difficulities and she said that i should get to know how

committed you are, if you have the funds for the security deposit and if you have it then

he will be needing an evidence from you to show it.
Hope this is understood by you.


NOTE: Security deposit is an amount to show you are committed, willing and able to pay

for the rent. The security deposit is yours and not mine.

Hope you understand me better

Many thanks

ME (Sarcastic - strangely enough I never got a reply from this...bah!)

Hi,

I surely understand, but talking about trust, you haven’t even signed your e-mails! So I still don’t know your name…uh?
We are definitely serious (!) and ready to see the property at your earliest convenience. You don’t need to come over especially for us, just group a few viewings – it’d make your life a lot easier!
We only live around the corner, so it’ll take me and my boyfriend a few minutes to come and see the flat.
Also, I think the best way to make sure someone is trustable in this Country is requesting references: references should always be provided by both parties (you as a landlord and us as tenants!). I am sorry to seem sceptical, but I am sure you understand scams are always around the corner on the internet – as I understand you have experienced on your own skin!

So please let me know when you’ll next be in London and we’d love to organize a viewing.

Kindest regards

Yara




Well Guys...I hope this will help you avoid the kind of places that seem to good to be true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck everyone...
x

[dramaqueen87]

i've got another one
BE AWARE!!

This is her first mail:

> Contact: laurahay33@yahoo.co.uk
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Hi,
>
> I was check through this site and found your Ad that you need a flat at Central London.I'm currently not living in my flat there.Its a one Bedroom flat and Available.The Flat is well furnished.
>
> The Monthly rent is £720(180pw) including all utilities bills.Utilities are Gas,Electricity,Cable,phone,Council Tax and Internet connection.A security refundable deposit of £400 is required.The deposit will be refunded back to you two days before the end of your tenancy expired.
> If you are interested,get back to me so that i can tell you more about the flat and send you some picture.
>
> Hope to hear from you soon
>
> Regards,
>
> Laura Hay


then she told me:

I was in London last week to show some certain people my flat when i get there i find out that they are not capable of paying there rent,i waste my money on train and time also,They show me some reference which are fake and i have vow that before i can come to show anyone my flat i have to be sure that the person is capable of paying is rent.

I asked about the street number, that i'd like to locate the building on google maps and she replied:

Hi,

You cant locate building on the map,you can only see the area..

Okay..


I asked her why and she said:
"They dont show it.."


SCAMMM

[Yara]

...well, it seems none of the 'scammers' is able to write English properly...too bad for the nice foreign landlords...

[Photojunkie]

[Photojunkie]

Hello,

We can start the rental contract starting from August but as I said I live in Sweden and I have to come to UK to meet you and see the flat. The notice period is 2 months and the lenght of the contract will be 6 months minimum.
To prof me you are honest and you have the money,I want you to give the money cash to a person from your family or to one of your friends and he(she) will send the money 1440GBP to your name as a receiver in London UK using Western Union money transfer service.
After I see the scan receipt paper of the Western Union transfer I will see you are honest person who really need this flat and you have the money I will buy the fly ticket and come to UK the 2nd day to meet you and show you the flat. You can ask your friend to tell the western Union agent that is a cousin of you because the transfer fees will be cheaper! Anyway there is no need for you to be present at the agency!
There is a 3% transfer fee but I will accept to give you the money back when we will meet in UK or to deduct it from the total amount for the rent in case you like the flat and we sign the rent contract.
I do apologise for that but I told you last time when I arrived to London to show the flat to a person everything was a stupid joke and I hope you understand me because I don`t intend to waste my time and money on plane tickets..
I will wait for your reply to confirm if we have a deal because there is another person who is interested in reserving the flat!

Thank you,

Erik Gottfrid

--- On Mon, 6/9/08, ............ wrote:

From: ...........
Subject: Re: [HalloLondon.co.uk] Posting Enquiry
To: erikgottfrid@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, June 9, 2008, 12:19 PM


At least a year, although I will only take out 6 month tenancy at a time for my own safety!

Regards.

2008/6/9 Erik Gottfrid <erikgottfrid@yahoo.com>:

Hello,

How long are you planning to stay in the flat ?



Kind regards,

Erik Gottfrid

--- On Mon, 6/9/08, .......... wrote:

From: ............
Subject: Re: [HalloLondon.co.uk] Posting Enquiry
To: erikgottfrid@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, June 9, 2008, 10:18 AM


Hi there.

This is completely understandable. I'm actually looking for a flat for August time and I really like this flat. If it is still available in August I would love to be able to come see the flat

Regards.

2008/6/9 Erik Gottfrid <erikgottfrid@yahoo.com>:



Hello,

My name is Erik Gottfrid and I am from Sweden and the flat is still available for rent.
I had an aunt in UK and after her death she left me her apartment from UK a few years ago.
The flat was redecorated last year and the flat is looking very nice and clean. I m interrested in finding someone clean who can take care of this house more then getting money from renting it if you know what I mean.
Till last mounth the apartment was rent by some students from Germany and now they left and the apartment is available again for rent.
The price i want is 180 UK pounds per week and the advance it is the price for the first 2 mounths(1 advance and 1 guarantee).The council tax is included in price and the bills are 100 pounds per month.
If you have the money i could come in the next few days to show you the apartment or maybe sign the contract if you like it but first i must be sure you are honest because 2 weeks ago a person from UK told me he is really interested and he asked me to go to UK to meet him and sign the rent contract and when i arrived there no person showed up to rent my place and i lost time and money for nothing.

