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Original poster

Ive been scammed out £500 by a rental scam

112 replies

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 21:47

I have reported it to the police and the bank cant help. Im posting to see if anybody else has been scammed in any way so i dont feel so alone.

Basically i put an ad on gumtree advertising a requirement for a property tp rent tat accepts housing benefit. I was contacted. Conversations took place in email and over the phone. Documents such as tenancy agreements were sent and i parted with 500 due to the desperaton i was feeling of finding somehwere here that accepts housing benefit and needing to move aswell as a really convincing back story the fraudsters had.

They said they lived miles and miles away and that they had been let down with viewings and said people didnt have the mon ey. Me being desperate to take the place of my dreams and having the money and being totally naive handed the money over only to fi nd out later the flat didnt exist. My friend pointed out to me that the photos the fraudsters sent me had come from a selection of esate agents websites.

I know im totally naive and shouldnt have handed the mon ey over and i am now 500 out of pocket and a dream crushed. Im still able to move its just i was set on the image they painted! It would be great if theyre brought to justie but action fraud arent the quickest at letting you know whats happening and you dont go to the police direct anymore when dealing with something like this.

Anybody ever been defrauded ripped off or lost out due to being too trusting or naive?

OP posts:

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Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 21:51

EDIT: The money was for a deposit and they said theyd let me view once the money had been sent but not before as they made out theyd been let down and they would have to take the day off work. Naive of me i know

OP posts:

MephistoMarley · 31/07/2016 21:53

Well if you're for real I'm very sorry but yes you have been a massive fool. I suspect you may be a journo fishing for stories though...

Scrumptiousbears · 31/07/2016 22:00

This happens a lot. Especially via Gumtree. In general if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. I know you know you have been silly but you are not alone. Live and learn unfortunately.

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:01

You suspect wrong. I have been a fool but the blame lays with the perpertrators not the person who has been scammed. IE me. Im 28 years old, suffer with mental health difficulties and live in supported accommodation with a 7.5 year old daughter that does not live with me but will be coming to stay.

I receive PIP and ESA as ive recently been sectioned and i receive HB.

Ive been sectioned 6 times. Im a vulnerable person seeking a home that will take my situation so i was manipulated and scammed. Yes ive been a fool but i just wanted some support thanks very much

OP posts:

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:01

I receive PIP and ESA as ive recently been sectioned and i receive HB.

Ive been sectioned 6 times. Im a vulnerable person seeking a home that will take my situation so i was manipulated and scammed. Yes ive been a fool but i just wanted some support thanks very much

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Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:03

I een said on the phone this sounds too good to be true but il send the money anyway. I'm Kicking myself.

OP posts:

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:43

The bank tried to recover the money bit said it had been withdrawn. I was so desperate for this property i sent the alleged holding deposit out of fear the property would go. More fool me. Lessons learned. Thanks for reading.

OP posts:

BluePitchFork · 31/07/2016 22:46

unfortunately this is a classic scam.
so sorry you fell for it.
hopefully police can help you but if a cash service (westernunion?) is involved, your money is abroad already.

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:52

Thank you, hopefully the police will be able to help but the scammers seemed pretty good and looking about it seems this partocular name has been at it for a little while! Samntha Boakes or Rosemary Grant is the nae that gets used. Theyve probably changed their name again now. The money was sent to a Halifax account opened in Essex, Halifax are saying theyre taking action and action fraud are working with the bank (i hope) but they wouldnt talk to me about it, i wont hear anything from action fraud for 28 days. The fraudsters told me they lived in Coventry, yet the bank was opened in essex yet the woman had an accent, i now think it was a nigerian accent.

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TheRealAdaLovelace · 31/07/2016 22:54

I am sorry this happened to you. Most ads for accommodation in FB groups is the same as Gumtree - that is, scammy. I now assume that most of them are scams.

That crap about how they are 'out of town' and need to make sure you have funds by Western Union is totally classic. Or these days, now that people have copped on to the WU scam, they blatantly ask for money upfront.

