The $700 Apartment Scam & Thank God for Google
By Susanne Goldstein on Aug 20, 2007 in Anti-Social Age, More To Explore, Susanne's Favs, Social Justice
Every movement in society suffers from the ails of its great intentions, and The Social Age is no different. I occasionally run into stories that are so anti-social age, they make my skin crawl. This is one of them.
I was recently helping my friend Tanya look for an apartment here in Boston. Together we combed Craig’s List, looking for the “miracle deal” — a great apartment for a great price in a great location. Believe it or not, we found just such a miracle — a gorgeous 2 bedroom in Boston’s tony Back Bay neighborhood, for $700 per month. So Tanya replied to the ad.
The lister, Melinda Holberg of Munchen Germany, wrote Tanya back with a description of the apartment, pictures and the following explaination: “I am living in Germany. The apartment was my American husband’s. We were in a car accident and my husband was killed. I was left deaf from the accident. I am looking for someone trustworthy to take a one year lease on the apartment. I have had a lot of interest and if you would like to have the apartment, I require a 3 month ($2100) deposit. Please let me know if you are interested.”
I smelled a skunk. It seemed wholly too convenient that this bereaved widow in Germany was, on top of all her other grief, deaf, and therefore, I assumed, was “unable”to speak on the phone with perspective renters. Tanya also knew it sounded too good to be true, but was intrigued none-the-less. She wrote back expressing her continued interest in the unit, at which point Ms. Holberg explained how the situation would work. Tanya would be provided with an “escrow” account number, where she would deposit $2100. Once the money was in escrow, Ms. Holberg would fly to Boston to meet with the renter and her attorney to sign papers.
Now I’m an incredibly, often slightly naive, trusting sort. I believe in the inherent good of people. Heck, I write a blog about The Social Age. But this one got the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. So I Googled her. Unlucky for her, I found an old cached page with the following:
real estate rental on yahoo
I am interested in renting an apt thru yahoo real estate. It is requested that I send $2,100 dollars (moneygram) to a yahoo realestate agent across the USA. I cannot even SEE the apt till I send the money. Is this safe? How do I know I will get the apt. see the apt. and that this is legitimate. I don’t want to lose the $$ but I do like the area. Please advise
by Yahoo! Real Estate employee Steve |Hi. I’d be very cautious here. First, there is no such thing as a “yahoo realestate agent”, so I’m a skeptical about the validity of the offer. Second, you should not feel obligated to send money before seeing the rental. Can you please send us the rental listing in question and contact information of the company and/or individual making this offer?
by anonymous user | EMERGENCY– I have responded to a similar offer for the same amount of money, and a confirmation email from “Real Estate Rent ID Verification” was sent with a full webpage that has the Yahoo! REAL ESTATE and Experian logos on it, and the name of the agent to whom the prospective tenant had to send the cash amount via Moneygram, to be deposited into an escrow account until the rental unit is visited and a contract is signed by both parties. The Yahoo Real Estate Agent for this transaction was Vanessa Beluci, 6533 E Jefferson, Detroit, MI 48207 (Fax: 646-390-8501) and the Yahoo Real Estate Landlord was Melinda Holberg, 37 Wittelsbacherplatz, Munchen, 80633, Germany for a rental apartment at 377 Marlborough St. in Boston, MA 02115. They even give you a lease ID 3777149, a transaction #5634018 to request a refund within 10 days from the initial email. Let me know at once where to send the detailed email about it so you can assist me further in getting my refund.
by anonymous user | My sister got a similar e-mail and scam offer for an apartment in DC, for $2100 also.
So I guess that Ms. Holberg has been pulling this identical scam off in cities around the country. The apartment Tanya was looking at was the same 377 Marlborough St listed above. We reported the scam to Craig’s List who immediately pulled down the ad. I just feel so bad for the person who sent in the $2100.
And so I come back to, this: The Social Age is dawning as a result of all of the great works, technologies and communities that have sprung up around the world. There are many great things that are happening as the human race becomes more interconnected, interdependent and inter-concerned. The opposite also holds true. There are scumbags who will take advantage, at every possibility, of the good will of the global community. There are sex predators seeking victims on MySpace, scam artists convincing old ladies that a $1million sweepstakes prize will be delivered if they just pre-pay the $50,000 tax, and jackasses who take something great like Craig’s List (which is one of the best examples of the organic democratization of content and community in the world) and ruin it for the rest of us. I’m not one to rant, but these anti-Social Agists make me ill.
So what to do? Luckily, places like eBay have put in “trust” measures based on community ratings, but unfortunately we can count on input from the “group” on every decision we make. Perhaps it is time that the good guys fight back Tayna wrote Ms Holberg a “busted” note. I doubt it will change her behavior. But I can keep hoping.
Less than a week later and “Melinda” is back at it again with a new craigslist posting. Thanks for the warning!
Comment by Meg -- Aug 27, 2007 @ 1:29 am
I too fell for this offer until I received the email from Real Estate Rent.ID.Verification with both the Experian and Yahoo logos. I called Experian, who had no idea what I was talking about, and searched Yahoo for the service that “Sylvia Burrton” was allegedly using. Nothing.
Of course then I chanced upon this article which confirmed everything.
I know that since I probably have no real information about her (real address or name), I probably won’t get very far with reporting her.
I would like, however, to report her to Experian and Yahoo for trademark violation and using their logos illegally. Hopefully they will be interested in doing something about it.
Comment by Lilian -- Aug 28, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
I just got one too from Sylvia Burrton. Still in Munich and still deaf. She’s “selling” an apartment in Brentwood, CA. I didn’t even see the craigslist ad, she just sent an e-mail saying sorry for the late reply. I realized I never sent anything for her to reply to.
Comment by Lila -- Aug 29, 2007 @ 10:52 am
So we all figured it out, sorry for those who didn’t. Sylvia/Melinda is back, so I hope everyone is clever enough to type her name in Google before sending their $2100. Does anyone know of a good way of setting up a warning page or anything?
