From: Richard Wells < [email protected] >
Date: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 4:01 PM
Subject: Re: HI! Interested in room..
To: Michelle
Thanks for your interest in my apartment.. I am an artiste, self employed currently relocated to California on a new contract, and I will be here for long that is why am putting up the apartment for rent. The apartment is located at:
212 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017 (Midtown East)
This unit is available for immediate move in. Modern 1 bedroom & 1 bathroom, The apartment is strategically located in a very cool and lovely environment with five (5) appliances including dish washer with in-suite laundry room and plenty of storage space and parking space . Professional and mature neighbors ensure peaceful living arrangements. Freshly painted and immaculately clean.
The rent is $500 per month including utilities and $250 for damages deposit....I will like you to drive by to the building today to view the exterior of the building for you to know where the apartment is located and get back to me so that I can forward you the full interior pictures to you to have an idea how beautiful and spacious the inside looks and we can proceed to the next step which is the application process..
Thanks for taking your time in writing me and hope to hear back from you.
The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".
Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you
He will ask you to send him the transfer details.
Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money again.
If you are reading this because you are looking for property to rent, and you are in contact with this thief you are probably searching Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union before viewing, then it will also be a scam. Please forward the mail to me at the address in my signature line and I will investigate and list them if necessary.