You never, never part with money for a flat you have not seen , to a person you have never met.
It really upsets me as vulnerable people like yourself are taken advantage of.
If something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
I am so sorry this happened to you.

TheRealAdaLovelace · 31/07/2016 22:55

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Floggingmolly · 31/07/2016 22:55

You never met the people or saw the flat?!

Trashbox · 31/07/2016 22:58

Stuff like this makes me so angry! Please don't blame the OP!

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 22:58

Thank you, im not sure if im more sorry the money from my savings was scammed from me or the horrible feeling of being taken advantage of like that. I think its the latter.

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chocolatespiders · 31/07/2016 23:02

I once paid £100 for concert tickets on gumtree for my daughter and they were email tickets. She got to the concert and was told that people ha already gone in on the tickets. She was absolutely gutted.

It was for a drake concert and there was huge amount of this going on they reported it on Radio 1.

Could not do anything despite having his bank details etc he must have made a tidy sum of money.
Email tickets should be banned.

MNHQ

PresidentOliviaMumsnet · 31/07/2016 23:03

sorry to read this op. hope that you can get some help and support in RL as well as on MN.

We do advise all our members to be aware that not everyone on t'internet is who they say they are, and that, although we're awed daily by the astonishing support our members give each other through life's trickier twists and turns, we'd always caution anyone never to give more of themselves to another poster, emotionally or financially, than they can afford to spare.

PeppasNanna · 31/07/2016 23:04

For you Op.

TheRealAdaLovelace · 31/07/2016 23:04

I appreciate why my second message was deleted, I had no intention of offending anyone, but I have been flat searching myself recently, which is why I know very well about this scam, and that what I said was accurate.

Pythonesque · 31/07/2016 23:05

Do you have a CPN or other key-worker who can help you with your accommodation search? Hope it works out.

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 23:07

Aw TY pepas nana and thank u MNHQ for your words of caution and thank u chocolate spiders for ur experience. Its a horrible feeling, bless your daughter.

OP posts:

Original poster

MissB1988 · 31/07/2016 23:11

I do have support but the onus is on me to search for the property. Now im wise to scams i should be protected from that atleast. The challenge is finding somehwere that fits the criteria. Thank you for your words of hope pythonesque.

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Ch3apdat3 · 01/08/2016 08:25

I am sorry to hear that you have been scammed !

I would suggest that you look in estate agents and your council should have a website that advertises private and council places to rent, that show the rent price per month
Also websites like rightmove if you are in UK

I would suggest investigating how much money you would need, because most places you need to pay;
deposit
fee for credit check
set up fee to estate agent
If you live in a flat, there may be service charges per month
Plus, monthly bills like council tax, water, electric and gas, internet, TV license, insurance

You may not like where you are currently living, but it may be alot cheaper

The other place you can look are local newspapers, local supermarket notice boards, but DO NOT GIVE anyone any money until you have seen a property

Try to find out what the AVERAGE price to rent in your area is per month for
A room in a shared house, with shared bathroom
A room in a house with private bathroom
A studio flat
A one bedroom flat
A two bedroom flat

Suzie93 · 13/10/2016 21:46

Unfortunately Rose Grant was the name who scammed me too on exactly the same activity... only luckily I only paid half the amount! People don't judge until you've been in the shoes. When you're desperate you forget that something's are too good to be true....

Scepticalme · 17/10/2016 23:36

I have been reading about this scam from a woman called Rosemarie Grant that has moved to West Midlands for a new job & has a 2 bed house in Dorset for rent. Please pay £500 security deposit before the viewing.. Alarm bells start to ring. Research has now stopped the contact with her.
Beware of this email address [email protected]
Will be contacting Gumtree, Gmail & eventually the police. Don't get scammed.

FlabulousChic · 19/10/2016 19:54

I'm really sorry but that's a common scam and generally done by someone overseas.

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