Comment by Brian Cawrse -- Aug 30, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
I knew $700 a month for a 2 bdr apt in Brentwood CA was too good to be true so I too, googled Sylvia Burrton’s name. And look what we have here.. I guess she goes by two different names (as far as we know). This person (we don’t even know if she’s really a woman) will eventually get what’s coming to her. Hopefully sooner than later. I cringe at the thought of how many naive people have fallen for this scam.
Comment by Lalaine -- Aug 31, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
I have been e-mailing “Melinda” back and forth for a few days now. Thank god I found this page!!! I even googled the address she sent me of a moneygram agent and it turned out to be some apartment building in new york! what a crook.. thanks for posting this though- hopefully more will be as smart and do some research before giving away $2100 in CASH.
Comment by Elinor -- Sep 3, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
Looks like she’s back in Washington, DC as “Janine Bozen.” I just got an e-mail response from her and am waiting for the request to wire transfer the funds. $700/month, husband dead in car accident, she’s deaf, all the same details.
Comment by MB -- Sep 4, 2007 @ 11:37 am
She was on Craigslist about 2 days ago Same story but slightly different name.
Here’s what she said:
Hello,
Please escuse my late reply but I couldn’t respond
earlier. My name is Sylvia Browne. The apratment has
two bedrooms. The rent is $700 /month and it doesn’t
include the utilities. I am the owner of the
apartment, I had the apartment with my husband because
he was an american citizen and last year because we
had a car accident my husband died and I also lost my
hearing in the accident. Now I live in Munchen
Germany. The apartment is very big and nice and it is
in a nice area of Brentwood, Los Angeles. I have
received many proposals today for my apartment, if you
wish to rent the apartment you must cover three months
the first three months will be payed at the begining
of the contract and you will begin to pay the rent
normaly from the 4th month of your staying.
Thank you
When asked if possible to view apartment first she said:
The apartment is like in the pictures, furnished with
new furniture and because it is new I have to ask you
to take good care of it if you will rent my apartment.
I own the apartment and I rent it because I don’t like
to be empty because a ghouse need its cleaning and
fresh air. The minimum rent contract is for one year
no less.
Utilities are about $70/month, parking available.
The apartment has two bedrooms and a living room, it
is very spacious and sunny .
If you wish to bring your furniture you will have to
tell me so I will find a place to storage mine.
Because my hearing problems from the accident I have
to go weekly to a clinic here in Munchen for treatment
so I won’t have much time to spend in USA .
Because of that and also due the fact that it is a
long distance between countries it is hard for me to
decide from the offers that I have received and I also
can’t come for every offer that I receive.
I will perform a background check on you as tenant
and if you will be approved as good tenant you will
need to deposit the three month rent into escrow
service after you will be approved.
This way I will also be asured that you have the money
to pay me in advance and also that will not loose my
time and that I will not make the trip for nothing.
This way I will also reserve the apartment for you and
refuse other offers.
The deposit will remain into the service escrow till
we will make the contract. Once the service will
confirm that you have the deposit I will buy my plane
tickets and we will arrange a meeting. After we will
meet and show you the apartment we will make the rent
contract to one lawyer office (we both find an office
where we will make the contract).
Send me your full name and full address so I will
forward your details to do a background check on you
as tenant and for the escrow transaction.
Thank you
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE…MOST LIKELY IT IS!!!!
Comment by Erin -- Sep 5, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
Thank you so much for posting this story. We almost fell for the same scam. 2100 in an escrow account,for 40 isabella street, boston. only this time the name was tara white from munchn germany, with the same accident story.
Comment by kimba jacques -- Sep 11, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
She has struck again but under the name Vanessa Huntington, listing the same 2BR apt in Toronto. The descriptive emails and the money transfer instructions were identical. Only this time its AOL Real Estate. My first suspicians were raised with the price for downtown Toronto and when she sent apt pics which were certainly not of a typical Canadian apt - it was definitely somewhere in Europe as we had just visited there last month & recognized some of the fixtures and appliances.
It really was too good to be true and so sad that some people resort to such deception. Craigslist was informed but we noted that her listing still shows up on their site.
Comment by Mary Smith -- Sep 12, 2007 @ 6:56 pm
She post under the name Martha Berrington.
Comment by Mary Smith -- Sep 13, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
perhaps a periodic sweep of craig’s list for $2100 is in order. there is no way to shut things like this down. but certainly no ‘money up front’ anything should be taken seriously.
Comment by tami portnoy -- Sep 25, 2007 @ 10:59 pm
I just replied to an apartment on craigslist in brentwood. Again $2100, - $1600 + $500 for security deposit. Not a women but the guy Patrick holland says he is in new york and wont be able to meet in person and that we would have to go through a broker. He has lots of broken english when writing. Sounds like a similar scam to this one.
Comment by anon -- Oct 9, 2007 @ 10:37 pm
Wow, so glad I found this, I was literally hooked until I got the Experian email — this time with AOL Real Estate.
Now the name is Marry Hansen (marryhansen@gmail.com) and the apartment was 2 Franklin street boston, 2br/$800
Same email verbatim as above…and also this:
“I have submitted your information to the service . I
saw that you have been approuved and that you don’t
have bad records. I have received the mail into my
BULK email so you also can look into your email to see
if you have received the transaction email.
Please proceed to make the deposit in the next 24-48
hours if posible so
I will expect the confirmation from them about your
deposit and I will book a flight after that and we
will arange a meeting as soon as I have bought my
plane tickets. If you will confirm it fast than I will
also have time to book the plane for this week and we
will meet this weekend and also make the contract and
you can move in.”
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS
Comment by Anon -- Oct 17, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
That name-shifting whore…
Now it is Ophelia Tayson, with an apartment on 43rd St. in Manhattan for 800/mo. Still deaf, still has a dead husband, and still lives in Germany. Now she only needs two months rent though.
I am so pissed this is a scam. I thought I had found a great deal.
Comment by Greg -- Oct 18, 2007 @ 8:46 pm
Thank god i found this i was falling in for this scam thanks soooo much!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Riaz -- Oct 23, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
Yep. I saw the 43rd St in Manhattan for 800/mo also. Same story.
Comment by Katharine -- Oct 23, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
SCAM SCAM SCAM.
I was falling in for this scam.
Thank you.
