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Original poster

To think this is suspicious...?

51 replies

Lifegoeson · 11/02/2011 12:15

I'm looking to rent a flat, landlord is abroad and has experienced time wasters, so understand his predicament, I have received an email from him this morning requesting this...

Hello,
We could meet and maybe sign the tenancy agreement Sunday but you see these is due to previous predicament that I have gone through in the past trying to rent the property to some students,I have got to realize so many people are not really in need of an apartment all they do is secure a place in advance.

My last experience in trying to rent the property to a particular lady had got me topredicate on these,she made me believe she was willing and ready to get the apartment she even went to the extend of showing me her statement of account,which made me took her for the viewing but after taking her for the viewing,she saw the apartment and got to love it and never wanted to loose it,so she kept pleading i retain it for her because she is not financially composed at the moment,which i did but end up disastrously.

So basically for me to be sure of you been willing and ready to get the apartment I will employ you walk into any Post Office,look after a Money Gram agent and send the total bill cash £1440(two months rent and one month refundable deposit) to one of your friend's name, to whoever you want, whoever you trust (NOT to ME) with location of city.

All I need is for you to get back to me with the receipt issued to you after making the transaction so I can confirm it! When we will meet in person to sign the papers we will go together to Money Gram and you will withdraw the cash and pay me in hand or you can pay me on Monday by bank transfer! I just need to see that you do have the money available and you do have serious intentions in renting the flat!

If the Money Gram agent will ask you about the receiver you should tell him that is a relative of yours because the transfer fees will be cheaper! If you will tell them the reason they might consider this a commercial transaction and charge you more. Anyway I will pay for it either you take the flat or not! I will book the flight for Sunday as soon as I have your positive answer because I can come only in weekends!
I do apologise for that but as I told you last time when I arrived to Milton Keynes to show the flat to a person everything was a stupid joke and I hope you understand me because I don`t want to waste my time and money on plane tickets..
Regards

Flat is gorge and a bargain, but unsure about this set up...?

OP posts:
LDNmummy · 11/02/2011 12:34

I am a student tenant and have also been a standard private tenant for years. This is all wrong. Even as a student tenant, which means you are scrutinised more than normal tenants, you would never have to give that much money upfront. You would usually give a holding deposit of 500 pounds or an amount along those lines. Maybe even the actual deposit, but never deposit and two months rent. Total scam!

Honeybee79 · 11/02/2011 12:34

Scam. Don't respond.

QueenStromba · 11/02/2011 12:34

I've read a few sites where people bait email scammers so have read quite a lot of emails written by Nigerian scammers and I'd be willing to be any money that the person who wrote that was Nigerian - they write English is a very distinctive manner. Nigerian + dodgy sounding = scam.

QueenStromba · 11/02/2011 12:35
  • willing to bet any money
Nancy66 · 11/02/2011 12:36

Nigerial scam. 100%

Nancy66 · 11/02/2011 12:37

Nigerian that should read

diddl · 11/02/2011 12:41

Obv a scam-but what happens when people ask to look at the property?

ratspeaker · 11/02/2011 13:06

diddl the whole thing will be that no one will get shown round the property unless they pay the deposit
Then the "landlord" wont turn up

There's very little the police can do about these as the culprit is usually abroad- not always in Nigeria -Western Union and Moneygramm
The bit about it being to a "friend you trust " is a distraction, as soon as they have the receipt the money can be picked up anywhere in the world with the refrence codes and security question.
A real landlord would surely be able to run a credit check on you to see you were able to pay
Or would go through an agent, surely much cheaper than flying in any time someone wants to look at the property

If you saw the property through an ad somewhere, report it to who ever is posting the ad

caramelwaffle · 11/02/2011 13:08

It is a well known scam.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 11/02/2011 13:08

pasco I love that site. I've a friend with too much time on his hands. He had a load of scammers dressed up in Leeds united football kit.

piprabbit · 11/02/2011 13:14

Here is the Citizens Advice view on this scam.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

looblylu · 11/02/2011 13:22

its a scam, i know from experience :)
We had the exact same thing (didnt send any money or anything though)

Onetoomanycornettos · 11/02/2011 13:28

I have also seen very cheap lovely properties on Gumtree and wondered what was wrong with them, now I know!

wolfhound · 11/02/2011 13:30

Total scam. No wonder the flat looks like a lovely bargain.

diddl · 11/02/2011 14:42

"diddl the whole thing will be that no one will get shown round the property unless they pay the deposit"

Of courseBlush

But I can´t believe that people actually fall for it in that case.

TheButterflyCollector · 11/02/2011 14:48

www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=12974

Avoid!!

Mumonastick · 11/02/2011 14:56

Could be very dangerous. Do not enter in to any kind of agreement with this person, and really I would not even meet up with him you are taking a great risk if you do that.

SparkyUK · 11/02/2011 14:57

When we were looking for a flat to rent on Gumtree there were a lot of "landlords" who wanted us to prove we could afford the various flats before they would show them to us using this method. I don't know how they do it but it is a scam and I replied as much adn reported them to gumtree.

KangarooCaught · 11/02/2011 15:01

Well done for having your scam radar on Smile The flat you think is gorgeous won't be available for you to rent anyway...or never at the price being offered.

uggmum · 11/02/2011 15:06

This is a complete scam. Don't do it.

pascoe28 · 11/02/2011 15:16

kreecher - I was actually looking for the email chain between one of these scammers and a bloke that takes them on. I think one of them had the scammer ordering animals (lions etc) and so on. Radio 4 had a mini series on it!

MrsGangly · 11/02/2011 18:14

This scam featured on an episode of The Real Hustle.

Bogeyface · 12/02/2011 08:15

Am I right in thinking you can post an ad for free on there?

Might be worth posting your own ad, warning people that this scam is being operated in your area.

ratspeaker · 12/02/2011 10:49

gumtree.force.com/Help/articles/General_Information/Warning-signs?retURL=%2Fapex%2FknowledgeSafe

Report any suspicious ad to gumtree, they'll remove it from the site