Ive been scammed out £500 by a rental scam

[MissB1988]

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?

Omg so glad I googled her name!! We have been emailing her back and forth and when I said I didn't have the money she ignored me!! She even sent a tenancy agreement

Unfortunately this horrid person is still active. And I have just found myself apart off her disgusting scam and have lost £500 .

Well, I've been scammed by this Rosemarie Grant for £500,

Can this person not be traced by bank details?

Bank Name: Barclays Bank
Account Name: Rosemarie Grant
Account Number: 50628743
Sort Code: 20-10-03

This scammer needs to stop taking advantage of people,

MUMS, let's get this person caught!

It is the same bank details she gave me. My case has been passed over to the fraud team. Make sure you contact them, they're Tring to build a case against her.
The sort code is for a branch in Blackpool. If I can find that as a citizen then the police should be able to find her.

User I have reported your comment. Insensitive as fuck.

This has just happened to me and my partner!
Luckily I am quite skeptical about a lot of things involving the internet so I did some research and came across this post and many others. She/he is using the email address [email protected] at the moment and they also text me so I have their current number. She asked for out full names, current address, email addresses and mobile numbers and I was hesitant to give her the details but my partner just told me to send it. I'm now worried about what she/he could do with this information and I'm thinking about calling the police and I think it would help your situation if I do as she/he is obviously scamming multiple people.

I'm sorry this has happened to you!

I've just looked at her number and it's not even a mobile number in this country! +442476101207 This is the number she contacted me on.

It's a UK number but not a mobile one - looks like it has been used in other scams as well.

I had same email etc but I luckily realised that it's a scam and seemed too good to be true it's nerve recking I was foolish to give my name and address and number I hope to God nothing can be done with this info I have also reported it to action fraud with reading everyone post

It's shocking so many people are being scammed in this way. Yes report to the Police but remember that these people who are doing this are probably not based in the UK but in other parts of the world (probably West Africa) and all the UK police can do is pass what details they have onto the local authorities. Internet banking means they can log into a UK bank account from wherever they are and transfer the money overseas and once it's gone, it won't be coming back.

Don't think either that this is just one person - putting ads on Gumtree, answering calls and transferring money is a big job and there will be a team of people all working together to perpetrate the fraud.

Is it Gumtree's responsibility? They do put up warnings about internet security and "if it seems too good to be true it probably is", and have 24 hour support by live chat and email so you can contact them about ads you think are fishy. Gumtree is a free platform for buyers and sellers which means anyone can post anything and it's up to the buying community to flag up stuff which is dodgy.

Just found the same person still up to their old tricks, did however manage to get a passport photo from her for authentication before I ended the correspondence if it's any use
Passport number: 464560294
expires: 5 August 2019
UK passport
DoB: 13 July 75
Picture shows heavy built blonde.
It may be a fake but it looks genuine enough, though this lady may have had her identity stolen too.

The lady on the passport isn't the genuine person - she had indeed had her identity stolen. I managed to find her on Facebook and explained the situation and she reported it to the police who weren't able to help her (whether she managed to pull the wool over my eyes also, I can't be sure...)

The responsibility ought to lie with the banks - they shouldn't be allowing people to open bank accounts without proper identification of who they were. If they've opened accounts for someone using false ID then surely they are liable to repay?

I posted an add on gumtree about a 2 bedroom flat aswell, i was contacted by Rosemary Grant, funnily enough this is the email address I was given [email protected] SCAMMER!!!
I have done research and am aware of the scams out there, thanfully this thread has confirmed my suspicions! its a shame people are so cruel!

Heard so much about scams on gumtree and would never use it myself. I hope you manage to find somewhere soon.

Thank you so much for this post. I am so sorry this has happened to you but thanks to you sharing your experience you have stopped this from happening to me too.

I posted on gumtree, Rosemarie Grant emailed me, said same thing about west midlands, asked for my current address and number, full name etc which I've sent but luckily i have read your post and will absolutely go no further with it. I am in Norwich so just shows they are contacting people all over the place x

I can't believe she is still getting away with this.

Rose Grant contacted me recently as well. The house seemed very good for the cost and made me feel like maybe it was too good to be true. Then she started asking for money up front which didn't seem right. I offered to bring a cheque to the arranged viewing which didn't go down too well. A few Google searches later I found this thread and thank fully haven't sent any money, but easy to see how she sucks people in >:/ She's using the email [email protected] and phone number +442476100750 and an address in Coventry.

You can report the scam on the Action Fraud website and too Google as it's using their services.

This is still happening!!! I posted an add on gumtree on Thursday night and this rose grant did the same to me went as far as sending me the assured shorthold tenancy agreements but wanted a £600 holding deposit and was going to hand over the keys on Tuesday evening if I sent the deposit!!!
We checked the google street view to the house address we had been given and the windows didn't match
At all and obviously alarm
Bells rang when they were able to get this tenancy agreement sorted out from 10pm Friday night to 10.30am Saturday morning on a bank holiday weekend!!! They have me an address in Coventry where they worked and other details but warned me not to go anywhere near the property before handing over the £600 deposit, my 20 year old son, my husband and myself obviously started looking into things, I emailed her back saying she must be able to appreciate that I can't hand over such a large amount of money to a perfect stranger and I hadn't even viewed the house that's when I was warned against going near the property!!! Alarm bells galore!!!
They said, in not a nice manner at all, if you do not sent the deposit I will let the property to another party even though they told me they had turned down 2 others and went on about others not been able to pay the deposit And they couldn't show me round the property until I had paid to assure them I wouldn't waste their time!

I messaged them saying well I will not send the money when I havnt viewed and I havnt met you so please feel free to let it elsewhere!!
I havnt heard back.
So it is still going on!!! I have reported to gumtree but had no reply!!'
It can happen to anyone, we are in a desperate situation and they seem to thrive on that!!
There are some truly horrible people in this world that prey on vulnerable individuals.
I hope that you got yourself sorted and that you are now settled and happy xxx

Thank you all so much, I was contact by this person and I thought it was too good to be true for the price and did some digging and came across this so THANKS!!

This is still going on but it's now an Alice Brunton lives in Coventry works at a old people's home moved for work want to let a house £450 a month fully furnished bills include, wasn't interested in a fully furnished house so she said she would clear it out told me loads of people let her down and didn't turn up for viewings and didn't have enough money for the deposit (she wanted £400 deposit) sounded pretty convincing till she asked for the money before viewing the house sent over a tenants agreement with the address of the house that for rent but said he soliciter had drafted it up but no name or address of said soliciter... ignored me when I said I couldn't pay before viewing then decided to drive to the house that was said to be empty...2 cars in the drives...but apparently she lived in Coventry so it's still going on I emailed and just said thought the house was empty...funnily enough no reply I still have the number and email address

I have just been done the same why by this women Rosemarie grant. Said she was going to the bank to repay money still waiting .

Lottie what number did she use with you please WD have kept emails she use Rose Marie grant with us

I bet she's usrung same photos as well