Comment by Martha -- Oct 23, 2007 @ 7:10 pm
me too! 43rd street in manhattan by some chick named “ophelia”–grrrrr!
Comment by panayiota -- Oct 23, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
Wow- so I’m not as naive as I thought. I knew there was something fishy about this. I am so angry! But glad to not have fallen. Thank you so much…
almost fell for Ophelia. Carajo!
Comment by bela -- Oct 24, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
Im sooo mad that this is fake. I was literally about to make my deposit tomorrow! Im so pissed. Is there anyway to catch this broad?
Comment by Tameika -- Oct 24, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Now its under Ingrid from Sweden and the apt is listed at 434 West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036. Same pixs as the one on 43rd Street. Rent for $800 but then says it’s been bumped up to $1100. YEAH OK
Comment by NoFool -- Oct 31, 2007 @ 10:32 am
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANk YOU! I got an email from this Ingrid when I was looking on Craigslist - I knew it was too good to be true…geez! People are terrible.
Comment by Tina -- Nov 4, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
Yes, thank god. I didn’t see this webpage documenting the Swedish “Ingrid Crane” scam and almost got caught as well (made the Moneygram order but omitted all the information needed to take the cash out). She said she was from Sweden, deaf, and with a dead husband. I contacted the legal team at Craigslist, the Corcoran Property Management, whose property she listed (434 West 47th Street) and I am contemplating filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Unit of the FBI. This is ridiculous and I am very fortunate that I did not fall for this.
Comment by Busted -- Nov 5, 2007 @ 11:37 am
He emailed me:
My name is Mike Jones and my payment address is:
30 Leinster Gardens
W2 3AN, London
United Kingdom
Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work .
After you receive the package , You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if all is in order you will instruct TNT to send me the information about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds . If you don`t like the apt they will send your money back to you and you will send them the keys and the contract to them. I will pay TNT for the shipping and you will pay Western Union for the Money Transfer fee. Let me know if we can do this
1) First you will have to send me your full name and address. I will need them for the shipping.
2) I go to the TNT store and leave the keys and the contract onto your name as the intended receiver.
3) TNT will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys.
4) TNT will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told that they have the keys and that they checked it.
5) At this point you will have to go to a Western Union Agent Location and make a money deposit on the TNT payment agent name for the amount we agreed .
6) After you make the deposit you will have to send the info about the money deposit to TNT (MTCN, sender’s name and address).
7) TNT will verify the payment information and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you .
Comment by Paul Ronson -- Nov 9, 2007 @ 5:48 am
I saw a similiar add for an 1100 apartment in midtown manhattan. Ingrid Crane replied saying she was in switzerland, and that she was deaf and her husband died… And no one else had the key so I couldn’t see it in person.Good thing I googled…
Comment by Gladys -- Nov 12, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
We just got one for 292 Beacon St, Boston from “Mary” and the email is marry44@gmail.com. She is deaf with a dead guy too and wants $1600 in escrow NOW! Everything is pretty much the same as what others have posted. I feel violated!
Comment by Tammy -- Nov 12, 2007 @ 11:05 pm
BEWARE!!! $800 2BR APT IN BRENTWOOD/ LOS ANGELES.
This person is back on craigslist FAKE renting an apartment in brentwood for $800. Asking for the money to be put in an escrow account because she, ANGELA THOMPSON, lives in Sweden because she is getting weekly treatments. She claims she is deaf and was in an accident with her husband and he was killed.
Asked for two months rent to be put in this account and then she would fly to the US once contract was signed and then funds would be released to her and keys to me.
Email address is reevesma@gmail.com. Also has an accomplice in NY going by Jean Vernault who is the “account agent” at HSBC. Also is using a fake background check through Privacy Matters .She wanted me to money gram the cash to this person who would then be the “overseer” of this escrow account.
BE CAREFUL. i ALMOST fell for it but it all seemed too good to be true.
Comment by Dawn Oliver -- Nov 13, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
Just almost fell into the same thing. ONly this time, the woman whose name is Marry was from Sweden. Deaf from the accident that also killed her husband. She wanted $1,600 up front. However, the “HSCB” escrow account wanted me to Moneygram the cash to an Agent Jean Vernault of HSCB, and then Marry would fly to Boston to give me the Keys. Great 2-bedroom in Back Bay for $800/mo.
Luckily, I went to HSCB and they said they never have a single agent receive the money, and the money transfer is by wire only, not Moneygram.
Too bad I can’t call Marry, she’s deaf afterall. By the way, the fax number area code to which I was supposed to send the payment was in Michigan. Hmmmmm…..keep a look out all you bargain hunters!
Comment by Toby -- Nov 14, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Marry Bowlers actual email:
First of all I would like to thank you for your reply.
Now I would like to clear up some details. LOCATION:
292 Beacon St, Back Bay- Boston,02116.
Located near Exeter St, this third floor apartment features a separate kitchen, two bedrooms, a full bathroom, oak floors and walk-in closet. 850 SQF…Furnished…
The apartent is available now rent $800.00/month.
The lease can be for a minimum 1 year. I’m the full right owner, I’m no broker or something else… The utilities aren’t included in this price (rent/month),utilities are about $60.00-$80.00/month Everything in this aprtment is functional because is new. If you need to do some reparations (the worst case that could happen) in the apartment, I will refund the reparations cost, or I will deduct those from monthly payment. Five years ago me and my husband had an accident on a highway and he died in the crash and because of a contusion I lost my hearing and since then I am deaf. As I’m in Sweden in Stockholm because I live in the situation is a little bit complicated because I must come to US and sign the contract with you (lease contract). Unfortunately I, have the keys no one else have acces in the apartment because it is a private property.
My conditions are: you must have two months rent in advance at the begining of your staying and you will begin paying the rent normaly from the 3rd month. Your background credit must be ok.
Thank you Mary
Comment by Toby -- Nov 14, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
Here’s my correspondence with “Angela/Mary”First of all I would like to thank you for your reply.
Now I would like to clear up some details.
LOCATION: 575 S Barrington Ave, zip 90049
Tthird floor apartment features a separate kitchen,
two bedrooms, a full bathroom, oak floors and walk-in
closet.