I will wait for your e-mail.

Regards,Erik Gottfrid



and another one

[terred999]

Hi a friend of mine was looking for a place and got a deal that just seemes too good to be true, just wondering if WILLIAMS FAMILY PROPERTIES is ligit, i cant find a website and their not listed on directory enquieries, any advice would be great

[fifionly]

From a "lady" by the name of Brenda who lives in Gloucester with her horses, and has a 1 (double) bedroom flat in Camden for £650 including all bills (too good to be true, surely!)

The pictures look fantastic, about to arrange a viewing, then this...

I understand you quite okay.I will get the contract ready for you to sign if you like to take the Flat after viewing and the keys will be handed over to you immediately after contract has been signed.
Also,Receipt of payment will be issued to you after which you have sign the lease agreement form.
I really appreciate your words in assuring to pay me if you like the Flat.I understand you quite okay.However,i do not want to stand on peoples promise of paying me cash or cheque when we meet again because i have met with time wasters.
I was discussing with my colleague about the idea on how i will be so sure that i will not be coming down to London on a futile exercise and she advised that we can work out something via Western Union Transfer to make it easy.
She made me to understand that she has used it a couple of times for renting out her Flat.She said that western union can actually hold the money as an evidence and surety that her tenant will pay her at least for the first month and deposit.She explained that you can also visit any Western union outlet and transfer the money IN YOUR FRIEND NAME as the SENDER and RECEIVER will be in YOUR NAME.-You will use his/her name as the SENDER and AFTER viewing and you are okay with the flat,we both can go back to withdraw your money from western union close to my flat as she said she has done transactions this way before.

I do not want you to have the feeling that i am asking for money BEFORE you see what you are renting because i know that payment is meant to be done AFTER you have seen the Flat and okay with it.-The reason why you have to be receiver is basically to give you the confidence that your money is still in your name and to make sure that your money is still safe since you are the Reciever and not anyone else which you will collect with your valid ID,maybe with a passport or drivers license.
So in order for me to also be on a good side,you can go ahead and make the transfer since you have the money ready,let me know immediately you do the transfer so that i can know how to squeeze out time to come and meet you.But i will have to rely on your honesty and truth that you have actually make the transaction before i leave here to come down to London to meet you.What evidence will you give me so that I can be sure that you have made the payment? I was made to understand that you can Send me the (Senders name and Mtcn on the transaction Receipt)to confirm here online on as that is what it usually request for on www.westernunion.com if the money is there before making my way.
I was also made to understand that western union takes some charges for the transfer and i am telling you that i will also return back to you the full transfer charges whether you decide to rent the flat or not when we meet,ok?After doing the transfer,then i will have to leave here and be with you if we can agree on a perfect time to meet up for viewing.

Please,understand that i am NOT asking you to pay me BEFORE you view the flat as payment is done AFTER viewing and Signing of contracts.
I only want to be sure that i am not going to waste my time this time around and i think that with this condition,both of us can be sure we are not wasting our times.Let me know if you are okay with this so that we can proceed.Thanks so much while i will be waiting to read from you and i am looking forward to meet you and be great friends eventually.

PS:I am sorry for the lengthy mail.I only want to explain myself better

Brenda

Got a bit sus (the grammar, the insistence), and had to check out whether there's a scam going on here, as I am a seasoned tenant and have never heard of this as a legitimate arrangement before.

Look out for the email Bd11216@aol.com - I'm sure there's lots of different variations of this.

Oh well, the search continues...

[Yantan]

Hey Guys, thankfully I found this thread before I got scammed. The west hampstead scam is still on Gumtree and I just received the following email:

How are you doing today?I just got your email. The apartment is £180 per week and you are required to pay a 1month and a 6weeks deposit,all bills inclusive.I am looking to rent for a long term lease and a minimum of 3months and maximum of 2years.Unfortunately,I am currently in Liverpool with my mum,she is very sick now and she is undergoing a surgery operation so i have to stay with her so before I can come and show you around for the viewings,I need to know how serious you are about the renting the property because I wont like to come down all the way from Liverpool to be fooled as I have been in the past.And to know if you are capable of paying the house rent.The flat comprises of bedrooms,Living Room, 2 bathrooms, spacious open plan kitchen, and communal garden,Only 8 minutes walk from tube station and all shopping amenities
For instance,I organized a viewing for some professionals last week and they refused showing up and I came all the way from Liverpool.Hope you understand my reasons for saying all this?So I just need to know how serious you are.I have the pictures of the flat on the site so you can view pictures there.I also require you to email me more informations and details about yourself and your full name and phone number to contact you.
Do email me back as soon as possible so we can do the viewings as soon as possible.
Thanks
Bill...

[Yantan]

reginald.bill@yahoo.co.uk

[yackandandah]