850 SQF…Furnished…
The apartent is available now rent $800.00/month
The lease can be for a minimum 1 year.
I’m the full right owner, I’m no broker or something
else…
The utilities aren’t included in this price
(rent/month),utilities are about $60.00-$80.00/month
Everything in this aprtment is functional because is
new. If you need to do some reparations (the worst
case that could happen) in the apartment, I will
refund the reparations cost, or I will deduct those
from monthly payment.
Five years ago me and my husband had an accident on a
highway and he died in the crash and because of a
contusion I lost my hearing and since then I am deaf.
As I’m in Sweden in Stockholm because I live in the
situation is a little bit complicated because I must
come to US and sign the contract with you (lease
contract).
Unfortunately I, have the keys no one else have acces
in the apartment because it is a private property.
My conditions are: you must have two months rent in
advance at the begining of your staying and you will
begin paying the rent normaly from the 3rd month. Your
background credit must be ok.
Thank you Angela
Comment by Dawn Oliver -- Nov 14, 2007 @ 5:25 pm
Thank you again for your email. Let me ad some other
details.
There is also one parking space available. I accept
pets (cats and dogs) in the apartment.
You will have in the apartment two br and one
livingroom. It is furnished and also wit all
appliances in kitcen and bathroom.
If you have furniture or if you do not want to use my
furniture I will remove mine and you will bring your
own.
Since the crash that I had I go weely to hospital here
in Stockholm for treatment and because of this I cant
stay to long in US when we will meet to make the
contract.
I also can’t afford to come and find that you don’t
have an impecable background or you don’t have two
months rent.
I know that you understand my concernes.
You will need to reply with your name and previous
address for a background check and I will also start
an escrow transaction where you will deposit the 2
month rent in US at the service escrow. I will pay for
my flight after that and we will set up a meeting so
we will make a contract before I receive your funds
from the service.
The service will hold the funds until we will have a
contract signed after you will send a copy of the
contract they will release the funds to me.
Reply with your name and address for background and
escrow.
Thank you
Comment by Dawn Oliver -- Nov 14, 2007 @ 5:25 pm
New addresses.
57 Box Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
He post under the name Lisa F Rudolf.
Just because I post here last time and give my real name he suspend my email addresse by Subscribe me to all kind of newsletters.
Don’t send money to Assiatu Bangura.
He has an account opened at Bank Of America.
Account#: 004468348601
Routing / ABA number: 026009593
Branch: 6495 New Hampshire Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20783
I called today the bank and they told me that the investigate the case and that the allready received other complaints.
Thank you for making this blog.
Comment by Paul Ronson -- Nov 15, 2007 @ 9:30 am
Well this deaf little lady gets AROUND! just received that EXACT story from an “eva” pretending to have an apartment on w.16th in NYC. The exact email that has been posted above by many others. Be SO SO careful using Craigslist.
Comment by Rebecca Elkin -- Nov 16, 2007 @ 3:08 pm
I almost feel for this back in August, $700 a month apt. in Brentwood, wanted $2100 through Yahoo Real Estate Escrow. Name was Paula Schuler, in Munich Germany. Wow I would love to Scambait these people and cause them some major grief. “Oh yeah, I transferred the $2100 to you yesterday, you havent got it yet??”
Comment by Ryan -- Nov 18, 2007 @ 7:35 am
DO NOT SEND MONEY TO RENTALSESTATE.COM OR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. MY HUSBAND AND I JUST LOST $2,200 ON AN “APARTMENT”, AND OUR BANK HAS JUST TOLD US THAT THE MONEY WAS IMMEDIATELY WIRED OUT TO AN ACCOUNT IN CHINA. WATCH OUT!
Comment by jesamyn -- Nov 26, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
THANK GOD for this site.
I was today supposed to wire my deposit to rentalsestate.com to someone who uses a different email address (calls himself Austin) and says he is in Miami, FL doing construction. The apartment was in Chelsea, NY.
If I had not come across this today, I would be $2600 robbed by lunch time. Thank you to all of you.
NEVER TRUST ANYONE ASKING FOR MONEY UP FRONT! IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE….IT PROBABLY IS.
Comment by Sdizzle -- Nov 26, 2007 @ 2:48 pm
This guy offered us a great apt deal 3BD for $1000 in Manhattan, which he claims he owns…
But he’s not in Manhattan, he’s in Florida because he had to move for work. So he will send us the keys and contract for us to check out the apt BUT we have to pay him FIRST… and then if we don’t like the apt he’ll pay us back.
There are more nuances and details to this, that make it much more believable…
He’s using a delivery service (TNT) who supposedly will get the keys and contract to us and will handle the moneygram arrangements - he leaves the impression that they are somehow the go between with the money.
We called TNT and they immediately told us it’s a complete fraud/scam.
Here’s one of the emails we received in corresponding with this person:
“Hello ,
Thank again for your reply . If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I will need to inform you the steps about this service work and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to TNT Service the first month of rent, 1000 US$, so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract.
Like I said, I will pay for a 2 days delivery so you will receive the Keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work .
1 - To start this transaction i will need to know your full shipping information, full name, full shipping address to proceed with this deal .
2 - I go to the TNT Office and leave the Keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - TNT will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the Keys.
4 - TNT will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the Keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told that they have the Keys and that they checked it.
5 - At this point you will have to go to a Money Gram Agent Location and make a money deposit on the TNT payment agent name for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent .
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the info about the money deposit to TNT (Reference Number, sender’s name and address)
7 - TNT will verify the payment information’s and if everything is in order they will deliver the Keys and the contract to you .
8 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if all is in order you will instruct TNT to send me the information’s about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds. If you don `t like the apt they will send your money back to you and you will send them the keys and the contract to them.
I will pay TNT Service for the shipping and you will pay Money Gram for the Money Transfer fee.
Let me know if we can do this,and email me all your full shipping information so we can proceed with this deal .
Thank you for your interest .”
Just wanted to warn everyone.
Comment by Charlotte -- Dec 3, 2007 @ 5:09 am
Now the scam comes to Miami. My wife and I find this ad at craiglist and …..so good to be true, perfect location in Brickell and the rent is amazing (utilities , cable and internet included for $ 740.00 a month !!!). We receive the famous email from “TNT”….deposit in advanced ?? No name on the emails?? Then appears a complete diferent name as the agent receiver, located in London. I called TNT two times , they confirmed it was an scam, and the lady told me that they received the same situation for apartments in NYC, DC and LA.
To bad, my wife was so excited (an me too, we were thinking God remeber Us :))
Be carefull with this good to be true ads my friends.
Comment by Jc -- Dec 14, 2007 @ 12:16 am
He name is now Angela. She is posting on craigslist for a 2br/2bth apartment on S Barrington Ave. for $800 a month. Watch out!
Comment by Marie -- Dec 15, 2007 @ 12:03 am
It’s here in San Francisco. His name is Brian Collente. Same staple message as the others, but luckily I was smart enough to search Google first. Thank GOD!
Comment by jaime -- Dec 16, 2007 @ 8:01 pm
SHE STRIKES AGAIN…AND YES -THANK GOD FOR GOOGLE !
SAME STORY IS HAPPENING TO MY HUSBAND AND I ,RIGHT NOW AS I AM POSTING THIS.
WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH THIS WOMAN WHO NOW CLAIMS SHE LIVES IN SWEDEN AND IS GOING BY THE NAME OF Christine Wagoner ( WHO I THINK IS AN ACTRESS FROM DAYS OF OUR LIVES)
SAME STORY 800$ A MONTH APARTMENT IN THE HEART OF BRENTWOOD.
HOWEVER, WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE WAS THE PICTURES SHE SENT ME OF THE APT LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE A EUROPEAN APT. I HAVE BEEN TO EUROPE AND I LIVED IN CA. IM ASSUMING SHE JUST PUT UP PHOTO’S OF HER EUROPEAN APT.
ANYWAY, SUSANNE I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH !!!
Comment by Layla -- Dec 17, 2007 @ 12:56 am
wow, so glad i saw this page. her name is angela and now on craigslist with the brentwood apt for $800. that is impossible! haha, she sent pictures to me and everything, my question is, has anybody drove by these places and looked at them?
Comment by recon -- Dec 17, 2007 @ 6:37 am
This is a scam. Affordable 2 Bedroom Apt. posting and the email addresses jerrine.hammoniaux3388@yahoo.com.
You’ll get a Yahoo autoreply email that wants you to provide your name and FICO score. If you don’t know your FICO, it suggests you click through a phishing link.
THIS IS THE AUTOREAPLY.
“Hi,
Due to the enormous amount of responses I was receiving for this apartment, I will be using this temporary e-mail to avoid getting spammed. If you are still interested in the Apartment, I can set up a date so you can see the apartment. Please e-mail me the following information to help speed up the process:
First and Last Name:
Income per year:
Credit Score:
If you do not know your credit score, you can get it for free online on the link below.
http://www.web-free-credit-report.com
I prefer if all interested renters check their credit score for themselves because I do not feel comfortable asking for SS #. All interested renters please e-mail me at the above e-mail with the info. Thank you, please respond ASAP”
SCAM SCAM SCAM.
Watch out and good luck on your search!
Comment by Rachel Lawrence -- Dec 17, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
Susanne first of all thanks alot for making this blog.
It is the best blog ever.
http://www.rentalsestate.com/
The site Has Been Suspended.
Thank you
Comment by Shannon -- Dec 17, 2007 @ 6:06 pm
I also saw the exact same description of this lady on Craigslist who claims to be in Sweden with the name Angela (Christine Wagoner), with a husband who died in a car accident and that she got deaf; that I should first send her a cash deposit through moneygram for the 2 BR apartment in Brentwood. I even felt so sorry for her. People like this should be punished and I strongly believe in “karma”.
Comment by Rose -- Dec 19, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Hey Rachel, I have received that exact same email for an apartment in Long Beach $800/1 bedroom. It has that web site http://www.web-free-credit-report.com.
I have not used that site thankfully, but how do you know it’s a phishing site? I also do not remember credit scores being free, just credit reports.
What area was that posting in?
Comment by Brian -- Dec 26, 2007 @ 3:27 pm
Struck again in Southern California. Jeremy Wells, this time. Huge 1 br apt advertized for $1000 less than the usual rent at that complex. Same story about moving to London for work. Thankfully my husband found your blog before we got sucked in.
Comment by Sue -- Dec 27, 2007 @ 7:05 pm
If it had not been for you all I would be living on the street with no deposit for a “REAL” rental. Aleishia and “Reverend” Nic are running the same scam here in Portland, Oregon. On Yahoo real estate 2bed 2bath house fully furnished $700.00 month, keep it in perfect condition while we do missionary work in Africa. God Bless you etc. etc. Wire money to my husband in Nigeria. Thank God I smelled a rat. Again, Thank you all for having my back.
Their ad has magically disappeared,lol
Connie
Comment by Connie -- Jan 9, 2008 @ 5:25 pm
Thank you for making this blog.
Comment by Pastor Phillips Smith -- Jan 15, 2008 @ 4:34 am
Craiglist Angela Parsons Strikes again…I was just looking around Craigslist and found a too good to be true deal in Upper East Side, improperly labeled as East Village. 2b/2BA 1,200 sq feet for $2,000. Same deal with TNT, send the money to UK…the big give away, besides the obvious price discrepancy with the market, was the fact this person couldn’t spell electronic, yet they were claiming to work for a large electronic firm. Beware!!!! Prangelaparsons@aol.com
Comment by Mike -- Jan 17, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this! I got suspicious with a similar email exchange by a woman going only by Lisa, living in Sweden who also lost her husband and her hearing. She wanted $1600 in an escrow service for a 2 bedroom Beacon Street apartment. I’ll report it and hopefully anyone searching it will find this. It’s unfortunate all Craig’s List can do is pull the ad though.
Comment by Leenhea -- Jan 22, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
She’s “Lisa” from Sweden now. This is the email i received, complete with pictures:
Hello,
First of all I would like to thank you for your reply.Please forgive my late reply but I couldn’t respond earlier. My name is Lisa. The apratment has two bedrooms. The rent is $800 /month. The utilities aren’t included in this price (rent/month),utilities are about $60.00-$80.00/month. The apartent is
available now. Everything in this aprtment is
functional because is new. If you need to do some reparations (the worst case that could happen) in the apartment, I will refund the reparations cost, or I will deduct those from monthly payment.
LOCATION: 280 Beacon Street, zip 02116. I am the owner of the apartment, I had the apartment with my husband because he was from USA and last year because we had a car accident my husband died and I also lost my
hearing in the accident. Now I live in Sweden,because I live in Sweden the situation is a little bit complicated because I must come to US and sign the contract with you (lease contract). The apartment is very big and nice and it is in a nice area of Fenway.
I have received many proposals today for my apartment, if you wish to rent the apartment you must cover two months the first two months will be payed at the begining of the contract and you will begin to pay the
rent normaly from the 3rd month of your staying. Thank you Lisa
Comment by Courtney -- Jan 31, 2008 @ 11:10 am
Hi,
I am a reporter for the New York Daily News and am looking to do a story on this scam–looking for someone who fell victim to his in New York City….
Thanks, and please contact me at afterlysiak@hotmail.com
Comment by lysiak -- Feb 4, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Lysiak looks to me like a scammer looking for more victims. Someone from the New York Daily News with a hotmail address???? Give me a break!!!
I almost fell for a similar scam, renting an apartment in London for a week of vacation. Oliver Woods, aka, John Greene, (along with many other names) advertises short term rentals in London and Paris. Send the money via Moneygram, and have nowhere to stay when you arrive. He’s all over the Vacation Rentals By Owner. ERG!!! Makes me MAD!
JM
Comment by JM -- Feb 6, 2008 @ 1:23 am
Hey guys,
Nope–not a scammer–here is my article in todays Daily News.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/02/11/2008-02-11_craigslist_scams_targeting_renters_despe-2.html
Comment by lysiak -- Feb 11, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Saw one of these kind of scams on craigslist for D.C. last night and now the listing is gone. It was for a 2 bedroom in NW at $850 a month. Definitely seemed to good to be true. He went by the name of Marco Wilson. Said we had to wire money to his account through TNT and that he would arrange for us to get the keys somehow but that we had to act fast. He never replied with a phone number or time we could view the apartment when we directly asked.
Thanks for this post!
Comment by xx -- Feb 12, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
Got a email reply message for the credit check site from the craiglist ad below for an apartment in Redondo Beach, CA:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/apa/578278151.html
The person claimed to be Gavin Grant and Ritta Lawrence.
Comment by anonymous -- Feb 21, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
I just ran across this same scam on craigslist. This time he has moved to London and the name on the e-mail is Michel Viktor.
When i first saw the add I noticed that the 2 pictures of the apartment basically looked the same but the furniture had been moved or changed…and I kind of passed it off as blah. Then after the first e-mail response I got skeptical…something like this had happened to a friend of mine and she actually did wire the $1000 to the account and when she got to the place it wasn’t an apartment at all, rather it was a Pizza Hut.
Comment by Anna -- Feb 22, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
Ok guys now this is from Miami Craiglist where I found a cute 2 bed 2 bath apt home for $700 p/month. The owners were in Lagos, Nigeria due to the wife works for Shell or Amoco petroleum and they relocated her. The first thing that tipped me off is the price…too good to be true! Then my husband and I drove by the place and knocked on the door as we saw people were inside the home. The woman was in shock and told me she was the owner of the unit and she had no idea who the so called “Stephanie Dawson” was. It just so happens that right next door there was a house being being rented and so I thought maybe there was a chance she wrote the address wrong. She sent me a 2nd email giving me her husbands phone number which I googled and turns out it really was in Lagos, Nigeria the number is 0112348085841476. The funny thing is these people apparently have automated emails they send out because in one of my messages to her I asked a question and “she”responded to me but didn’t answer the question. When I called the number a man answered and he seemed to be African as he had quite an accent. They have now emailed me an application to fill out and submit but they didn’t take me for the ride all the way! Good luck everybody!
Comment by Barby -- Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:02 am
I too have found an advertisement for the “too good to be true” apartment, in Brentwood (Los Angeles) and it is exactly like everyone is saying, except now her name is Adreena Wagoner.
Always be cautious.
Comment by Justin -- Mar 1, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I got a similiar e-mail after responding to ad on CraigsList. The body of the e-mail felt weird so I decided to google. The same “Stephanie Dawson” who was reported earlier in Miami is listing in Seattle.
Comment by Rebecca -- Mar 3, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
Is anyone familiar with this? Hillary devlin?
Hello,
Thank you for your interest. I have available the apartment located at 445 North Rossmore Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90004, with 1 bedroom, 1 living room and 1 bathroom,because I moved with my job in United Kingdom, London and I need money to pay the rent here, that is the reason I want to rent at this price and to find a good person for my apartment. I can rent you the apt for max. 3 years because I have a contract here for this period. I `m the owner of the apt and its like in the PICS. The rent for 1 month is $1000.00 including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace, 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 have the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.
Comment by Mike -- Mar 4, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
If you are ready to proceed with this transaction I will need to inform you the steps about this service work and how we can make it happen. You will only have to deposit to TNT Service $400 so they can proceed with the shipping, and you can receive the keys and the contract.
I will pay for a 1 day delivery so you will receive the keys and the contract signed by me right away. I will explain to you step by step how this will work .
1 - To start this transaction i will need to know your full shipping information: full name, full shipping address to proceed with this deal .
2 - I go to the TNT Office and leave the keys and the contract in your name as the intended receiver.
3 - TNT will check the envelope to see if everything is OK with it and also the legal papers that will come along with the keys.
4 - TNT will send you a delivery notification to let you know they have the keys and the papers in their custody, in which you will be told how to complete the deposit to their agent.
5 - At this point you will have to go to a Western Union Agent Location and make a money deposit on the TNT payment agent name for the amount we agreed, the total amount you shall deposit is for the first month of rent.
6 - After you make the deposit you will have to send the info about the money deposit to TNT: (MTCN, sender’s name and address)
7 - TNT will verify the payment information’s and if everything is in order they will deliver the keys and the contract to you .
8 - After you receive the package, You will go and check the apt and in 2 days you must contact them and tell them if you keep the apt or not, if all is in order you will instruct TNT to send me the information’s about the money deposit and I will be able to receive the funds. If you don`t like the apt they will send your money back to you and you will send them the keys and the contract.I will pay TNT Service for the shipping and you will pay Western Union for the money transfer fee.Let me know if we can do this and email me all your full shipping information so we can proceed with this deal.
Comment by mike -- Mar 4, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Looks like there’s a lot of people that know the formula for this scam.
My sister almost fell for the Brentwood, CA apt scam with a woman named
Adreena Wagoner from Sweden
Comment by Elizabeth -- Mar 5, 2008 @ 12:14 am
WATCH OUT ANY POSTING FROM A ROBIN BEATY - its a SCAM!!! Don’t respond to anyone with this address: robinbeaty55@yahoo.com
this was the orginal posting from this person: A TOTAL SCAM!!!
Single-Family Home
Reply to: robinbeaty55@yahoo.com
Date: 2008-02-25, 5:57PM
Comfortable Land Park living. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, formal living and dining room, dual pane windows. Newer kitchen with granite counters, recessed can lights & separate eating area. Master suite offers French doors to deck & yard. Kids retreat with play house. Separate office/studio off the garage.
Address: 1041 4th Avenue, Sacramento CA 95818
1041 4th Avenue google map yahoo map
cats are OK- purrr
dogs are OK- wooof
Location: sacramento
it’s ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Original URL: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/apa/586840597.html
THIS HOUSE IS FOR SALE!!! NOT FOR RENT!!! I talked to the actual person that is SELLING this house today and she WASN’T Robin Beaty.
this was a response i received from this idiot (Robin Beaty) after i saw a posting on craigslist for a house for rent:
Hello,
Thank you very much for taking your time to mail me,how
are you doing today,l hope all is well with you?l must
tell you that it is my sincere pleasure to write you
back.Let me quickly introduce ourself to you,our names are
Rev.Robin Bruce and Dr. Ann Bruce, the owner of the apartment you are
making enquiry of,We will like to let you know that my
apartment is still available from now till 3 years
time.The Hydro, washer and security is in tact and
will be okay for any modern living environment and
well furnished.All the utilities are included in the
monthly rent of $800 which must be paid in advance and
they include the Electricity, Water, Internet,
Satellite TV, Air conditioning, Clothes Dryer,
Telephone, Hydro, Washer, Security and heating. No
advance security charges will apply.
Actually I resided in the apartment with my
family,such as my wife and my only daugther before we
packed out due to my missionary work in west africa,We
will not like to give my apartment to somebody that
will destroy it for me just like what my last tenant
did,to be very honest with you a whole lot of people
are contacting me regarding my apartment but l am not
sure of who to accept because l will not like my home
to be destroyed again so we are taking our time to look
for a responsible and a very honest tenant that will
take proper care of my home for me since we are far from
home but if you will promise us that our apartment will
be well taken care of we will be glad to let you stay
in my apartment till the period of time you wish to
stay.
We wishes to have some relevant information from you so
you are expected to carefully fill out the form below
or just simply reply back with answers to the
questions to qualifiy for the rent.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION CORRECTLY PLEASE
*Your Full Name…….?
*Parents name………..?
*Your Full Address…?
*Phone Number………?
* How old are you?…..?
*Previous landlord/Ref..?
* Do you have a pet………?
*Do you have a car……….?
*Occupation…………………?
*Moving date………………..?
*For how long you will stay..?
lt is necessary for you to answer the questions l
asked you so that we can proceed on the next step,l
decided to handle everything ourselfs because our last
agent was not capable enough to take care of our
home,he just leased our apartment to somebody that all
most destroyed all that we have suffered for,and the
only person that would have been able to handle our
home for us on our behalf has just travelled to
scotland UK on a job transfer,so we will like you to
know that the only way that will be convinient for us
to send our apartment keys to you if you are really
willing to rent from us will be through (DHL COURIER
SERVICE) we want trust to exist between each other like we
said earlier all we want is a very honest tenant,Expect
to read back from you asap so that we can proceed on
the next step.
You can reach us anytime with this number
011-234-803-248-0622or 011-234-805-794-9277. Expect to read back from you
asap.Thank you very much for the time you took in
mailing us, we must tell you that we really appreciate it
Thanks and best regards
Rev.Robin Bruce and Dr. Ann Bruce
****************************************************
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!
Comment by Robin Bruce -- Mar 5, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Here’s another one from a Debra S. Edelstein. We found the ad on Craigslist - $900 for 950sq ft apartment in upscale complex in the Bay Area. The reply is almost exactly the same as the one from paulronson@gmail.com above. The replies we received read:
1)Hi,
Thank you for your interest. The apartment located at Encinal Place, 604 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, with 1 bedroom, 1 living room and 1 bathroom, square ft. 961 is available, because I have moved to the United Kingdom, London, with my job and I need the money to pay the rent here. That’s the reason I want to rent it at this price, and find a good person to take care of it. The contract will be signed for the period of time that you need, with the possibility of renewing it for 5 years the most. I am the owner of the apartment, so you have nothing to worry about. Regarding the furniture, you can feel free to move it wherever you like. If you have your own furniture, I will take mine away, so don’t worry. The rent for 1 month is $900.00 including all utilities for all the 5 years (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, washer/dryer in unit, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator). You can move in the apt in the same day you receive the keys with the contract. The only problem is that I am the only person who has the keys, but I hope that we will come to a compromise.
PS: This is a cat and dog-friendly building (no weight limit).
Thank you for your interest and awaiting your reply,
2) Hello,
Thank you for your reply. Like I have informed you before, the contract will be signed for the period of time that you need, with the possibility of renewing it for 5 years the most and the price you shall pay for one month of rent will be $900.00 including all utilities with no extra fees for the duration of the contract. About the money, I would like to receive them monthly into my bank account and I hope there will be no problem for you to wire the money to it. The apartment is ready for you, you only need to receive the keys and the contract so you could check it out, and see if you like it.
Obviously we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are asking for. I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days. The solution is provided by a company called TNT which is similar to FedEx, DHL or UPS, which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys. I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apt only after you will receive the keys, and through this way you will see it and decide if you like it or not, before sending the payment. Please click on the link bellow to the TNT website to see how we can
complete the deal safely and fast directly from the website of the company where this procedure is explained: http://www.tnt.com/country/en_generic/services/special_services/timecritical.html
Let me know if you are interested, because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of next week.
Best Regards
I have to agree with the old adage: If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is! Be careful guys!
Comment by jubei5587 -- Mar 5, 2008 @ 11:39 pm
Mrs. Adreena, who would probably pretend she wasn’t hearing my angry phone call if I had made the 1.600 money transfer she was requiring for an apartment in Brentwood.
C’mon people? Isn’t there anything we could do to catch these bastards?
Think about how many people have been cheated and lost their money!
I didn’t lose mine simply because that inner voice that always helps us told me to try to call Yahoo just to check the security of this kind of operation, since I’m foreign.
THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WE CAN DO.
If anyone is interested in taking this thing further, instead of just thanking God for not being caught by it (which is good), please e-mail me on gunther_guapo@yahoo.com.br or call me 323-706.3104
We’ve got about 80 people here who could have been prejudiced. But think about how many have ALREADY BEEN and Haven’t had a chance of spreadig it out.
Please LET’S DO SOMETHING!
Comment by Joe -- Mar 6, 2008 @ 6:31 pm
Be careful, that person is still out there.
Her name is not Monica Spears and is advertising 660 Washington Street 02111, and the emails are same.
Thank you for your interest. I have available the apartment located at 660 Washington Street Boston, MA 02111, with 1 bedroom, 1 living room and 1 bathroom,because I moved with my job in United Kingdom, London and I need money to pay the rent here, that is the reason I want to rent at this price and to find a good person for my apartment. The rent for 1 month is $1000.00 including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace, 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 have the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.
Don’t fall for it and be careful! Google if you aren’t sure!
Comment by Stephanie -- Mar 6, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
What do we do if we replied to a “Ritta Lawrence” with credit score and income? What can I do to protect myself now?
Comment by Julie -- Mar 7, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
I RECEIVED THE BELOW EMAIL FROM A SCAM ARTIST POSTING ON CRAIGSLIST. THE SCAMMER’S SUPPOSED NAME IS FRED BRADDLEY AND HIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS FRED.BRADDLEY@LIVE.COM (READ THE EMAIL BELOW). I’VE NOTICED THAT TONS OF THESE EMAILS ARE COMING INTO MY INBOX FOR APTS I’M INTERESTED IN. DON’T FALL FOR THEIR SCAM. NEVER GIVE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE MONEY. THEY WILL TELL YOU THEY HAVE THE KEYS TO THE APARTMENT BUT THAT THEY LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. AGAIN, DON’T FALL FOR THESE MORONS.
Hello,
Thank you for your interest. I have available the apartment located at
390 East 153rd Street, Bronx, NY 10455, with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, because I move with my job in United
Kingdom, London and I need money to pay the rent here, that is the reason I want to rent at this price and to find a
good person for my apartment. This is the reason that I want to rent it. I can rent you the apt for max. 5 years
because I have a contract here for this period. I `m the owner of the apt and its like in the pics. The rent for 1
month is $800 including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace,
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 have the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.
Thank you for your interest and wait news from you ,
Best Regards ,
Comment by David -- Mar 8, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
yet another one!
this one was for an apartment in marina del rey, ca posted on craigs list.
her e-mail was rachelm.adlers@gmail.com
she claimed to be relocated for work in UK.
her responses were pretty much word for word like everyone else’s scams! she also mentioned the TNT company.
how do we do something about this?!
Comment by akla -- Mar 9, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
THANK GOD i decided to check out about rent scams because i was ready to send the $$$!!!
This is the email i received below after answering an ad on craigslist from a Franco Gibbs regarding an apartment in Montlcair, NJ
Hello,
Thank you for your reply. Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for one month of rent will be $800 US, with no extra taxes to pay. The money I want to revive it monthly to my bank account, I hope will be no problem for you to wire the money to my bank account. The apartment is ready for you, you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you like it.
Obviously we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days, if you move fast as
well. The solution is provided by a company called TNT which is similar
to FedEx, DHL or UPS, which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys.
I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apt only after you will receive the keys it and through this way you will see it and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment.
Please click on the link bellow to the TNT website to see how we can
complete the deal safely and fast directly from the website of the
company where the procedure is explained: http://www.tnt.com/country/en_generic/services/special_services/timecritical.html
Let me know if you are interested please because I really need to take care of this matter by the end of the next week
Best Regards,
WOW i guess it’s true what they say about if it’s too good to be true it is!!!!
thanks to everyone who posted regarding this scammer you saved me $800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by michelle salamak -- Mar 10, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Even i replied to ad on craigslist and end up signing for free credit score report. :((
Does anybody know where can we complain for this site’s ILLEGAL activities.
currently the following site is hosted on 1and1.com http://www.web-free-credit-report.com.
I tried contacting 1and1.com but couldn’t get through. I will try to report the complaint to some internet police so that this site’s data can be freezed and owner can be contacted.
Thanks,
Abhi
Comment by Abhi -- Mar 10, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
This is a scam by that same Ritta Lawerence person, using a mis-spelled name to elude the Googling. I have reported it to CL. If it looks to good to be true, then it is.
They responded using an e-mail of
ritta.lawerence@gmail.com
****
$975 / 1br - Cozy one bedroom apartment for rent
This apartment is in a great location, just a short walk to the beach. This apt. has hardwood floors, great lighting, cozy bedroom with good closet space, spacious living room, which is great for having family and friends over, kitchen with all the needed appliances, internet connection, cable ready, onsite laundry facility, and parking is provided. Besides living close to the beach, you will also be close to places like Santa Monica College, Santa Monica Airport, Loyola Marymount University, and Los Angeles International Airport, fantastic location. Both cats and small dogs are permitted but big dogs require an extra security deposit of 50 dollars. With one year lease, first month rent and security deposit is required.
harlene.perry6468@gmail.com
Comment by anonymous -- Mar 11, 2008 @ 4:46 am